Readers tell me they read Pumper cover-to-cover and the pages get dog-eared from all their employees taking turns paging through the magazine. If you enjoy Pumper that much, we have a bonus for you – additional online-only content that can be accessed instantly from your computer, tablet or smartphone. Find more of the latest wastewater industry news – from product releases to videos and podcasts to my editor’s blog – at www.pumper.com. Here’s just a sampling of the latest content you can find online:
APOLOGIZE: THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT
The customer is always right. Or so claims the popular, and seemingly motivational, poster so often seen in break rooms and reception areas. However, every service provider knows that the customer is not always right. In fact, sometimes the customer may be quite unreasonable. These days the motto is so deeply ingrained in the consumer consciousness that it’s both a customer expectation and the way in which a company must conduct business to remain competitive. Portable sanitation marketing expert Beverly Lewis shares her top reasons to develop an apology plan, as well as 10 tips for handling customer complaints in a professional manner.
TROUBLESHOOTING: HOMEOWNER EDUCATION AND WATER USAGE
Providing septic system owners with the necessary information on proper system care and water usage constraints is one of the most important services you provide. Any time you’re working with the homeowner is an opportunity to educate them on system do’s and don’ts. If you let the homeowner know how to avoid problems in the future, your business will benefit in the long run through a regular maintenance schedule and through their referrals. So says Jim Anderson in his online exclusive Troubleshooting column. Jim reviews some of the most important water usage issues you need to discuss with homeowners.
FORMER PSAI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ASSISTANT FACE MULTIPLE FELONY CHARGES
William F. Carroll, former executive director of the Portable Sanitation Association International, and a fired association assistant face multiple felony charges of embezzlement in Minnesota. Criminal complaints allege that Carroll, 66, took hundreds of fraudulent disbursements from PSAI accounts to support spending on gambling and drinking. The complaint indicates Carroll took $32,000 in transactions at or immediately outside a casino. A payroll audit revealed more than $350,000 had been misappropriated over three years. The fired assistant, Cynthia Rudiger, 68, received thousands of dollars in cash payments authorized by William Carroll, then concealed the payments by coding them for “insurance’’ or “payroll adjustment,’’ Carroll, Rudiger and Carroll’s wife, D. Millicent Carroll, the fired PSAI industry/regulatory standards director, are being sued in civil court by the trade association, which alleges the trio stole $650,000 to $1 million from the organization.
