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Tips for Selling a Franchised Business (Part 1 of 2)
"I bought a franchise several years ago, and while I made back my initial investment, it hasn't exactly made me rich and I'm no longer that excited about running the business. Also, my husband and I want to retire and move to Florida to be …Read more.
"Flipping" a Business, and Buying One from a Retiring Founder
"I have made an offer to buy an existing small business in my town. The owner is in his 70s and has let the business run down the past couple of years, but I see a lot of potential for quick growth. My objective is to buy the business, have a …Read more.
The Growing Tax "Cloud" on Small Business e-Commerce
"I started a small online retail business earlier this year. I understand that I have to collect and pay state sales taxes whenever someone buys from me who also lives in my state. But my business is growing, and I have customers now in …Read more.
Using Your 401(K) Plan To Start a Business . . . Revisited
"I was laid off from a corporate job a few months ago. I'm thinking of buying a franchise, but I don't have enough money in my checking account to pay the franchise fee and other upfront expenses. I've heard that there's a way I can tap into my …Read more.
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A Crisis of CompetenceDoes it seem to you sometimes that nobody knows how to do their jobs anymore? My mom is 81 years old, a widow who lives about a two-hour drive from where I live. My mom is not usually a complainer, but when I called her this past Sunday, she was nearly in tears due to three separate incidents that occurred within a three-day period last week. Incident No. 1: She received an IRS Form W-9 (request for federal tax ID number) from her bank showing an incorrect Social Security number for her checking account. She was afraid to return the form by mail, so she visited her local branch and spoke to an officer she trusted. The officer, after several unsuccessful efforts to contact the bank's tax department (she was put on hold several times listening to music, just like us customers), finally reached a human being and learned that the Social Security number belonged to my father, who died more than a decade ago. Except that it wasn't my dad's Social Security number — the number was one digit off. Apparently, this bank went through several acquisitions and the digit was changed somewhere along the way. Good thing my mom didn't have any problems that would have required that number to be correct. Incident No. 2: Mom received a letter from her Medicare Part D prescription drug insurer notifying her she would be dropped within 60 days unless she provided certain tax information. My mom knew of this requirement, and had mailed the required information three weeks previously by certified mail. She had a return receipt, so the information was lost somewhere at the insurer's office. Unfortunately, Mom had not kept a duplicate copy of the form. Since she doesn't have a computer, I had to download the form from the insurer's website and overnight it to her. She then had to take a taxicab across town to her accountant's office to obtain a printout of her electronically filed income tax return, which was required to be attached to the form. Incident No. 3: Mom went to the supermarket to buy groceries. The checkout person, who was "multitasking," neglected to scan Mom's "frequent shopper" card, so discounts on some items were not recorded on the register tape. Mom complained to the clerk's supervisor, who came over to the register and began manually changing the prices on the register tape to record the discounts (apparently, she didn't know how to void the transaction so the clerk could record everything again). Now, no one has said it's easy being an old lady. Each incident by itself was trivial. But taken together, they paint a nasty picture of a society that simply doesn't work well anymore. Despite — or maybe because of — our reliance on computer technology and an overeducated work force with little or no common sense (two of the three supermarket supervisors Mom dealt with were college graduates!), America is facing a crisis of competence at all levels of business. Here's my advice to the brainless morons Mom had to deal with this past week: Stop rushing — slow down and take the time to think about what you are doing so you get it right the first time; Lose your "attitude" — care about your job enough to want to do it well, whatever that job is, even if that means staying five or ten minutes past the end of your shift without pay; Remove computers from the customer service process — train human beings who can respond quickly, efficiently and empathetically to people's problems, and communicate with people in clear English (or Spanish); Care about your customers, even if it hurts — treat them with respect and patience as individuals, and try to place their needs above your own. After all, you will be old yourself someday ... Cliff Ennico (crennico@gmail.com) is a syndicated columnist, author and former host of the PBS television series "Money Hunt." This column is no substitute for legal, tax or financial advice, which can be furnished only by a qualified professional licensed in your state. To find out more about Cliff Ennico and other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit our Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CLIFFORD R. ENNICO. DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
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