“Oh, MuniSoft!  We’d be happy to do anything for MuniSoft!”

It wasn’t a task I was looking forward to.  The company was installing a new client information system and our General Manager wanted to make sure we started off with accurate data.  So, she decided that everyone in the company – not just administration staff – should help with contacting clients and making sure our information was up to date.

I know our clients are busy.  They do important work and many put in extra hours just to keep up with the day to day work.  Now, here I was calling and asking them to take time out of their day to help us make sure our information was up to date.  We’ve got great clients but I wasn’t sure they would want to take fifteen minutes of their day to go over their information with me.

“Sorry.  Who’s calling?”  I had already gone through my introduction explaining my reason for calling but, of course, it takes a while before you get into the flow of making these kinds of calls so I may not have been as clear as I should have been.  And I was calling a client I had never met before.  So I took another stab at it.  “It’s Bob Butler – from MuniSoft.”

That was when I got my first pleasant surprise.  “Oh, MuniSoft!  We’d be happy to do anything for MuniSoft!”  We went on to have a very pleasant and enjoyable conversation.  I was able to verify our information and had the pleasure of meeting a client I’d never spoken to before.

I’ve been through several of these calls since that one and I’ve found every one of them enjoyable.  They weren’t all as enthusiastic, of course.  But without exception, every one of our clients has been surprisingly generous with their time and I’ve been reminded that one of the things that sets MuniSoft apart from other suppliers is the depth of our relationship with clients.

Sure, we have great software, great training and support.  But in the end, it really is about the relationships!