Almost six weeks behind schedule, winter comes to southern New England.
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The other day, I came across a local communications company that seemed to misunderstand the purpose of shrink-wrapping your company name and phone number on your vehicles.
Instead of proudly displaying important contact information, this unfortunate example of shrink-wrapping resembles a poorly designed word puzzle that is probably more likely to elicit snickers and confusion than customer inquiries.
But this also represents a fundamental breakdown in communication between the shrink-wrap provider and the client. For its part, the shrink-wrap company probably figured that since it routinely covers bus windows, this client also wouldn’t mind its vehicle windows being obscured.
In contrast, the client seems to have reasoned that being able to see out of the back of his vehicle was more important than displaying the company name or phone number.
Either way, the intended message was lost.
To avoid misunderstandings like this, it’s critical for any service provider to go beyond the customer’s basic request by exploring the client’s goals and expectations.
By taking the time to discuss what the client is hoping to achieve, it’s easier for the service provider to meet those expectations and to reduce the risk of embarrassing mistakes that don’t serve anyone’s interests.
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If you’ll indulge a bit of bragging, my book on Connecticut’s Civil War monuments was profiled this week on the Milford (CT) Patch site, and the article was picked up and localized by a number of other Patch sites in central CT. It was interesting and somewhat different to be on the other side of an interview, and it was also gratifying to read the mostly nice comments the articles have generated.
Here’s the link: Exploring Connecticut’s Civil War Monuments.
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