Service Comparison: HP vs. Dr. Jaime White DDS

So Hewlett-Packard is a corporate behemoth. Billion dollar company with vast resources and a global perspective on how things should be done.

The dental office of Dr Jaime White DDS is a local small town office who takes care of people's teeth and gums. They see a lot of kids and old people, cause honestly, that's who goes to the dentist most. Kids are made to go by their parents, and when you get older and your teeth are falling out, we all decide that perhaps we should go see the dentist again.

Let's look at HP to start. I go online and order a power cable for my daughter's laptop which has failed to work. I match the wattage on the "brick" to make my selection and they send me a power cord. When it arrives it is the wrong fitting and is useless. I call them to arrange an exchange for the correct model and I spend the next 4 HOURS being passed from person to person, department to department. I have to demand to speak to a supervisor so they don't make me pay for return shipping or any extra fees. I just want t right cable for my daughters computer. At the end I have my problem solved, but am unhappy, feel like my time was wasted and am fully aware that HP cares very little for my existence. I can easily call another computer company the next time I am in need of technology and I will.

In the dentist's office there are sodas and smiles. There is an elderly gentleman sitting in the waiting room when we arrive. We are filing out the paperwork required of us when the woman behind the counter comes out from behind it and said to the gentleman, "I am sorry for the delay, we had a bit of a scheduling overlap and it's taken a bit longer for us to get you in. We know you've been waiting 20-30 minutes longer than you expected, here's some movie tickets for you & your wife. We don't want to waste your time and we value you."

It took $20 and 5 minutes of their time to secure a customer and gain the loyalty of just about everyone sitting in that waiting room. Everyone looked around at each other amazed at the level of service. Existing customers smiled and felt re-connected to having chosen the right place. Us new clients were floored, which just told me how rare it is to see that level of service.

I want to see more of that. I no longer want to settle for poor or moderate service. I am going to do my best to give my business, all of it, to those companies who put out the effort to really take good care of their people. I think we all should.

The Problem With Perfection

I take issue with the idea that there is a "right" way to to business. There are a LOT of ways to do business, and many of them are successful. Sure, I dislike some of those methods, but that doesn't mean they are ineffective. I was recently reading a book which created a Utopian office as its setting. This office was perfect, it was fun, and profitable, and everyone loved working there, and everyone was paid well, and everyone got a long and they created new ways to handle conflict, and everything was perfect. And really, that's just not helpful.

I like the idea of innovative thought. I relish the chance to meet business owners who want to do things differently, because I myself am a creature of change. But I do not hold with the idea that you can make anything perfect. I do not believe that the training I provide to companies will make them free of conflict or issue. Utopia cannot exist, and this is from the mouth of an optimist. Trying to achieve such a standard creates a false horizon. We're expecting people to achieve something that is outside reality.

There will be work required to get our work done. Or it wouldn't be work. Some of that work may be distasteful, or unfulfilling in certain aspects. The challenge to me is not to try to eliminate that work, because in some instances, that is not feasible. The challenge is to make the most of it each time. The challenge is to understand that our environment is not perfect, and there are a number of things out of our control, but those that are within our control can be whatever we want them to be.

We can control our own choices, and we feel better when we make a choice to do something rather than have it thrust upon us. It is not an easy thing to do, but when my boss tells me that I HAVE TO do a specific project, I try to remind myself that I am making the decision to do this. I could tell my boss "No". I could refuse to to the project, that might in turn lead to me losing my job, but the choice is still mine. And when the jobs I am being asked to do become more distasteful than the prospect of finding a new job, then I will make that choice too. As I have done in the past.

Utopia may just be a fantasy, but I can make the place I live and work, a place of MY choosing.