You’re reading Signal v. Noise, a publication about the web by Basecamp since 1999. Happy !

Sympathize. “I can understand why you are upset,” or, “yes, I can see the problem,” or, “I am so sorry that we have put you through this” will go a long way to calming most people.

Act. “I am going to talk to the person who does our scheduling,” or, “I am going to go back to production to take care of this myself,” or 100 other things you can say that will solve the problem.

Vindicate. It’s important to let the customer know that this isn’t business as usual. In my custom-framing business, if we frame something improperly we say, “We have a quality control inspector in addition to your sales consultant who checked over your order. They usually catch things like this. Obviously they dropped the ball. I’m really embarrassed. This kind of performance did not get us where we are. Again, I’m really sorry.”

Eat something. Customers did not give you money to get bad service. Many times it is appropriate to give them something. A restaurant might offer a free dessert, another company could offer free delivery or a discount. It costs a lot to find a new customer; it is certainly worth something to keep an existing one.

—
 How to S.A.V.E. Customer Service. Only thing I don’t like here: “The quality control inspector dropped the ball and I’m really embarrassed.” Good service shouldn’t necessitate throwing one of your own team members under the bus this way.
Matt Linderman on Aug 27 2009 20 comments

Think about the different areas of your life (career, relationships, spiritual, health, etc.) – and rate your satisfaction in each area from 1 to 10. Go through every area you rated a 5, 6, 7, or 8 – and replace it with a 1! Never settle for “it’s not so bad” – and instead face up to what you really want.

—
 Derek Sivers summarizing a lesson from the book “Personal Development for Smart People” by Steve Pavlina. Come to think of it, this is a pretty good way to rate feature ideas too. Leave in the essential, omit the rest.
Matt Linderman on Aug 26 2009 16 comments

Jobs at the 37signals Job Board: Yelp, Disney, E*Trade, etc.

Basecamp
Basecamp wrote this on Aug 25 2009 Discuss

Design Jobs

Yelp, Inc. is looking for a UI Product Manager in San Francisco, CA.

Disney Online Studios Canada is looking for a Team Leader, Web Design in Kelowna, BC, Canada.

New York Times is looking for a Web Designer – Flash & Web Standards Expert in New York, NY.

E*Trade Financial Corporation is looking for a Product Experience Designer in New York, NY or Menlo Park, CA.

Opportunity Links Ltd is looking for a Snr Designer / Developer in Cambridge, UK.

Temple University is looking for a Senior Interactive Developer in Philadelphia, PA.

View all Design Job listings

Programming Jobs

LinkedIn is looking for a Software Engineer – Ruby on Rails in Mountain View, CA.

Princeton University is looking for a Web Developer in New York, NY or Philadelphia, PA.

Starbucks Coffee Company is looking for a Senior Front End Web Developer in Seattle, WA.

Apple Inc. is looking for a Sr. Java Script Front-End Engineer in Cupertino, CA.

Centro is looking for a Software Test Engineer in Chicago, IL.

Positive Energy is looking for a Senior Software Engineer in Arlington, VA.

View all Programmer Job listings

Customer Service & Support

Faria Systems Inc. is looking for a Education Evangelist in the US.

Themis Solutions is looking for a Customer Support Specialist in Vancouver, BC.

View all Customer Service/Support Job listings

More jobs

View all of the jobs at the 37signals Job Board. (The Job Board now has internships too.)

Twitter Postings: Iterative Design

Nielsen’s latest Alertbox is a gem. Five iterations on a single tweet show exactly the kind of thinking that goes into the copy of small bits of text in user interfaces. His final statement that “Text is UI” is an extremely under-appreciated truth that should sound familiar to our readers.

Ryan on Aug 24 2009 5 comments

The best lawyer experience

David
David wrote this on Aug 24 2009 10 comments

It’s rare that you find people singing the praises of lawyers, so I thought it’s worth calling out a great experience I’ve recently had with one.

His name is Kent Novit and he does real estate law and contracts in Chicago. Kent is different for a number of reasons. First of all, he has a flat fee. It used to be $500 per transaction, but he recently lowered it to $450 (when does that ever happen?!).

Second, because of the flat fee, he never wastes any time. All conversations on the phone with him are short and to the point. He’s always happy to explain things if you ask for them specifically, but usually it’s Just The Business. Love it.

Third, he’s always available to help. Even if it’s slightly outside his area or responsibility. The focus is on getting the deal done as smoothly as possible.

Three cheers to Kent Novit. If you’re buying real estate in Chicago and especially if you’re going it alone, then you really should be using Kent.

I understand that most legal matters are more complicated than that of real estate contracts, but it’s still a refreshing experience to see what dealing with legal matters can also be like.

[On Writing] Birdwell swimwear wants "no more of this wishy washy stuff and nonsense"

Matt Linderman
Matt Linderman wrote this on Aug 24 2009 22 comments

Lots of surfers, lifeguards, and paddle boarders are big fans of Birdwell swimwear. It’s definitely not because the company provides cutting edge web design:

birdwell

Oof, it’s like 1997 all over again. And the site’s tone is reminiscent of a surly old shopkeeper that’s going to sell you what you want only if you play ball first. Check out the curious combination of curmudgeonry and “we’re all family here” folksiness…

Don’t send them too many emails:

Please do not spend 22 emails discussing what you want — and then say, “that’s what I want, when can you ship” — you know what you want, I only answer questions. I don’t remember all your decisions. Write it down and send it to me with the name address and payment information.

No more “wishy washy stuff” about overnight shipping:

If you tell me you really want it tomorrow and it is possible to do so? You have requested expedited carrier service and will be charged accordingly … No more of this wishy washy stuff and nonsense. You know the difference between right and wrong, fair and unfair. You don’t want to join the One Thousand Club. If you ask for expedited service, but I don’t remember when I quote the price? You are charged for the service you receive. Okay, go ahead and teach me a lesson. Welcome to the Club.

Continued…

Rework: Unveiling the cover

Jason Fried
Jason Fried wrote this on Aug 21 2009 87 comments

UPDATE: Rework is now available! Check out a few sample chapters, original artwork, and reviews on the Rework book site.

Today we can officially unveil the cover for our next book, Rework. It’ll be in your favorite bookstore on March 9, 2010.

Update: You can now pre-order from the retailers shown below by clicking on the appropriate button…

amazon bn borders 800ceo indiebound

We’re thrilled with the design. Simple, bold, and memorable. Hats off to the designers at Crown (our publisher) who indulged us, put up with us, and, in the end, crafted a beautiful design.


The front.


The back.

We can’t wait to share this book with you. Everything we know about business is in Rework. Subscribe to our mailing list and follow us on Twitter for news, updates, and the latest announcements related to 37signals and Rework.