Expediency and Accuracy. Two Keys to Growing and Maintaining your Business

Remember the fable of the Tortoise and the Hare where "Slow and Steady Wins The Race"? Well that may be the case as you unwind after a hard day at the office, but in the demanding world of business today, I would have to completely disagree with this age old adage.

With the advent of the email, smart phones, texting, and other mediums of instant access, your customers don't only expect you to be immediately available, they demand it. If you are not ready to answer their questions promptly and accurately, then they will find somebody else who will.

It is imperative that your organization adopts procedures that ensures your current customers' and future prospects will receive immediate attention to their requests. In yet another real world example, just recently I reached out to a vendor for a quotation. I could not reach anyone via telephone, so I sent the request via email. I followed up with a telephone call, left a message, and then sent the outside sales representative a text just to make sure they were aware of the request. Well, after 1 hour, I had not heard back from them, and my customer had called me three times to follow up on when they might receive an answer from me. I was forced to source the product elsewhere, and by the time my initial vendor had responded with an email to let me know they were working on the quote, I had already received the order, and the product had shipped from another source.

Now the saying "Speed Kills" is not necessarily lost in this area also. Please make sure that your organization is answering questions quickly, but also, and equally as important, accurately. Do not compromise correctness, as it can cost you dearly. There is nothing worse than losing margin because of an incorrect internal costing error, or even worse, going back to a client or prospect to explain that you have made a mistake and the information you have provided them was in error.

It's a fragile balance to maintain speed and accuracy, but one that needs to be addressed and adopted by every organization. Work internally to ensure that you are providing both, and improving your processes to be even better than you were yesterday!