Verhoef Training's 25th Birthday blog. 45 days to go and a key lesson in customer service, resourcefulness and tenacity.
It’s Verhoef Training’s 25 Birthday on the 1st November, 46 days to go. So it’s time for a little story. Are you sitting comfortably?
I was on holiday right so, basically, clueless! I stress, it’s not me that deserves anything, but all hail Matt, Grant, Caroline and Jez - the team in Bath who were involved.
A customer in Northampton called us on a Thursday afternoon with a request for a quote for a 5 day course in PL/1 Programming, a Mainframe legacy language not common then and not really used any more at all.
“But it’s our speciality” says we “When would you like it?” “This coming Monday?” asks they. “But that’s only three days away, two of which are the weekend” replies we. Tight, but we have the materials, and assuming the instructor is available, why not. So we agree to quote, with all the confidence of crossed fingers and toes.
Next question: “Where would you like delivery?” “Don’t you have a training room in Northampton?” asks they. “Actually no” replies we “but if we can access your Mainframe then we can try hiring a local hotel”. “Good.” says they again “Because we don’t have a training room and I’m afraid you won’t be able to access our Mainframe for the class either”……Ah! But we do have 12 delegates” they say. “And it is imperative they are trained immediately for a project we’ve just been told is mission critical.”
So what did we do? Well, our instructor, Minerva Douglas, was available, the materials could be copied on Saturday and the Mainframe, provided by the very wonderful Mr. Terry Sambrooks (who gave us our very first order - see yesterday’s blog), already had the PL/1 compiler installed and was wired to the Net, so - deep breath - let’s go for it.
Except: It’s now Friday and the only available, local hotel did not have internet access in their only suitable meeting room. Damn and blast, but showstopper? No, that wouldn’t stop Batman nor the Avengers so it’s wasn’t going to stop us! Just contact a local network provider and arrange for an internet connection to be installed at the hotel on Monday morning. Yeah, right!
So I arrive back from holiday on the Saturday to find a note on my front door. Dave: please call Matt, you’re to pick up a flight case of laptops and drive them, with a box of PL/1 course books, to Northampton on Sunday evening where Minerva will meet you. On Monday morning you are to liaise with the hotel, the network provider and the Mainframe guy, it’s all sorted out. And it was. Thanks to the team; and the hotel; and the network man; and the client who worked with us to achieve it.
At exactly 10:00 o’clock as promised, I said to the 12 delegates, all innocent as the day they were born, “Good morning ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Verhoef’s PL/1 Programming class……..”
…….........And then I drove home. Sweet!