Mary Lou,
You are entirely correct. I used to teach TQM at the USAF Senior Non-commissioned Officer Academy, and when any business or service provider starts to tell me why their service is poor (e.g., "We're short-handed today"), I tell them that I am not going to buy into their problems. Their problems should be entirely transparent to me, the customer. Their job is to please me, not to get me to approve their low level of customer satisfaction.
By the way, the University of Alabama displays this sign at all of their customer service counters: "Total Quality Management is just the golden rule, plus common sense". I think that sums it up pretty well.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Dave Clark, JD, MLIS
Lightfoot, Franklin, & White L.L.C.
Birmingham, AL
>>> "Mary Lou Calvin" <calvinml@wnj.com> 01/21 8:32 AM >>>
I respectfully disagree. WE are the customers it is not up to us to adapt ourselves to the way each particular company processes invoices or cancellations. It should be the publishers job to accomodate us and the way we prefer to handle a certain procedure.
When I talk to publisher and they start telling me their internal processes, I let them know I don't care about their internal processes I just expect them to handle my request.
I can just imagine how many clients our firm would keep if we expected them to jump through hoops to accomodate the way we prefer to do business.
The whole TQM and client service movement seems to have passed right by the legal publishing world.
Mary Lou Calvin
Director of Library Services
Warner Norcross & Judd
Grand Rapids MI
>>> Mariann Storck <Mstorck@gklaw.com> 01/21 8:46 AM >>>
Paulette,
I've been thinking about this problem since I've had problems with Aspen and now again with RIA this week. I thought that if the %#$)!#$!!@! publishers would send us their procedure on how they would like their payments remitted and it was standardized for all customers, we librarians who know how to follow directions would be happy to comply. Ultimately, it would save us time. However, they tell us what to do; we provide goo-gobs of detail and they still #$@!&%!! it up.
Next news headline, "Librarians storm __________(insert publisher name) billing offices and tar and feather supervisors!"
Okay, take a deep breath...
Mariann Storck
G&K
Milwaukee
>>> "Richards PTOTH O'Neil" <ptoth@CLASS.ORG> 01/20 4:07 PM >>>
Dear Cindy:
I'll add my voice to the "tape the invoice together" gripe, but what
really kills me is the 3 step process I must go through every month to
insure that my account is balanced and accounted for.
1. I squeeze my General Ledger Numbers onto the line for each item,
total them by GL number and send them to Accounting.
2. Put the packing slips in the same order as they appear on the
invoice, add the General Ledger Numbers to those and give them to a
clerical assistant who posts them in my Line Item Budget Database. This
extra step is necessary because it is difficult to figure out the real
title from the invoice. I also make up a fake packing slip for *subs.
3. Write a letter to West Customer Service explaining any returns or
cancellations. This step is required since the check goes one way and my
carefully annotated back-up goes to the X Files.
Talk about a pain in the neck! Now that West Group has had these
accounts for two years, one would hope that fewer hours would be required
to pay them. Have I complained about this to West? You better betcha!
I honestly don't know how firms with multi-offices cope.
Paulette Toth
Library Director
Richards & O'Neil LLP
885 Third Ave.
New York, NY 10022
ptoth@class.org
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