There were a couple more news appearances this week and last. Tom Harvey of the Salt Lake Tribune, who highlighted Davinci earlier last week, wrote another article for the Money section on Sunday, discussing both ourselves and Davinci Virtual. The article pointed out the cooperative relationship between the two companies, with Davinci Suites acting as the physical anchor of Davinci Virtual, providing locations where Davinci Virtual clients can hold meetings and receive their mail. Those clients may also decide to upgrade to an office, at which point they may easily make the transition. Read the article here:
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_14939042?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com
We also made an appearance in the Deseret News yesterday, with a blurb announcing the opening of Davinci Sandy's south wing. This expansion opened 30 more offices, nearly doubling the available space at the center. Check it out here:
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700028262/Davinci-leasing-suites-in-Sandy.html
Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Thoughts on office communication
In our everyday language, subtleties can make all the difference in our message. Often, choosing which pronoun, 'I' or 'you', should carry the message and adjusting the message accordingly is all it takes to transform a difficult discussion into a helpful feedback session.
Consider the statement "You make me so frustrated when you don't finish your projects". By accusing the listener of directly affecting their feelings, the speaker assigns all responsibility to the listener. The most common reaction in all but the most patient and introspective of individuals would be defensiveness, as the listener feels personally attacked. This is an example of a 'you' statement'.
Now consider the emotions the following statement would evoke in our listener: "I feel frustrated when you don't finish your projects". The difference is subtle. In fact, the speaker is saying essentially the exact same thing. Yet they are taking responsibility for their feelings, conveying an entirely different tone. The listener may still become defensive as a result of the topic in question, but the use of an 'I' statement softens the blow and makes a productive response more possible.
Equally damaging and counterproductive are sweeping generalities, an easy trap to fall into in the heat of a tense situation. Imagine hearing "You always come late" or "You never get your work done". Sweeping generalities place a non-negotiable judgement on a person's behavior that invalidates any efforts they may be making to the contrary. It is a strategy that leaves the listener little option other than defensiveness.
'You' statements and sweeping generalities are tempting to use in the workplace or in our personal lives. They allow us to direct responsibility away from ourselves and often convey more candidly the anger or frustration we are feeling. Yet in the interest of more productive conversation, it is helpful to take into account how our language will forward the goal of the conversation. In fact, it may entirely transform communication in the workplace!
Consider the statement "You make me so frustrated when you don't finish your projects". By accusing the listener of directly affecting their feelings, the speaker assigns all responsibility to the listener. The most common reaction in all but the most patient and introspective of individuals would be defensiveness, as the listener feels personally attacked. This is an example of a 'you' statement'.
Now consider the emotions the following statement would evoke in our listener: "I feel frustrated when you don't finish your projects". The difference is subtle. In fact, the speaker is saying essentially the exact same thing. Yet they are taking responsibility for their feelings, conveying an entirely different tone. The listener may still become defensive as a result of the topic in question, but the use of an 'I' statement softens the blow and makes a productive response more possible.
Equally damaging and counterproductive are sweeping generalities, an easy trap to fall into in the heat of a tense situation. Imagine hearing "You always come late" or "You never get your work done". Sweeping generalities place a non-negotiable judgement on a person's behavior that invalidates any efforts they may be making to the contrary. It is a strategy that leaves the listener little option other than defensiveness.
'You' statements and sweeping generalities are tempting to use in the workplace or in our personal lives. They allow us to direct responsibility away from ourselves and often convey more candidly the anger or frustration we are feeling. Yet in the interest of more productive conversation, it is helpful to take into account how our language will forward the goal of the conversation. In fact, it may entirely transform communication in the workplace!
Monday, April 19, 2010
A day in the life
It's 4:55, and I just finished one of the busiest days that our Sugarhouse center has had in a long time. What does a busy day constitute for a center manager? The answer is that no day is the same, but the list includes giving tours to prospective clients, booking and managing conference room reservations, cleaning offices and moving furniture, doing projects for our clients, setting up phone and internet connections, talking to clients about any concerns they may have, and planning client events.
What do all of these things have in common? They all involve serving either prospective or current clients in some capacity. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is really astounding to look back at my schedule and realize just how much of my job involves customer service.
That is exactly what I appreciate about Davinci: our top priority at our centers is our clients. I never realized how elementary and yet how important this was, but as I spend more time here I realize how special this is in a business. For us, client service is not simply a concept in the employee training manual or a played-out cliche on the website, it is our central focus. Having worked in such an environment, I am more inclined to notice when customer service is lacking, and therefore more appreciative of our unique approach to client appreciation.
For me, the secret has been to build relationships with our clients from the onset. I do my best to learn as much as I can about them, and to always be receptive to conversation even if I am busy at the moment. Our clients become our friends, and who doesn't want to be there for a friend?
What do all of these things have in common? They all involve serving either prospective or current clients in some capacity. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is really astounding to look back at my schedule and realize just how much of my job involves customer service.
That is exactly what I appreciate about Davinci: our top priority at our centers is our clients. I never realized how elementary and yet how important this was, but as I spend more time here I realize how special this is in a business. For us, client service is not simply a concept in the employee training manual or a played-out cliche on the website, it is our central focus. Having worked in such an environment, I am more inclined to notice when customer service is lacking, and therefore more appreciative of our unique approach to client appreciation.
For me, the secret has been to build relationships with our clients from the onset. I do my best to learn as much as I can about them, and to always be receptive to conversation even if I am busy at the moment. Our clients become our friends, and who doesn't want to be there for a friend?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Best business lunches in Salt Lake City
"What's a good place to get some lunch around here?"
Working with so many business people and their clients, I get this question a lot. For this reason, I have compiled a list of top choice restaurants for the business lunch. Each location combines great food with unique style. Of course, these are only some of the great restaurants in Salt Lake!
1. Market Street
Ask anybody in Utah where to find the freshest seafood, and chances are they will tell you to go to Market Street. They have several locations, including downtown, University, Cottonwood, and South Jordan, and serve up everything from crab to steak. I recommend the mahi mahi tacos or, of course, the crab legs.
2. Takashi
Situated downtown on 18 West Market Street, Takashi is arguably the best sushi in Salt Lake. The decor is trendy and cosmopolitan, and the sushi and other dishes are innovative and delicious. Particularly tasty is the ceviche roll, a japanese twist on the traditional Latin American dish of raw fish and hot peppers "cooked" in lemon or lime juice.
3. Porcupine Grill
A staple for skiers returning from the Little and Big Cottonwood Canyon resorts, Porcupine serves fantastic burgers as well as some great Mexican dishes. The nachos are delicious and, though an appetizer, are big enough to feed three people.
4. Citris Grill
Located on 2991 East 3000 South in Salt Lake or 219 East 12300 South in Draper, the beauty of Citris is its simplicity. Try the daily grilled cheese, featuring a different variation on the old classic every day. If you like grilled cheese you will love grilled cheese with red bell peppers, goat cheese, and sliced avocado on wheat!
5. Cafe Trio
This warm neighborhood diner, with locations downtown and in cottonwood, boasts a loyal following (some of whom are there two or three times a week) and a contemporary ambiance. The rosmary flatbread is to die for, and the vegetarian panini is great for those who prefer a less carnivorous approach to dining.
Davinci in the Salt Lake Tribune
We are grateful to Tom Harvey of the Salt Lake Tribune for publishing this great piece about us today. Check out the article here: http://www.sltrib.com/midvalley/ci_14859974
Monday, April 12, 2010
A Virtual Experiment. Plus: Is your company ready to "go virtual?"
What happens when a large company "goes virtual"? That is, what happens when a high-profile organization ditches the office, maintaining only its mailing address and receptionist? This is just the question business publication Inc. sought to answer this month. The editorial team (temporarily) shed their beautiful New York offices, instead experimenting in working remotely from home.
Writing from his armchair with "a cat in my lap", contributor Max Chafkin outlines the lessons, benefits, and drawbacks of such a move:
1. Cost. The first and most obvious advantage to becoming a "virtual company" is the bottom line. On Inc.'s part (taking into consideration that, in reality, the company was still paying rent on their office and that their administrative staff was still coming to work), the company could save somewhere in the ballpark of $500,000 a year on rent alone if just the editorial staff gave up their offices. Add increased productivity because workers would be cutting their commute, and you have some potent cost-saving indeed.
2. Get the tech. Technology is an especially tricky challenge for any company. Business technology, including phone systems, networks, etc. can be difficult to set up and maintain and can cost a pretty penny. When working from home, employees can utilize their own internet connections and take advantage of services such as Gmail and Skype. Skype is a particularly fascinating technology that few companies give attention to. Giving users the ability to make long distance conference calls and even video chats for little or no charge, it has big advantages over other more expensive services. Because employees are working from home, much of the usual business technology becomes unnecessary.
3. The Challenges of working from Home. Here we find our first great challenge. While working from home can be appealing, many Inc. employees found it difficult to strike a balance between their work and home lives when working from their home offices. Distractions such as children and pets can certainly damage focus. In addition, it may be difficult to concentrate at home because we usually see our homes as a place of relaxation rather than a place to do work.
One way to mitigate these challenges is to set up a dedicated space for doing work, separate from other areas of the house where we normally spend our leisure time. This area should be isolated enough to keep distractions to a minimum, and be set up to maximize productivity.
Many companies who provide virtual services (Davinci included) also provide spaces to work free of charge. These can be a great alternative to the home office.
4. How are your Decisions made? One thing to consider when thinking about going virtual is how decisions are made in your organization. If yours is a company where decisions are often "made in the hallway", as Inc. is, you may need to think hard about whether going virtual is the right move. If this cathartic environment, where coworkers poke their heads in, brainstorm, etc. is important to your company, it may help to set your employees up with some sort of "virtual water cooler". Skype and instant messaging do this quite well, allowing users to communicate easily in real time.
5. Explain yourself. Another challenge for a company going virtual are the assumptions that come along with a company whose employees work from home. A simple change in attitude and language may be the best solution here. Never say that you are a "virtual company". Instead, tell people that you work from your "home office" but your headquarters are in "x". It is important to maintain your image, something that we at Davinci take very seriously. If using a virtual office company, make sure they will not advertise your virtual status to clients, instead treating you as if they were your personal staff.
6. Consider your culture. The last thing to evaluate is whether your culture will suffer if your company goes virtual. This is a matter of preference and will effect each company differently. If constant face to face communication is important to your employees and you would like to go virtual, do your best to find times to gather and share ideas, results, projects, etc. Davinci and many other executive suite and virtual office companies provide excellent spaces, both public and private, for these types of exchanges.
You can read the full article here: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100401/the-case-and-the-plan-for-the-virtual-company.html
Also, take this quiz, "Is your company ready to go virtual?": http://www.inc.com/magazine/2010/04/work-from-home-quiz.html
Writing from his armchair with "a cat in my lap", contributor Max Chafkin outlines the lessons, benefits, and drawbacks of such a move:
1. Cost. The first and most obvious advantage to becoming a "virtual company" is the bottom line. On Inc.'s part (taking into consideration that, in reality, the company was still paying rent on their office and that their administrative staff was still coming to work), the company could save somewhere in the ballpark of $500,000 a year on rent alone if just the editorial staff gave up their offices. Add increased productivity because workers would be cutting their commute, and you have some potent cost-saving indeed.
2. Get the tech. Technology is an especially tricky challenge for any company. Business technology, including phone systems, networks, etc. can be difficult to set up and maintain and can cost a pretty penny. When working from home, employees can utilize their own internet connections and take advantage of services such as Gmail and Skype. Skype is a particularly fascinating technology that few companies give attention to. Giving users the ability to make long distance conference calls and even video chats for little or no charge, it has big advantages over other more expensive services. Because employees are working from home, much of the usual business technology becomes unnecessary.
3. The Challenges of working from Home. Here we find our first great challenge. While working from home can be appealing, many Inc. employees found it difficult to strike a balance between their work and home lives when working from their home offices. Distractions such as children and pets can certainly damage focus. In addition, it may be difficult to concentrate at home because we usually see our homes as a place of relaxation rather than a place to do work.
One way to mitigate these challenges is to set up a dedicated space for doing work, separate from other areas of the house where we normally spend our leisure time. This area should be isolated enough to keep distractions to a minimum, and be set up to maximize productivity.
Many companies who provide virtual services (Davinci included) also provide spaces to work free of charge. These can be a great alternative to the home office.
4. How are your Decisions made? One thing to consider when thinking about going virtual is how decisions are made in your organization. If yours is a company where decisions are often "made in the hallway", as Inc. is, you may need to think hard about whether going virtual is the right move. If this cathartic environment, where coworkers poke their heads in, brainstorm, etc. is important to your company, it may help to set your employees up with some sort of "virtual water cooler". Skype and instant messaging do this quite well, allowing users to communicate easily in real time.
5. Explain yourself. Another challenge for a company going virtual are the assumptions that come along with a company whose employees work from home. A simple change in attitude and language may be the best solution here. Never say that you are a "virtual company". Instead, tell people that you work from your "home office" but your headquarters are in "x". It is important to maintain your image, something that we at Davinci take very seriously. If using a virtual office company, make sure they will not advertise your virtual status to clients, instead treating you as if they were your personal staff.
6. Consider your culture. The last thing to evaluate is whether your culture will suffer if your company goes virtual. This is a matter of preference and will effect each company differently. If constant face to face communication is important to your employees and you would like to go virtual, do your best to find times to gather and share ideas, results, projects, etc. Davinci and many other executive suite and virtual office companies provide excellent spaces, both public and private, for these types of exchanges.
You can read the full article here: http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100401/the-case-and-the-plan-for-the-virtual-company.html
Also, take this quiz, "Is your company ready to go virtual?": http://www.inc.com/magazine/2010/04/work-from-home-quiz.html
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Virtual offices continue to gain popularity
Virtual office use is on the rise, reported the Philadelphia Iquirer last week. Given the tight conditions many businesses are finding themselves in, this is no surprise. A virtual office offers businesses all of the trappings of a full-service office space, including inbound call reception, conference rooms, a business address, and much more, without the often prohibitive overhead of a physical office. The article highlights American Executive Centers (AEC), an executive suite company with seven locations in Philadelphia, who said that for the first time in its 27-year history, virtual office clients were outnumbering suites tenants (550 to 375 to be exact).
While virtual offices are certainly making landlords nervous, giving potential tenants an alternative to renting space (as highlighted in the Inquirer article), the positives of the concept are enormous. Virtual offices encourage new business because they provide an affordable stepping stone for start-up and growing companies, and they allow these companies to maximize their effectiveness by keeping their overhead low. Indeed, a virtual office may be the only thing between living and dying for some organizations, as it gives them a way to stay in business while drastically cutting their spending.
Others may choose a virtual office over conventional office space not because of price, but because of convenience and practicality. Large businesses who want to set up a satellite location in a nearby city but who won't be spending enough time there to justify renting space may find that the concept fits their needs perfectly. Still others like to work from home and don't want an office at all, but just need something to make them look more professional.
The bottom line is, the virtual office is the officing solution of the 21st century, and we are excited to be on the cutting edge of the trend. It is an honor to serve so many businesses in this capacity, and we're looking forward to seeing what the future holds!
The full article can be found here: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20100328_Rise_of_virtual_offices_cuts_into_conventional_leases.html?viewAll=y
While virtual offices are certainly making landlords nervous, giving potential tenants an alternative to renting space (as highlighted in the Inquirer article), the positives of the concept are enormous. Virtual offices encourage new business because they provide an affordable stepping stone for start-up and growing companies, and they allow these companies to maximize their effectiveness by keeping their overhead low. Indeed, a virtual office may be the only thing between living and dying for some organizations, as it gives them a way to stay in business while drastically cutting their spending.
Others may choose a virtual office over conventional office space not because of price, but because of convenience and practicality. Large businesses who want to set up a satellite location in a nearby city but who won't be spending enough time there to justify renting space may find that the concept fits their needs perfectly. Still others like to work from home and don't want an office at all, but just need something to make them look more professional.
The bottom line is, the virtual office is the officing solution of the 21st century, and we are excited to be on the cutting edge of the trend. It is an honor to serve so many businesses in this capacity, and we're looking forward to seeing what the future holds!
The full article can be found here: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20100328_Rise_of_virtual_offices_cuts_into_conventional_leases.html?viewAll=y
Monday, April 5, 2010
A Great Quarter
With the closing of the first quarter of 2010, we at Davinci Suites are full of hope and grateful for what we have created. The first three months of this year brought a record-smashing 163 new small businesses to Davinci Suites! This means that we are fortunate to have the opportunity to serve 163 businesses in some capacity, whether it is a full-service suite, virtual office, or the occasional meeting room. By far, the majority of these new clients are involved either in the technology, financial, or legal industries
Thursday, April 1, 2010
The Customer Experience in 2010
Bruce Temkin, Vice President at Forrester Research, writes that perhaps due to the economic difficulties of 2009, companies are putting a great deal more focus on customer relations in 2010. No wonder, considering that now more than ever it is critical to not only generate new business, but to keep current clients and customers happy so as to retain existing business. In his article "Seven Keys to Customer Experience", Mr. Temkin gives seven insights into how businesses should treat their customer service process in 2010. Below is the text of his article, available at http://www.fastcasual.com/article.php?id=16887&na=1:
1. Drop the executive commitment facade. It’s very easy for executives to say "customer experience is important." But it’s much more difficult for them to dedicate the time and energy required to make it a real priority. So in 2010, executives should either get actively involved in customer experience transformation or drop it from their agendas.
Start here: Develop a customer experience dashboard and manage the results with the same energy that you manage financial results.
2. Acknowledge that you don’t know your customers. When market research teams require long lead times and expensive projects to answer questions about customers, too many organizations go without this insight. But the path to customer experience success requires significantly deeper customer observations. So in 2010, companies need to develop voice-of-the-customer programs that provide ongoing and continuous access to customers' desires.
Start here: Create a voice-of-the-customer program with a cross-functional team that focuses on four "LIRM" components: listening to customers, interpreting the feedback, reacting to the data and monitoring results from actions over time.
3. Keep from getting too distracted by social media. Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites may seem sexy, but they aren’t the only channels for customer feedback. Other channels like comments on surveys and call center feedback can often provide even richer hints. So in 2010, companies need to learn from social media feedback, but not overreact to it.
Start here: Treat social media as one of many listening posts in a comprehensive voice-of-the-customer program that examines both structured and unstructured feedback.
4. Stop squeezing the life out of customer service. My research shows that consumers care more about good customer service than they do low prices. It also turns out that many customer service interactions are critical "moments of truth" that drive customer loyalty. But companies often treat customer service as an unwanted stepchild, focusing almost exclusively on aggressive cost-cutting. So in 2010, companies need to start viewing customer service as a strategic asset.
Start here: Measure customer service organizations based on how effectively they help customers instead of efficiency metrics like average handle times.
5. Restore the purpose in your brand. True brands are more than just color palettes, logos and marketing slogans, they’re the fabric that aligns all employees with customers in the pursuit of a common cause. They represent a firm’s raison d’être. Unfortunately, many companies have lost this sense of purpose in their brands. So in 2010, companies need to redefine their brand and embed it in the hearts and minds of all employees.
Start here: Translate your brand into promises you will make (and keep) with customers across every key touch point.
6. Don’t assume employees will get on board. Employees are often the most critical element of any customer experience effort. But firms can’t just hope that everyone will participate in these change initiatives. So in 2010, companies need to actively focus on engaging employees at every level across the organization in their customer experience efforts.
Start here: Communicate (a lot) about "why" customer experience is important and allow employees to participate in defining "how" to make improvements.
7. Translate customer experience into business terms. My research uncovered a strong correlation between customer experience and loyalty. An average $10 billion company can generate $284 million of additional revenues from customer experience improvements. But most companies don’t fully understand the link between customer experience and business results. So in 2010, companies need to identify how customer experience impacts their financial results.
Start here: Engage the CFO to develop a model which shows the impact that customer experience has on customer loyalty.
1. Drop the executive commitment facade. It’s very easy for executives to say "customer experience is important." But it’s much more difficult for them to dedicate the time and energy required to make it a real priority. So in 2010, executives should either get actively involved in customer experience transformation or drop it from their agendas.
Start here: Develop a customer experience dashboard and manage the results with the same energy that you manage financial results.
2. Acknowledge that you don’t know your customers. When market research teams require long lead times and expensive projects to answer questions about customers, too many organizations go without this insight. But the path to customer experience success requires significantly deeper customer observations. So in 2010, companies need to develop voice-of-the-customer programs that provide ongoing and continuous access to customers' desires.
Start here: Create a voice-of-the-customer program with a cross-functional team that focuses on four "LIRM" components: listening to customers, interpreting the feedback, reacting to the data and monitoring results from actions over time.
3. Keep from getting too distracted by social media. Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites may seem sexy, but they aren’t the only channels for customer feedback. Other channels like comments on surveys and call center feedback can often provide even richer hints. So in 2010, companies need to learn from social media feedback, but not overreact to it.
Start here: Treat social media as one of many listening posts in a comprehensive voice-of-the-customer program that examines both structured and unstructured feedback.
4. Stop squeezing the life out of customer service. My research shows that consumers care more about good customer service than they do low prices. It also turns out that many customer service interactions are critical "moments of truth" that drive customer loyalty. But companies often treat customer service as an unwanted stepchild, focusing almost exclusively on aggressive cost-cutting. So in 2010, companies need to start viewing customer service as a strategic asset.
Start here: Measure customer service organizations based on how effectively they help customers instead of efficiency metrics like average handle times.
5. Restore the purpose in your brand. True brands are more than just color palettes, logos and marketing slogans, they’re the fabric that aligns all employees with customers in the pursuit of a common cause. They represent a firm’s raison d’être. Unfortunately, many companies have lost this sense of purpose in their brands. So in 2010, companies need to redefine their brand and embed it in the hearts and minds of all employees.
Start here: Translate your brand into promises you will make (and keep) with customers across every key touch point.
6. Don’t assume employees will get on board. Employees are often the most critical element of any customer experience effort. But firms can’t just hope that everyone will participate in these change initiatives. So in 2010, companies need to actively focus on engaging employees at every level across the organization in their customer experience efforts.
Start here: Communicate (a lot) about "why" customer experience is important and allow employees to participate in defining "how" to make improvements.
7. Translate customer experience into business terms. My research uncovered a strong correlation between customer experience and loyalty. An average $10 billion company can generate $284 million of additional revenues from customer experience improvements. But most companies don’t fully understand the link between customer experience and business results. So in 2010, companies need to identify how customer experience impacts their financial results.
Start here: Engage the CFO to develop a model which shows the impact that customer experience has on customer loyalty.
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