letters

Good Service, Bad Service

I have just finished reading your editorial [" First Word," January 1997]. For the most part, I agree with you. However, I feel that you should at least mention the reverse situation. What do you do when you receive good or outstanding service, or an excellent product? I feel that the good-service side of the situation is just as important as the bad-service side.

I also believe that if you truly want good products and good service, you should try to help the supplier improve. Errors made in your favor should be treated the same way as errors against your favor, and not as " gotchas." If we don't behave this way, suppliers come to believe that most people are curmudgeons. It's been said that there are only a few curmudgeons in the world, but they move around a lot. We need to treat both sides of the situation in the same way.

-- Woody Wilkins

wwilkins@cirris.com

Affirmation Angel

I agree that the deliverer of poor service or poor quality is a symptom of the problem. The cure lies in treating the diseased training or diseased process. I have often wondered how this ties to behavioral styles. Only being familiar with my own behavioral style, I am aware of how the lack of a quality process or training " bugs" me. An example was going into the video store to purchase a gift certificate and having the two clerks look at one another in dismay and say, " We don't know how to do that." Who trains these people?

But I take a different approach than you do. When someone does their job well, I send chocolates and a letter of affirmation to their supervisor. I have done this for an employee of an insurance company, an Amtrak employee, a hotel employee and, most recently, an office worker for one of our corporate accounts. I want someone to know that they have a raving fan due to the actions of one of their employees. It's delightful and rewarding. If you're a curmudgeon, then perhaps I'm an affirmation angel?

-- Nina Newburn

nina@hsi1.hertzler.com

Changes to Note

I look forward to receiving Quality Digest every month. This month, an article was published about the various certifications that are offered by ASQC [" Certified Quality Manager Exam," February 1997]. I felt compelled to write about two matters in the article.

First, the certification can no longer be referred to as the CQM. It seems that someone or something has use of the CQM designation. In order to avoid litigation, the ASQC has decided to use CQMgr as the short form for the certification.

Second, a new certification has been established: the Certified Software Quality Engineer (CSQE). This certification, championed by the software division of ASQC, has been in place for more than a year. I hope that there is time to include information about the CSQE in the series that is being published.

You can visit ASQC's software division at www.asqc.org/sd/swqweb.html.

-- Rusty Perkins

Membership Chairman

Software Division, ASQC

rperkins@MSCIPS.jsc.nasa.gov

Does Cost Equal Quality?

I don't agree with the $4.95 lunch vs. $150 motel room scenario. Are you suggesting low-cost items can have lesser quality? Hmm. As for not returning extra change, shame.

-- Don Stanford

don.stanford@dielectric.gensig.com

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