How to Solve a Client Problem Before It’s Too Late

Sometimes, it’s good to be reminded that I’m in the service business, no matter the cost or inconvenience.

You may think this is trivial, but I think it’s important.

First, some background. I went cold turkey in December 2009 and bought my first MacBook Pro … with absolutely no regrets and no looking back – ever. One of the great things about the Mac is that it doesn’t require very many third-party applications. In fact, the only one I ever bought was Microsoft Office. I just never thought I needed anything else.

Recently, however, I was faced with a situation in which my Mac just didn’t cut it. Fortunately, with the help of some software, the matter is fixed.

I am working with the American Institute of CPAs on its Personal Financial Planning member section newsletter, The Planner, filling in as interim editor while the Institute searches for a technical editor who has his/her CPA. As most anyone who has a Mac knows, it has a built-in PDF capability, but it is not a full-blown version of Adobe Acrobat. I can annotate PDFs – make changes with note balloons, strike out text and make other edits – but cannot perform many of the more-complicated tasks that Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro can.

In other words, I HAD to get the software.

My client never suggested she would go elsewhere to find a workable solution. Great, right?

No … because I learned that I was the one who had to find the solution to satisfy the client before the matter escalated to the point when the client might think of going elsewhere.

Isn’t that the kind of business we’re in – to creatively solve problems?

I found a great price on eBay and now I am in great shape. I am so much less worried about spending the money on software than I am about losing a client to technology or some other factor that can easily be fixed.