Letters to the Editor - January 2006

Managing Customer E-mail

Dear Editor:
It was with great interest that I read Mr. Leary’s column, “E-mail Business: Management failure can be costly,” in the November issue of The Network Journal. I agree that it is extremely important for businesses to respond to customers in a timely fashion. In the last few years, technology has greatly facilitated people communicating with each other. Yet, it seems we are not keeping up. Unfortunately, as a strategy for pruning the inbox, time management gurus often encourage people not to read, let alone respond to, the e-mails they receive. However, if those queries are not redirected to someone who can provide the answer the sender seeks, this will set the stage for poor customer relationship management habits. Whether we own our own business or work for one, it is crucial to understand that all customers may not be “external.” It is equally important to find a way to serve one’s “internal” customers as well.

They say a successful business needs three things: location, location, location. I believe that relating to one’s customers requires three things: communication, communication, communication! Many businesses get this wrong far too often!

Jill Lanier
Bronx, N.Y.

Globalization

Dear Editor:
I understand all too well about globalization, the subject of the “Editor’s Note” in the October 2005 issue of TNJ. I am currently at a company, Delphi Automotive Systems Corp., that is about to go bankrupt because of globalization. How does an individual get into the industry as well as become global? Do you need to have an existing business, or is it possible to start a new one and achieve globalization at the same time? I am very interested in this and any information that you can provide me would be greatly appreciated.

Jill Reed
New York City