I Don't Get It

I don't get it or understand it.  Some businesses out there just don't seem to get the power of the Internet or as I like to refer it as the Wild West Web.



Three weeks ago, I emailed a local appliance dealer that I normally do business with, asking for the price on a new electric dryer and if they would just deliver it to my house.  My old dryer had bitten the dust and was no longer drying.  Although it was only about five years old, the cost for a repairman and a new heating element along with probably a few other things made it more prudent to purchase a new one.  Why dump $300 into a five year old dryer when I could have a new one for $450.  Cost benefit analysis.

Alas, I have yet to receive an email reply back.  That is NOT good customer service.  I guess they don't check their email even though itt's listed on their website.  I ended up having to drive to their store and place the order.  Would have been so much easier to have done it by email.  I knew exactly the brand, model, and features I wanted.    I forgot to ask them if they ever checked their email.

I've also been shopping for a new car for my mother.   I searched and searched the Wild West Web for the dealer I wanted to use and  to search their inventory,  but alas I could not find it.  I found an email address for their other dealership and emailed them asking where there website was at.  This is the response I got.

Good morning! I'm sorry you were unable to find our website. It is relatively new and does not yet show up on the search engines as readily as we would like. Is there a particular model that interests you? I will be happy to help in any way that I can, so please let me know if you have any trouble on our site or if you need more information. Thanks for your interest in xyz.

Come on, this is 2010, and an auto dealership has not had a website up and running for the past ten years?  How much business have they lost by not having a website?    How much has this cost them in business.  I maybe what marketers label "an early adopter", but by now just about everyone expects to be able to get information off of the Wild West Web.

Synchro32 invests a lot of money and resources into our website and the internal workings of our tracking system.  We have a modern customer resource management system that allows the entire global Synchro32 team to view the information in real time and respond accordingly.

I am also amazed and concerned by the number of metalcasters that do not have a web presence.  A simple webpage is very inexpensive and gets your name and logo out in front of the world.  A single webpage with your companies name, logo, what you do, and how to contact you is all you need for a start.  Be forewarned, if you embark on an ambitious website of current news, events, newsletters, etc. you must keep it updated all the time - stale websites show a lack of interest and commitment.

What email address do you use?  There are quite a few metalcasters that rely on "global" email addresses of Yahoo, Hotmail, MSN, Google, or your internet provider.  Is this displaying the professional image you want the world to see?  An email address can easily be coupled with your webpage to provide a seamless image.  JANEDOE@metalcastings-r-us is much more professional than JANEDOE@GMAIL.com  

Synchro32 is proud of our commitment to customer support and the embracement of technology.

Back when I was working on my MBA, the team I was assigned to had a group project.  This blog post reminded me of that.

Till next time, see you on down the road.

Synchro32 - A Safe Harbor for Your Metalcasting Operations

The Synchro32 global team has done it again by having an article published in the July 2010 issue of Modern Casting. Although my name is listed as the lead author, trust me, this was truly a collaboration of all of the Synchro32 team members and is dedicated to them.

Synchro32 knows metalcasting. (Period)

Here is a link to the article.
Prevent Problems Through Perfect Planning Modern Casting July 2010


Hot here in Texas, although we are in a bit of a respite due to all of the tropical rain that has been flowing in. Keeping my fingers crossed that there are no major hurricanes this year, but there is one brewing in the Gulf of Mexico right now.

My favorite is always the Mariners 1-2-3 rule as it gives that old world feel to storms and of course the term "safe harbor" which of course has evolved into financial terms as well.

The Mariners' 1-2-3 Rule, or "Danger area", is indicated by shading. The 1-2-3 Rule, commonly taught to mariners, refers to the rounded long-term NHC forecast errors of 100-200-300 nautical miles at 24-48-72 hours, respectively.

Let Synchro32 become a "safe harbor" for your metalcasting operations by arranging for a demonstration today!

Generally speaking, a "safe harbor", besides the obvious of a place where mariners go to weather a storm, is also a  legal term that reduces or eliminates liability as long as it is done in good faith.   This applies to foundries and metalcasters that make financial projections and forecasts as long as they were done in good faith.  If the metalcaster has a modern ERP/MRP system and a top notch accounting software program that is linked with the ERP/MRP system, then the financial projections/forecasts would be made in good faith.  NOTE:  I'm not a lawyer nor a CPA - some might call me a "paralawyer" if you are up on your John Grisham books (Rainmaker).  :)   

 Until next time, see you on down the road...