FEDA News & Views

FEDAMayJune2013

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The President's Message Where Technology Comes In e're all working to improve our people but people make mistakes and businesses every day.We have to our time can be consumed by other peoor we will fall behind; and if we ple's mistakes.That is where technology fall too far behind, we may not survive. comes in. I'm not about to suggest you There is always some kind of issue to be can replace people with technology. addressed. It could be an inventory However, the right technology will save problem, receivables issue, freight dam- you time and frustration by alleviating age, a customer with falling margins errors. You might be thinking that you can't and, of course, there is personnel afford new technology turnover. If we aren't careright now but with ful with our time, we will You might be thinking many of today's soluspend far too much of it that you can't tions, there are options reacting to problems instead of truly improving afford new technology to fit any size company and any budget. You our businesses and solving right now but with may not even have the problem for good. many of today's to buy the solution. At the 2012 FEDA ConDepending on what vention, Dr. David Vik had a solutions, you're looking for, you great quote. He said,"There there are options may be able to pay on is a difference between to fit any size company a usage basis, lease being busy and getting from the developer things done."As soon as he and any budget. only while you use it put this quote up on the (the Software as a screen, it rang true with me. I thought to myself, "How many days Service model), or even outsource—all do I leave the office feeling like I had a of which can save you money dependvery busy day but accomplished very lit- ing on what you're replacing.There are tle." It also forced me to focus on finding so many types of technology and ways the root cause of problems and their to deploy it that we could fill this magsolutions vs. just fixing problems as they azine, so I will mention just a pair of recent examples from our company. arise. On a simple scale, you will find small We live in a world of relationships and our businesses thrive on the relation- processes in your business that will be ships we have with our customers. best done another way. A few years ago, Relationships are obviously between we outsourced our invoicing. I admit, at first I was skeptical but once we looked into it, I was stunned by the number of "I would also like to take this hours—and more importantly—labor opportunity to thank our Executive dollars,we were spending folding paper, Vice President, Ray Herrick, for stuffing envelops and applying postage. his 30 years of dedication, loyalFor only the cost of time to implement ty and service. Ray's tireless conand a few cents per envelope, we are tributions have not only brought sending a file every night to a processor FEDA to where we are today, but for the invoices to be printed, machinekeep us focused on our members, stuffed into envelopes and mailed for us. their benefits and advocacy on continued on page 36 their behalf." W Brad Wasserstrom, President The Wasserstrom Co. BradW@wasserstrom.com 4 FEDA New s & View s

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