• Websites link of the Week

www.amazon.com I know I have mentioned this site on more than one occasion, however a feature of amazon that you may not have become aware of is that they now list the availability of second hand books when you do a search for a particular book. In some instances, the savings are amazing, and in my experience, most of the second hand books are in very good condition.

As well as keeping company vehicles clean, it is also important that they be driven courteously. Your company’s reputation can go down the drain in an instance if a member of your staff is seen driving one of your company vehicles in a less than courteous manner.

So conscious are some companies about the behaviour of their staff driving company vehicles, that they have a 1 800 number bumper sticker asking the public to report acts of courtesy on the road being displayed by their drivers. Whilst the public are generally reticent about telephoning in with good news, they are quick to call if they witness somebody doing something wrong. This may appear to be reverse psychology in action, however the system seems to be having the desired result.

The objective of courteous driving is not just about being respectful and considerate of other drivers on the road; it is also about attracting attention to your vehicle which I hope is tastefully sign-written. When ever you get the opportunity to allow another vehicle to merge in front of you, do it.

Another driving safety tip, which draws attention to your vehicle, is to always have your lights on during daylight hours. You may be the odd vehicle out, but who cares, you want as many people as possible to look and read the signage on your vehicle. However this tactic may not last for long as even the traffic police are now encouraging drivers to have their lights on during the day. Increased safety, increased exposure; what more could you want.

Safe driving also has the added benefit of reducing road smashes, which results in less down time for both staff and vehicles. This situation may be further enhanced by your company sponsoring advanced driver training programmes for all staff. The link between staff driving courteously and increased customer service may be a little tenuous, but the connection does exist.

Until next week, many happy customer returns!

Graham Harvey APS

Watch out for Graham’s new book Seducing the Vigilante Customer – winning strategies to guarantee the return of happy customers and healthy profits, available in all good book stores in early February.

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