An Example of New Corporate Behavior

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The example below is still in the arena of computer printer products, however, similar transformations could easily be applied to numerous other companies in other industries.   

The text below offers some initial suggestions.  This is by no means a comprehensive list.   It's simply a starting point.   

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How to Become Environmentally Friendly

  Now imagine what can be done with all the money and resources no longer wasted on replacing products that are intentionally designed to have a short life span.   In the long-term everybody would win.  These benefits are not readily visible or statistically traceable because they are spread our over the entire society.   

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Presently products are sold based on short term cost.   Consumers are only told about entry costs.   (You can have this widget in your home tomorrow and it will only cost you this many dollars.)     

What the customer is intentionally not told is that the product being sold  is only one step above trash.   It's made as cheaply as possible, and based on its poor quality, it will soon be in need of repair or become completely useless.   Because of the high cost of repair, it's usually cheaper to trash the unit and buy a new one.   Either way, repair or replacement  increases the consumer's over all  cost, wastes much of the consumers time and energy, and in the end,  produces mountains of otherwise unnecessary trash.   

Some alternatives:   

1)    Produce higher-quality products and design them  for ease of repair.   

2)   Design products with modular components so that defective parts can easily be pulled out and replaced.  

3)    Standardize product components.  Make them interchangeable.  Base the design on a global standard.   For example, most nuts and bolts are designed to be interchangeable.  

 4)   Design products so that when the product's useful life has past, still-usable components can be taken out and reused.   Some houses and office buildings are now being designed and constructed in this format.   Designing automobiles based on the modular format would literally save billions of dollars and reduce trash by a factor that so incredibly large that that act alone would make a major impact on Reversing Global Climate Change.

On our page about Consumer Product Standardization  --  Interchangeable Components  --  Product Component Re-use,  you can see an example of how  A Simple Design Change ² could save billions of dollars and eliminate mountains of trash.

Sell the product based on long-term cost.  In the long-term, purchasing a quality product  is usually the cheapest way to obtain the services that the product is designed to give.    This would require consumer re-education about what is in his/her best interest.  

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Customer Service

What NOT to Do:   Have you ever tried to contact a company's representative only to find yourself having a long and tedious conversation with their computer   --- or having to write them a letter (Email) to tell me what you want?   Either way, it's a time consuming, frustrating experience, with at best, delayed gratification.    In this type of customer contact, who is being served, the customer or the company?   Obviously, the company.   Why do they do this?   MONEY! -- to maximize short-term profits for their investors.  

What Does the Customer Want?   Immediate, personal service.   They want their problems  solved and/or their requests fulfilled either on the spot or within minutes.    In a corporation based solely on making a profit, this type of service is not practical because it costs money.   However, in a company based on the above model, Example Inc.,  personal service is simply part of what the company provides as a part of its normal operation procedures.

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Instruction Manual  -- Consumer Help

What NOT to Do:   

1)    Provide an instruction manual that leaves out steps in whatever process they are explaining.   Instruction manual are commonly written by people who know the product so well that they forget that others know little or nothing about the product being described.   As a result they make assumptions that often leave readers baffled.  (For example, regarding our computer, if an instruction said, "Open the control panel and select Mail," what percentage of the readers would not know what to do?)

2)    Providing a Manual that uses words which the customer may  not understand.   (technical words or words specific to something related to their product) 

3)    Include  an instruction that requires the customer to answer questions about technical things or about anything else that most customers have no way of knowing.   

 4)    Provide a Manual written in several languages.    

5)    Provide a Manual that covers several different models of the product. 

6)    Providing a Manual that is in any way confusing.  

7)    Providing a Manual that is anything but "idiot proof."  

For some examples  see:   Not-to-Do-Steps - Examples¹ at the Bottom of this page.

What to Do:   

The first goal is to have the customer feel good whenever he or she is thinking about your company and/or about  your product.   The second goal is to make the instructions as complete, as comprehensive, and as idiot-proof as possible.    

Instructions on Line:   With the extensive availability of computers, one of the best and also the most environmentally friendly ways to instruct customers is to create  a web page  with color pictures and diagrams and dialog explaining in detail how to install (set up)  and use  your company's products.   Create a separate page for each model, even if it means duplicating  instructions that are applicable to several models of your product.   A "how to. . ."  video on each product is also a consideration.   With today's technology, an online video is a feasible and a relative inexpensive addition.

Extensive index:   Design your instruction index is a manner that the customer can actually find the information he or she is looking for.   Set up search categories that include:  

What if _______  happens?

How do I do  ______ ?  

How do I find  ______ ?  

What does this word or phrase mean _____ ?   

If none of this works, what do I do ?    
                                             (Call tech support at  1-800 - - -   - - - -)

If a customer cannot find the information he or she is looking for in your instruction Manual,  or if the information is not crystal clear, you and the customer both have a problem.   It's your job to fix these problems.   Provide a way for the customer to let you know what is not working in your instruction manual. 

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Product and Service Enhancement

By far the best way to improve your products, your services, and your instruction manuals is to enroll the customer in your process of  improving them.    Inviting customers in is a variation of the concept, called Kaizen.   Kaizen  came out of the Japan reconstruction process following WWII.   It was one of the major factors in the phenomenal rise to success of the auto manufacturer, Toyota.

What to Do:   

Regarding those who might suggest improvements, make it in their best interest to contact you.   Offer incentives for the first person offering a suggestion that is incorporated into future versions of your product, your service, or your instruction manual.  Create a web page describing prior suggestions and what the company offered in return.   Be generous!   This is a great advertising tool.  Use it!   

Add a feedback loop to the instruction-pages webmaster and to a specific contact address in your product design department.   Why?   Because customers approach your products and services from a perspective that you and your technicians simply cannot access.   They will give you feedback you simply can't get from any other source.

Invite improvements and suggestions.   Ask questions such as:  What did you like best about ______  ?   What did you like least about _____ ?   If you could make one change (or improvement)  in _____ , what would that change be?  

An Example:   

As an example of what to do, readers are invited to examine the rehearsals page   on  TLC-Life-Center's wedding website    where we walk our brides and grooms through a wedding rehearsal.    You'll notice that at the top of the page we include the following offer.   

It you find anything on this page confusing or if you find anything about our description of a wedding rehearsal that you do not understand,  you are invited to call us.   

Whether or not we are officiating your wedding does not matter.   Regardless of who is officiating your wedding or what part of the world you are in, or when your wedding is,  if you find anything confusing on this page, call us, and we will:  1)  explain it to you in detail, and 2)  to the best of our ability, we will update the rehearsal page to eliminate future confusion.    Call 818/727-0727  between  10:00 am and 7:00 pm, Pacific time  (U.S. time zone).   Please ask for "rehearsal assistance."   

Because our goal is much broader than officiating weddings, we want visitors to all of TLC-Life-Center's twenty-nine websites.   We have additional products, services and programs,  that may be of interest to them.   

And our intention is to walk our own talk:    We are being of service;  making the world a better place, and following the universal principles that say:

    "What goes around comes around."   

    "Do unto others as they would be done unto."   

    "What I do for you I do for me -- what I do for me I do for you."  

    "It's impossible to steal anything or give anything away, because all comes back multifold.

    "By their fruits you shall know them."

    "Love Yourself, love Your Neighbor, and love "God"  because all three are one and the same thing."   

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Customers want vendors'  honesty.   They want to be able to trust their vendors   They want the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.   Unfortunately that's not what we find in the present marketing system.   Spinning the truth and lies of omission run the world of advertising.   Price and product quality are the main points of deception.   

Regarding price,  common practices are a variation on the old bait and switch tactics.   In our HP example ² a product with an advertised price of $239.99 actually costs $384.64.    Such behavior is ethically corrupt and morally bankrupt and yet it's the norm everywhere, so nobody challenges it.   Everybody does it.   Why?  Because the public doesn't see the scam until they are well into the purchasing process.   At that point, most customers will simply pay the higher price and go home either angry or oblivious to the fact that they have been screwed again.

An Alternative:   

What would be the result if a company set up an advertising campaign which exposes the bait and switch tactics of its competition.   "If our competitors are lying to you about the price of their product what else are they lying to you about?"   This could be a bit tricky because those who lie about the real price of their products could pressure retailers into not carrying a competitors brand that told the truth about price.   Also, the public may not understand the new approach.    This concept needs testing to see what works and what doesn't.

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We make no claims that our approach will be problem free or that it will solve the world's problems.   However, when we examine the evidence, we do see our approach as a huge step in the correct direction.    

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The Bottom Line

The Reversal of Global Warming is critical, urgent and doable, but without you on the side of change, it's not going to happen in time.   We have less than ten years in which  to make major changes.   As you've seen on the home page, the price of apathy and ignorance is simply not an option  Changing light bulbs and recycling soft-drink cans is only one minor step in a huge process.   Sacred Mother Earth wants YOU on her side.   

You are now at choice:  

1)   You can make a commitment to do your part at Reversing Global Warming.   In exchange for your assistance with our program,  How to Reverse Global Warming, we will apply our expertise in guiding you and your organization as you step into the new version of the world,   

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2)   You can ignore this problem and condemn your children and grandchildren to  lives of grief and misery and almost certainly to an early death.   

Please contact us.     

You can also
Send  a tax-deductible gift to TLC-Life-Center.