<HTML><HEAD></HEAD> <BODY style="BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER= -LEFT-STYLE: none; WORD-WRAP: break-word; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none; kh= tml-nbsp-mode: space; khtml-line-break: after-white-space"> <P>List,</P> <P><BR>Seeing as I'm in California and the mail apparently still goes v= ia wagon train, I have not had the pleasure of reading the "President's= Message".   From what Kent wrote below, I tend to have = a similar attitude with tunings and customers.   I am the exp= ert and I'm quite ready to let them know it.   I do the best = I can with what I've got to work with.  Period.  I rarely do = callbacks, even if I'm called back...;-]  I, like Kent, will have = a customer occasionally pick a note out of the air and say "is that in = tune?"   Most often it's not really tuning but voicing or the= general quality of the instrument.   I like to be up front w= ith what I am going to accomplish with any particular piano service.&nb= sp;  Today, I brought up a Kimball console from -125 cents. &= nbsp; Went through it twice...three times in the tenor and told them th= is wasn't fine tuning.  I told them if we tune again in 3 to = 6 months, I might be able to get something closer to fine tuning. =   I always give my disclaimer about big tension changes and possib= le string breakage and the fact that they will be footing the bill...an= d of course a bass string broke.   I tied it and we were in b= usiness...</P> <P>Anyway I look forward to reading the Journal...</P> <P>David Ilvedson<BR><BR></P> <DIV style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5p= x; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 3px solid; PADDING-TOP: 5px"> <HR> Original message<BR>From: "Kent Swafford" <KSWAFFORD@EARTHLINK.NET><BR>= To: Pianotech <PIANOTECH@PTG.ORG><BR>Received: 9/10/2005 9:25:27 AM<BR>= Subject: Re: President's Message<BR><BR> <DIV align=left>Thanks. I was wondering how bad a beating I would tak= e for my piece. If others have comments, I'll collect them into a follo= w-up column.</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>I fully admit to some cynicism with regard to customer satisfactio= n. The same tuning/service/behavior from a tech at different appointmen= ts will generate different customer reactions in a seemingly random man= ner. Some will be happy; some will not; and I see no way to avoid the u= nhappy ones. I had a customer suggest that my bass tuning was off = as I was performing the tuning. Are we the tuning experts or are we no= t? I won't alter a tuning to its detriment to please a customer; custom= ers should be willing to play my tuning and give it a chance. Maybe the= y will like it after a full tryout. The point is if I immediately retur= n to a piano as the result of a callback, when I get there we may still= disagree about whether the tuning is good. An optimist would say I mig= ht turn the situation around by showing good faith and willingness to s= erve by returning. A cynic might say, the customer will end up trying s= omebody different anyway, so an immediate return is pointless.</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>You see, part of my problem (I'm admitting an attitude problem her= e) is the feeling that I can pick up clear cues from new customers abou= t whether they are desirable customers or not. If a customer doesn't fe= el it is important enough to be around when the tuning is over, especia= lly if they feel it's OK to question a tuning, may not be the best cust= omer. Another example is a new customer who is a no-show; I have a poli= cy of not rescheduling no-shows, except for fully established customers= . I broke my policy once for a customer who happened to live close to m= e. Never again; she called back after two months and a change of season= s to express her dissatisfaction with the tuning. You can say I should = have immediately returned to the piano; I say I never should have gone = out in the first place.</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>Ah, the life of the service pro.</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV>Kent</DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV> <DIV><BR class=khtml-block-placeholder></DIV><BR> <DIV> <DIV>On Sep 10, 2005, at 10:13 AM, Mike Kurta wrote:</DIV><BR class=A= pple-interchange-newline> <BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="WORD-= SPACING: 0px; FONT: 12px Helvetica; TEXT-TRANSFORM: none; COLOR: rgb(0,= 0,0); TEXT-INDENT: 0px; WHITE-SPACE: normal; LETTER-SPACING: normal; BO= RDER-COLLAPSE: separate; border-spacing: 0px 0px; khtml-text-decoration= s-in-effect: none; apple-text-size-adjust: auto; orphans: 2; widows: 2"= > <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style== "FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">    Dear Kent:</SP= AN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style== "FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">    In reference t= o your article in the latest PTG Journal, I have to take issue with you= r comments and please allow me to suggest a better system.</S= PAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style== "FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">    1.  When = a customer complains, one should listen with a sympathet= ic ear, not an  argumentative, defensive one.  A "d= readed callback" is in reality  information that requires serious = attention, not excuses or blaming.  Like doctors who listen t= o patients who know their own body, we need to listen to customer's con= cerns about their piano.</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style== "FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">    2.  The f= irst step should be an </SPAN><U style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY:= Arial; khtml-text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><SPAN class=Appl= e-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; khtml-text-d= ecorations-in-effect: underline">immediate</SPAN></U><SPAN class=Appl= e-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> return to t= he job in question.  A client expects the tuning to be right and h= as paid you for that expectation,  but how complaints are handled = are the real mark of a professional.  A suggestion of "guaranteed = tuning" might be better replaced by a desire to achieve customer satisf= action promptly.   </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style== "FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">    3.  The&n= bsp;desire that clients use  one technician for all their ins= truments is a valid one but can only be achieved by techs performance a= nd trust </SPAN><U style="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; khtml-= text-decorations-in-effect: underline"><SPAN class=Apple-style-span s= tyle="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; khtml-text-decorations-in-= effect: underline">earned</SPAN></U><SPAN class=Apple-style-span styl= e="FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">, not automatically expected = after the first meeting.   If one expects to serve this clien= t with "pianos all over the building,"  it would make sense t= o try to please rather than pre-judge. </SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style== "FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">    To assume the = tuning was fine (which it probably was) and that the fault lies wi= th the piano or  the person complaining, might be p= remature.   To devote the conversation to boasting about= ones reputation and methods is a turnoff and counterproductive.  = Allow the customer to find this out by your performance over time.&nbsp= ; He/she perceives a problem</SPAN></FONT> <FONT face== Arial size=2><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style="FONT-SIZE: 10px;= FONT-FAMILY: Arial">and our job is to respond in a kindly,helpful way = putting other things aside until it is resolved.  This would be my= "better system."</SPAN></FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN class=Apple-style-span style== "FONT-SIZE: 10px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">    Mike Kurta&nbs= p;      </SPAN></FONT></DIV><BR class=A= pple-interchange-newline></SPAN></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV><BR></DIV></BODY></H= TML>