Report for Internal Circulation, Essay Example

Background

This previous week I relayed some information to you about a long time client we have who is not satisfied with recent work we performed for him. Henry Stewart has been one of our most loyal and valued customer over the years. He is a very prominent real estate agent in our area and refers many of his clients to our company. The incident that he is not pleased with occurred several days ago when two of our employees went out to his residence to spray his trees and shrubs for insects. In the past, whenever we spray for him, his pond has been covered to ensure that his Koi fish are not harmed. However, our employees who went yesterday did not cover his pond, and as a result about $2000 dollars worth of his fish were killed. Upon further probing of the situation, I found that the two employees that were sent to the Stewart’s residence were new and were unaware of the prior directions.  After receiving the letter from Mr. Stewart, it was obvious that he was irate. He referred to the workers as bozos and idiots. Nevertheless, it was not the workers fault that they were not properly informed. Furthermore, it is our policy that any new worker be accompanied by a veteran worker. This was not done. Tom Harrelson, the field manager, is in charge of handling new workers. I tried contacting Tom about the incident, but was informed by another worker that Tom was out. The store manager, Bettye, which I spoke to told me that she had been left in charge on the day of the incident. Tom had to leave early that day because his thirteen year old son had been hit by a baseball during a school sport activity. Bettye, who was filling in for Tom, had no idea about the workers being new or the prior directions given by Mr. Stewart.

Mr. Stewart’s Spending

Mr. Stewart is demanding that we reimburse him for the fish that the workers accidently killed. I believe we should pay him. After digging in our records, I have found that Mr. Stewart has been a customer of ours for more than eight years. In this time he has spent about $57, 000 dollars with us. This amount has been for lawn care services and products he has purchased from us. He has also referred more than 120 customers to us. Although I have not determined the amount that they have spent with us, I am positive it is more than the 57,000 that Mr. Stewart has spent himself. With that being said, I feel strongly that we should reimburse him and offer him an apology letter on the behalf of our company.

Suggestions

I believe that we should inform Mr. Stewart of our findings and offer him a formal apology, as well as one on social media-as Mr. Stewart has gone to social media with his complaint about our company.

Recommendations

This situation was really one that cannot be blamed on any one specific person. I believe it is an internal problem that needs to be fixed. Many companies have upgraded to computerized systems to keep client information up-to-date. Many of the companies in or franchise have already converted to these type programs with much success. Although we are one of the smallest stores in our franchise, we bring in more revenue than some of the larger ones. As a result, I believe we should upgrade our systems to use computer technology. Had we had this system in place, this mix-up would have never happened. The use of electronic health record has become widespread around the United States and abroad. Many smaller companies are converting to computerized records because it helps to improve the decisions and outcomes that they make. Proper service is dependent upon accurate information. Implementing computerized records will take time and cannot be expected to work with perfection immediately. The use of computerized records will ensure that clients receive the best possible service with the fewest errors. The estimated cost of these programs is between 40 and 50 thousand dollars. Mr. Stewart has paid for this alone. All of our information is in folders in file cabinets with the dates. Some of the files have been damaged by time and can no longer be read. Switching to this computerized system will eliminate this issue. It took me nearly a week to gather all of Mr. Stewart’s information, and it is very possible that I missed some of it. So, the numbers I have given are just an estimate.

Conclusions

The cost of implementing a computerized system is the most difficult one that companies are facing. The cost of implementing such a system includes purchasing hardware or software, installation of network services, and the training workers to properly operate the systems. Most clients prefer a face to face communication with those that are rendering service, but there are those that would prefer to purchase and pay online. With this system, customers will have the option of both. Although what has happened was unfortunate, we can try to make a system better for current and future clients.