By Greg Jackson, CEO Columbine Label Company
I might be dating myself with this, but there’s a fantastically memorable Holiday Inn TV commercial from the 1970s where a hotel clerk breaks the bad news to a weary traveler and his wife that the hotel never received their reservation, gleefully telling the couple “Sur-priiiise!” Then the voice-over comes on and says “…Holiday Inn thinks the best surprise is no surprise.”
I find the message in this classic ad more relevant than ever today. When I took the helm at Columbine Label Company, I made it a top priority to continue providing the high level of service and satisfaction that this company was known for. To make that happen, we have to live by our promises.
With every order, we hold ourselves to a high standard of print quality and delivery satisfaction. From beverage products to health and beauty packages, our customers are turning out new and more products at a breakneck pace. Our job is to keep up with that demand and the quality our customers expect. In other words, we do what we say we’ll do – no surprises for our customers.
Sounds good, right? But we don’t just say it, we track it. Here are our latest promise measurements:
No brag, just fact.
Managing expectations
So how do we hit those numbers? It really starts with managing expectations upfront. Just as our customers know their business better than anyone else, at Columbine Label, we understand the sometimes-crazy nature of the printing business extremely well – its idiosyncrasies, potential hiccups, and demanding deadlines. With that knowledge and experience, we aim to set proper expectations for our customers so they know exactly what we can deliver – and when.
For example, one of the services our customer’s value is short lead times – often three days after approval of proof. Our customers work in the fast lane and we strive to keep up with demand. If we can accommodate rushes, we will. But if our press schedules are full, we give customers a reasonable and attainable delivery date. No promises we can’t meet, and no surprises.
A company-wide sentiment
Something else that helps us attain high promise marks is that our “do what we say we’re going to do” mantra is embraced by our employees across the board – from our fabulous front office staff to our topnotch customer service representatives to our plant crew and press operators who could be described by some as miracle workers. And while we may not always be perfect, we will be the first to admit it and make things right. Ultimately, we treat customers the way we want to be treated ourselves.
The customer is always right?
Now you might be sitting there thinking “Of course, he’s going to say these wonderful things about Columbine Label, he’s the president!” And you might be right. So I’d like to humbly leave you with a five-star Google Review we received recently from a customer:
Seth Schwartz
We have been working with Columbine Label since 2003. They are amazing to work with. The label quality is fantastic, and they are always willing to do anything possible to try to make your delivery deadline. They saved us once again today by rushing an order for us. Thanks, Jennifer!
COLUMBINE LABEL COMPANY (owner)
WOW Seth, thank you for the five-star review and for speaking so highly of Jennifer and Columbine label. We love that we helped “save” you today and hope that your delivery deadline was in fact met. Thank you for being a long-time valued customer!
It’s feedback like this that makes this business feel less like work and more like a special place to go every day.