Core Value: Exceeding Customer Expectations
by Bill Huseby
Over the years I have written about the Core Values at SIGMADESIGN: Integrity, Respect for Each Other, Adaptable, Take Time To Laugh, Help Clients and Each Other and finally Exceed Customer Expectations.
BILL HUSEBY, PRESIDENT & CEO OF SIGMADESIGN
These are values all of us at SIGMADESIGN take to heart. They aren’t “just words” that we put up on the walls. (Our core values are posted throughout the office so that all employees can see them from where ever they work). These are values that we use and refer to continually. Over the years we’ve spent a lot of effort developing a robust hiring and interview process to make sure each and every SIGMADESIGN employee embraces our core values. These values are fundamental to our business and we live by them every day.
Exceed Customer’s Expectations is one value that I would like to highlight in more detail. All along, this one value has proven to be one of the most important for us in terms of growing the business. Repeat business is by far the largest part of our work. This would not be the case if we didn’t do a good job in the first place. Not only do we rely on sound Engineering, years of Experience and precision Execution (what I call E3), but also going “above and beyond” to make sure our customers get what they want.
This one value also turns out to be very expensive but only in the short-term if clients come back to us again and again as they do. Let me give you an example. A customer makes a last minute request for a simple change. It is not uncommon for us to jump on it, design the change and overnight ship the new part. Lots of companies would initiate a “change request” process, add the cost to the job and require the customer to approve the added charges before starting the change. Another more costly example that happened recently involved sending a technician to a field installation (by plane with an overnight stay) with 24-hour notice just to check out a problem with a machine. We didn’t spend any time to figure out whose fault it was, we just addressed the problem because it was the right thing to do and it “Exceeded the Customer’s Expectations.”
Although this one value can be costly, it is also one of the best ways imaginable to develop loyal clients. Plus, we really find satisfaction in making our clients happy. Existing projects turn into repeat business and long-term relationships are built with our clients. That is what fuels SIGMADESIGN. Besides, it is the right thing to do.
