In “this new reality” of debt, joblessness, anxiety, and concern, we have to make sure the people who make a difference for our customers are better equipped and trained than at any time in history.We have to give people opportunities to succeed in their work and not set them up to fail.

The founder of Papa John’s, John Schnatter, says he discovered that “people who struggle are hard on others while people who succeed are hard on themselves.” That is an interesting distinction, isn’t it?

I have focused the past few months on employees and their importance in the company. I have discussed their knowledge of the things that need to be done to improve performance and customer satisfaction and the critical role they play in keeping your customers coming back. Now I want to focus on the two “difference makers” in their lives: training and technology.

Training
In another life I taught at a university. One of the things I felt strongly about was teachers not just teaching a curriculum. They were there to teach students to teach themselves. Too often we think that when we leave school we are finished with our schooling. Nothing could be further from the truth.When you leave school, your education begins.

You are falling behind if you are not constantly learning. So what? Well, your capacity to learn is directly related to your capacity to earn. You must be devoted individually to constant learning. That means reading and taking self-study courses and classroom learning whenever you can.

How many of you have read a business book in the last month? How about this year? The answers I always get are quite astounding. Very few attendees of our training classes actually attempt to keep up with reading. Check out our Web site at www.rjslee.com if you don’t know what to read. You’ll find what we call “A Reading List for Interested People.” And while you’re there, look at the articles we have in our archives.

How about self-study classes? From learning how to use Microsoft Excel to learning another language, there are incredible opportunities out there. Also check out the opportunities within the National GroundWater Association. Learning is a critical part of our lives— now and forever. Please take the time to care for yourself by spending some time learning. I promise you won’t be sorry.

Technology
I am sure you know technology is changing right in front of our eyes. Now be careful in that I’m not just talking about your business system, although that is important. If you don’t have a business system that can support your complete business, you are doing a disservice to your customers. That’s right—it’s more about your customers than anything else.

Pricing and availability, standard times and purchasing, customer history and retention all are critical in providing the information and service you need to your customers. Imagine selling something to someone and you don’t know anything about them. You don’t know their name because they paid cash, and you don’t know their address, phone number, or e-mail address because you didn’t ask. It happens more often than you think. Fix that. And have a check of your business system because it’s critically important. The business system is not only an expense; it is an investment too.

How about supplemental technological tools? Do you use GPS (global positioning system) on your customer equipment? Can you track the condition of pumps or wells remotely? Do you have field vehicles in installations and maintenance? Do you track them with GPS and mapping software? There are truly significant advantages you can reap with the use of GPS. This tool has become almost commonplace through tools like navigation assistance software and hardware.

How about VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol? This is a wonderful tool for those of us in the customer service business. I remember the arrival of caller ID on telephone systems, knowing who was on the line before you answered the phone. Now some of you smiled and said, “Oh I will know who is there, so I can determine if I want to answer or not.” But it has gone far past that point.

With VoIP you will not only know who is on the line, but with many business systems today you will know a host of other things at the same time. Purchase history, equipment used and dates of installation, last maintenance event, repair history, and parts usage—a huge amount of information. This is the case of running your telephone system on the back of your computer business system. Imagine that.

This is the case of running your telephone system on the back of your computer business system. Imagine that.

And by the way, if you are in a multi-location operation you will be able to eliminate long distance telephone bills. You will use the communications lines and equipment that transfers your data from store to store. It’s just like cable TV.

These are two simple examples for you to explore: GPS and VoIP. Check it out, you might be surprised at how costeffective it can be for you and broaden your opportunities in your marketplace with your customers.

Training and technology—or “innovation”—are critical in keeping your company current for your customers and suppliers. It will also make you competitive for the talented young people coming into the workforce over the coming years. This is where the real battle will be in the coming years. How do you attract and retain talented people? I believe it is through the proper availability of training for your employees as well as ensuring that they have current as well as effective technology.

It is a real risk not to be at the leading edge. Do you remember the old Fram oil filter commercial?What did it say? “Pay me now or pay me later.”Well, if you don’t make the right investments in training and technology, I believe your business will be at risk.

Care to take that risk?