All the business news shows spend most of their time speculating on whether or not the recession is over and looking for ways to measure how American business is responding to the economic downturn.

Here’s one of our favorite indicators. We call it the “PI” and it stand for pallet index.

Almost everything we sell arrives at our loading dock on wooden pallets-sometimes eight or ten a day.  They eat up valuable space and can be difficult to dispose of.  Until the beginning of the summer, we had to beg delivery drivers to take them back and even resorted several times to hauling them away and burning them.

For the last couple of months, they have been disappearing before our eyes.  Every time a driver shows up with a delivery, he seems to more than ready to take back a pallet and usually asks if we have any more.  If five or six have accumulated, his eyes really light up.

It seems that other stops on his route have a need (for the first time in months) for more pallets than they can get to ship their goods, and the driver is able to sell them our pallets when he makes a delivery.

This seems like a really positive sign to us.

Maybe it is time for MSNBC to add the “PI” to their list of leading economic indicators.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Permacel gaffers tape,Duracell Procell batteries,  Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and Entertainment One extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands. What’s your favorite business health indicator?  Share it with our readers.

spokesperson for goodbuyguys.com

It’s hard to imagine a more important customer service function than answering the phone. I have been trying to contact a couple of our suppliers (companies that we send thousands of dollars to on a regular basis) and I can’t get anyone to answer the phone. Voice mail followed by never returned calls. Over and over again.

I’m not talking about customer service or sales calls. I am talking about calls from an existing customer to a supplier who spends millions trying to get us to buy and distribute their products.

I can understand the need to use voice mail and message taking when absolutely necessary, but it is difficult to imagine anything of more value to someone who sells a product or service than talking to your customer. After all, my calls are all about my desire to give your company money. What could be more important than that?

The advent of e-commerce and online sales has been incredibly liberating for us at GoodBuyGuys.com. We’ve always tried to make sure that a customer got a live human being when they called to order gaffers tape or batteries, or when they called for product info. Our phone rings less and less often, even though our sales are increasing, so we have lots more time and resources to field every phone call without adding phone lines or employees. It is the most important customer service function anyone around here performs. It’s easy and it is a service that is rarely abused by customers or prospects. They don’t call unless an interaction with a human voice is really needed.

Its obvious to us, that most people find it more efficient to deal with us (and most vendors) online when possible. Usually, you can get your questions answered and your order placed a lot quicker via the internet than by phone. That makes our job easier and frees up lots of resources to make available when the phone does ring.
We have resisted adding hold music or, even worse, some sort of recorded message to bore you while you are put on hold. If a caller is left on hold for more than 45 sec. the phone starts making a really loud and annoying beeping sound.

Occasionally, you may get voice mail if all our incoming lines are busy, but we strive to return ALL calls within the hour. It’s something that really matters.

When we make decisions on adding new suppliers and expanding our relationship with exisiting ones, how they handle the telephone is a very big part of our decision making process.

Why more companies don’t take advantage of the decrease in demand that e-commerce puts on their human resources is a mystery to me. Having a human answer the phone is a great way to build business relationships in a way that online interactions will never replace. You miss an awful lot when you are unwilling to answer the phone.

Got an insight into good customer service? Share it with us!

We’re On Google Plus. Click Here To Join Us

I’ve spent the entire week swimming upstream against Google, trying to master just a couple of their newest products. They are rolling stuff out faster than I can think and I’m not making much progress getting my hands around their throat.

I’m going to volunteer my services to Larry Page and Sergey Brin and request the title of “The Old Man Filter”.

Most men my age are still going to work every day and still making decisions that will impact many of their co-workers. We know that our days are numbered but also realize that years in the workplace make us excellent evaulators of what is a good return on intellectual investment.

All my co-workers are younger than me, but it is unlikely, at least on the job, that they will be adopting much in the way of new online products if I don’t sign off on them first. If it isn’t worth my time to learn how to use these things, then it is unlikely that I will be willing to apply their time and my resources to integrating them into our daily operations.

If the people (usually employers or business owners) who pay bills and make decisions find that the implementation of new technology, particularly as the migration to cloud-based applications continues, is just too complicated, then it will stay on the shelf.

Google, you’re just making it too hard. We know that you rule the world and that you tell us you will do no evil. You’ve helped build our customer base through search and we have returned the favor with a generous Ad Words budget.

We admire your youthful culture and your constant willingness to bring new ideas to the table. All I’m asking is for you to take a break every once in a while to consider how constantly moving forward at breakneck speed impacts the decision makers.

GoodBuyGuys.com is your online source for Pro Tapes gaffers tape, Duracell Procell batteries, MagLite flashlights, Nashua duct tape, Bay State wire ties, Hosa and HB extension cords and OnStage Stand mic stands.