You decided to start off your fact finding interviews with a co-worker. Tim doesn’t work in your office but you’ve known Tim Mayfield for years and you get along well with him. So you sat down with him, pulled out your miniature tape recorder, and laid out the issue as you see it. This is a transcript of the key points that were discussed.
Tim: Well, my recommendation would be to do this. Get an index card holder and put it up near the front of the office. Then you make up an index card for every one of your customers. And everyone else in the office makes up a card for every one of their customers. Then you put all of the index cards in the card holder. When you sort through them you’ll find any duplicate cards.
You: What do you do if you have duplicate cards?
Tim: Well, if the information is the same then you can just throw one of the cards away. If one person has information that the person who wrote the other card didn’t then get the two people to sit down and determine what will be the official information for that customer. Now, all of this is pointed at that first set of information you have on the customer. Each of you will be putting your own notes on the card as you work with the customer.
You: But Tim, isn’t using cards kinda out of the 50’s. I mean… people stopped even using card catalogs in libraries years ago. Do you really think that we can use index cards for this?
Tim: Sam, I’m just trying to answer your questions. You said you wanted to know how I would do this and I like cards. I don’t like to have to worry about contacting my clients if my computer is down. I just open up my rolodex and I can pick up the phone and I can reach out and touch someone. If you put all of your eggs in one basket then what do you do if that computer goes down? Or if the company stops making that software? There are many reasons why cards are such an easy way to keep customer information. I mean if you want to go visit them then just pull out the card, pop it into your pocket and off you go. All of the information is right there with you.
But, since you’ll have multiple people wanting to look at this information then you might just jot down some of the information on another card to take with you, or you all can maintain your own individual cards on your most often contacted customers and the master set of cards would be there for everyone.
You: Ok. I can understand that. What are some other reasons?
Tim: Well, you don’t have to learn any software program. Just about anyone out of grade school could fill out and read out what’s on an index card. And if you have more information than what fits on a card then just add another card. Either staple them together or use some type of clip. Like this.
Tim pulls out a stack of about 15 or so index cards that are held together with a binder clip.
You see. This way the cards for one customer can stay together. And you can still fill them, index all of the cards any way you want, etc. I’m telling you… this is a good way to go.
You: Thanks Tim. I’ll think about this.
Now you can go ahead and look at a summary of lessons learned from this first interview.
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