MPS Insights > Insights & Blogs > Implementation > Numbers Never Lie?

Numbers Never Lie?

By: Mike Huster  |  September 8th, 2010  |  Implementation, Innovation, Insights & Blogs numbers

A few years ago I was introduced to a presentation called Shift Happens with its “Did you know?” caption. It contained some astounding statistics and facts. Since it was so interesting I did some research and found some Colorado educators had put the information together. Their intent was to get their peers to think about what their students would need to be successful in the 21st century and how it might affect their teaching. Since that timeframe other viral videos have sought to use a similar approach to shock the viewer with statistics and then provide an answer to the question they pose. Here are a few “shocking” customer service statistics from a company called Positive Training Solutions:

  • 82 percent of SME’s will fail within the first 10 years.
  • 68 percent of lost customers don’t return due to poor customer service.
  • 90 percent of them won’t even tell you about it, they simply won’t return.
  • On average 80 percent of a new customer’s first purchase is expended in drawing them to your business.

Positive Training then provides their training solutions to get your staff to understand the importance of treating your customers right and prevent becoming ‘one of the statistics.’

So, what does this blog have to do with you today? The points given in the Shift Happens presentation have emphasized the importance of change. No one likes change – it is hard, new decisions have to be made, and some people block or otherwise subvert change; our reaction to change determines our success in the marketplace. It is good that we take time to consider change and especially the pace at which it is happening today. For instance, if you have any cell phone users at home that text here are a few facts:

  • The first commercial text message was sent in December 1992. The number of text messages sent and received today exceeds the population of the planet.
  • The average number of text messages sent by a user in a month is 2,272.
  • The Guinness Book of Records shows that a person typed a 160-character text in 41.52 seconds – that is almost 4 characters per second!
  • The mobile device will be the world’s primary connection tool to the Internet in 2020.

Other interesting facts include:

  • More than 3,000 new books are published – every day.
  • Well over 1 million books are published worldwide every year.
  • The amount of new technical information is doubling every two years.
  • By this year it is predicted that information will double every 72 hours.
  • Newspaper circulation is down 7 million over the last 25 years. In the last five years unique readers of online newspapers are up 30 million.
  • China will soon become the number one English-speaking country in the world.
  • The United States Department of Labor estimates that today’s students will have between 10 and 14 jobs by the time they are 38.

These are some interesting facts and only scratch the surface of the data shown in the presentations. Bottom line is that we all need to embrace positive change – not just change for change’s sake. Managed print services (MPS) is not for the faint of heart whether you are a dealer, reseller or an end user. If you haven’t considered MPS as a positive change in your business, it’s time to rethink your stance. Are you ready for change?

Post a comment