UPDATE: Link fixed Terry Dowdy forwarded me his thoughts about this recent story in The Washington Post about The Nature Conservancy's mismanagement of data. With his permission, I present Terry's (slightly edited) thoughts: This is wrong on so many counts: why was old data was still being used, why was it on a laptop (SSNs!), where […]
Data Management Malpractice Read More »
I recently placed an online order at Jockey.com for some t-shirts. My order was delivered as promised, but what really got my attention was an email I received a few days after the order arrived. It read in part: "I just wanted to thank you for shopping with us–and to ensure that your experience with us
Impressive Customer Service Follow Up Read More »
I went to see my doctor the other day. At the end of the appointment, the doctor asked the receptionist to give me two sheets on "rotator cuff tendinitis" (which is what I'm being treated for). The receptionist hands me two sheets of paper that look like they are about fifth or sixth generation copies.
Going through security at the airport the other day, I dutifully took my shoes off, pulled my laptop out of my briefcase, and placed my carry on luggage on the x-ray belt. At the last moment I remembered my "liquids" and pulled them from my carry on. Being the wise traveler that I am, I
Are your Rules Keeping Your Staff from Thinking? Read More »
A client of mine asked her vendor to make a fix to their database. After making the fix, the vendor sent an email with the following: "This has been corrected BUT this could have changed some other already established rules (that I don't remember) so please check this carefully." Hold on a second. If the
Whose Responsibility is Quality Assurance? Read More »
No, I’m not talking about data back up this time. I’m talking about having a back up plan for how you will handle incoming calls when your system is “down.” I called my doctor today to make an appointment. I was immediately told “Our system is down, can you call back in an hour?” Really?
You gotta have a back up plan Read More »
Recently while driving along the GW Parkway (just outside DC) I came upon an electronic road sign (you know, the kind that tells you about upcoming events or road construction). The sign read (and I quote): "On or about August 19th, roadwork begins." That's it. Ntohing about what kinds of roadwork. Nothing about how it
Is there any information here? Read More »
Just got back from Chicago and the ASAE Annual Meeting. I think ASAE outdid themselves once again with this meeting. I'll go so far as to say that the opening general session, with "An Association Musical" as its theme, and featuring Lee & Bob Woodruff, was the best ASAE opening session I've ever attended (and
Some ASAE Annual Meeting Thoughts Read More »
A colleague of mine tells me that his hard drive on his laptop has crashed, and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to recover it. The kicker is that he hasn’t run a back up on that drive for almost a month, so he’s probably lost a month’s worth of work. What’s amazing is that even
It just keeps happening… Read More »
I was on the phone today with a hotel, confirming my reservations. The reservations agent asked me for my name and then said "Let's see how they have your reservation set up." "They"? If I'm calling your hotel, isn't it "we"? I come across this too frequently when talking to association staffers about what they