Take an Active Role in Your Project

By Sarah Cocchimiglio
PROFIT Communications PR Assistant-Writer/Editor

Our house, before the addition.

As a writer and editor professionally, I never really considered myself a project manager until my husband, Anthony and I recently assumed the role of project managers earlier this year after finding out we were expecting – unexpectedly – last November. We rushed into action to build the addition we had been talking about for years.

First we had to build our team. We hired a contractor, which was no small feat: We live in a log home, so our atypical building project  required someone with specialized skills and experience. After extensive research we settled on a small, family operated log-home builder out of Lancaster County.

Next, we had to consider budget and timing. Because we had a baby on the way, we had a very firm deadline and budget. It was surprisingly easy to stay on track, because the builders were here every day and saw my belly getting bigger and bigger (and bigger). I doubt any of them wanted to still be here working when “the time” came. To stay the line financially, we made thoughtful, researched decisions and did some work ourselves.

We discovered that successfully orchestrating a project of this size required us to be flexible. We had a plan, but it was revised, tweaked and adjusted many times over the course of the building process. We could have dug in our heels, but that would have cost more time and money.

During the building process, one or both of us interacted with the contractors every day. We did walk-throughs to check out the progress, asked questions, flagged issues and kept lists of what still needed to be done. We took pictures daily not only to document the process from start to finish, but also to identify potential problems and solutions. Sometimes there were things – from keeping the site neat and clean to helping install pine paneling on the walls – that we had to undertake ourselves to keep the ball rolling.

Real World - Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan
In the business world, organizational skills like these can be indispensable. Without the ability to stay on track, projects are likely to miss their marks and their deadlines, and sometimes you just have to get in there and lend a hand.

And, of course, to-do lists are a project manager’s best friend.

Since we were organized, reasonable, flexible and goal-oriented, and because we used some elbow grease of our own, our addition was completed on time, and within budget. If you’ve ever been involved in a similar process you probably know how rare that is.

Our PROFIT Communications team members are account and project-management experts. We live by the motto, "Plan your work, and work your plan." Check out PROFIT's planning and management processes here. We use research, action, communication and evaluation (RACE) to ensure we meet your project and program objectives, timeline and budget. We also believe that personal and professional expertise go hand-in-hand.

Our house, after the addition!

The Real Bottom Line is Customer Service

By Sarah Cocchimiglio
PROFIT Communications PR Assistant-Writer/Editor

In the wide world of business a company’s most important responsibility is to keep its customers satisfied and returning for more products and services. Nowadays, excellent customer service is often the only thing that can effectively differentiate you from your competitors. Remember: An unhappy customer will likely become your company’s loss and another competitor’s gain.

Providing quality products and services is obviously a key part of maintaining satisfied customers, but sometimes things happen. We’ve all experienced the box of six frozen fruit bars that contained only five, or the pizza delivered with all of the toppings and cheese stuck to the top of the box, rather than the pizza.

This is where great customer service comes in, because with it, you can still attempt to salvage your company’s relationship with the disappointed customer, thus positively affecting the bottom line short- and long-term

Case in point, I recently took up trail running, and invested in a fairly expensive pair of running sneakers from New Balance. I was disappointed when, after only a few months, the heels started to wear out in both shoes, giving me painful blisters nearly every time I ran. Although I felt the wear was premature, I didn’t think sneakers came with a warranty, and fully expected I’d have to fix them myself or buy a new pair.

I called New Balance’s customer service hotline, hoping they could direct me to someone who could repair the shoes. Instead, the customer service representative told me they would replace the sneakers – who knew! He suggested that the damage was likely from sliding off the sneakers without untying the laces, but that New Balance stands behind their shoes and would be happy to provide me with a comparable replacement pair.

So despite having a mediocre experience with a New Balance product, the company’s commitment to stand behind its products and its dedication to keeping me satisfied means that the next pair of sneakers I buy will probably be New Balance…go figure!

Have you had a similar experience with good customer service? PROFIT Communications would love to hear from you. Please share your story, in about 250 words or less.