Notes from the President

06 May 2019 khilton Notes from the President

Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

As I pointed out in last month’s newsletter, when you have team members who have been with the company for many years, they eventually get to the point of a well-deserved retirement. At the end of May, we have two additional team members that have reached that milestone. Dick and Marlene Moore have decided to embark on a new phase in their lives.
Having worked with the two of them since the early 1980s, I could fill all the space on the internet with stories and lessons I’ve learned from them, but I will try to keep it relatively short for this newsletter.
In 1979, Dick founded Farm Management, Inc. that eventually became one of the companies that merged to form Red Wing Software in 2003. Over the last 40 years, Dick has led the development effort for many software projects, and his influence will last far into the future. Not only has his talent shaped the software you use today, through his participation in outside organizations, he has had a lasting impact on the financial standards of an entire industry. Don’t be surprised to see his continued influence even after retirement. Rest assured that Dick has done an excellent job of transferring knowledge to the rest of the development team and has mentored Aaron in his new role as Development Manager.
Marlene has touched the lives of virtually every user of our software. Most of you have had the opportunity to work with Marlene as you put your financial records in order. Marlene has served in several roles in the organization: accountant, support technician, classroom instructor, and most recently defining and recording educational videos for our products. She has been a mentor to many new team members as they get up-to-speed on our software and the industries we serve. Marlene’s influence on our software, team members, and customers will last for years.
I anticipate Dick and Marlene will spend much of their new free time on their passion of keeping up with activities of their many grandchildren. In addition, I’m sure you will find Dick enjoying his other passion in his new woodworking shop. (Come to think of it, I could use some new kitchen cabinets.)
Please join me in wishing them the best in their new phase in life. They will be truly missed.

Notes from the President

10 April 2019 khilton Notes from the President


Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

One of the many things that makes Red Wing Software a great company is the average length of time employees stay with the organization. Unfortunately, on occasion, one of those long-time staffers decides they have reached the point they think they are ready to retire.
Janet Polski has been in charge of helping customers renew their Customer Care Membership for over 15 years. When Janet indicated a few months ago she was thinking of retiring at the end of April, we knew we had big shoes to fill. My opinion is, nobody should retire until they have at least 30 years of service in. As usual, my opinion didn’t carry much weight in her decision-making process.
Janet has been instrumental in creating and streamlining our current Customer Care Membership renewal process. I’m sure many of you have had the opportunity to work with Janet over the years, and know how good she is at making the process quick and easy. We certainly appreciate her role in helping maintain our excellent rate of customer retention.
Rest assured the renewal process will continue as it has with Janet’s protégé, Katrina. Like Janet, you have probably talked to Katrina over the last few years as she, among other things, answered the phones for Red Wing Software. Katrina has been working under Janet’s tutelage for a few months now, and as of April 1st assumes the position full-time while Janet transitions to retirement on April 30th.
We certainly wish Janet the best in retirement as she takes care of her horses and various other animals on her “ranch” with her husband, Tom. Tom is also the Fixed Base Operator at the Red Wing Regional Airport, so I hope to run into Janet occasionally at the airport as I’m sure he will talk her into helping out.
While we never like to lose great team members, we certainly appreciate all the hard work and dedication they have provided over the years, and Janet has been one of the best.

Notes from the President

06 March 2019 khilton


Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

Does your business ever have a situation when two, three, four, or even more people don’t agree with how something should be done? How do you resolve these issues? You could pick a winner and everyone else could live with it. You could decide who’s right and fire everyone else. Obviously, these are both really bad solutions. So, how do you decide what to do?
First, let’s figure out who’s right. I already can tell you that answer – everyone is right. At Red Wing Software, we often have meetings consisting of four to ten people to discuss new ideas for software features, or how to improve existing functionality. There are often several differing ideas on what to do, and they are all good ideas. Everyone has the opportunity to argue their respective points and the pros and cons of each solution is discussed by the group. What almost always happens is we find out the solution is a combination of several ideas that produce the best results.
The same technique can be used when there is a difference in how a certain task might be accomplished. One person might think it’s more efficient to use one method, while someone else might have a much different method to accomplish the same task. Again, both methods probably work, and it’s likely that a combination of the two methods would be best. Now, we should ask: Why aren’t they both using the same method in the first place? Probably because, over time, the preferred process has evolved into something it was not originally intended to be, and as these changes to the process occurred, it was never properly documented as the best new process.
Whenever these situations occur in your business, it’s time to step back and take a look at the best solution for the issue, and properly document it. After you get the issue resolved and documented, don’t be afraid to monitor the process and tweak it as needed. And be sure to change the documentation for the process as it evolves.

Notes from the President

13 February 2019 khilton Notes from the President


Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

Since Red Wing Software is in the customer service business, I am always acutely aware of the kind of service I get from other businesses so I can learn the best ways to take care of our customers, and the kinds of service that can drive them crazy. (We try to avoid the latter.)
One day last week, I had the “opportunity” to be “WOWed” by the customer service at two local restaurants. Even though Red Wing, MN is a relatively small city, we have a number of “chain” eateries available to us. One such establishment is Culver’s, famous for their “ButterBurgers”. Since all their items are made-to-order, you order at the counter and they bring the food to your table when it’s ready. The food is good, but I also go there to watch their amazing staff.
As soon as I walked in, I was greeted with a friendly voice from behind the counter. I placed my order, took my number to place on the table, and sat down. I watched as the employees working as a team, cleaned tables and chairs, and picked up loose paper and fries from the floor. The neat thing is, they were interacting with customers, and smiling the entire time. While I sat there eating my meal, at least four different people stopped by to make sure everything was to my liking. When finished, I just sat there for a few minutes admiring how this organization was operating like a well-oiled machine. Finally, a young lady came over and said, “We have an extra ice cream cone - would you like it?” and handed me the treat. Most places would have just thrown it out, but she took the opportunity and effort to make an already happy customer even happier. I was “WOWed”. Then, as I walked out, a voice from behind me said, “Thanks for dining with us; have a great day”.
My other experience last week was with another national restaurant chain that shall remain anonymous. When the hostess finally noticed that we entered, she showed us to our table where we waited a few minutes for someone to take our drink order, and then a little later our food order. When our order arrived, we had to ask for another place setting because the three of us didn’t want to share the two knives and forks they had supplied us. The food was good, as usual, but then it came time to pay. I was fortunate to be a guest of the person across from me who was buying. There was a touch screen device on the table that was to be used for payment. After mentioning how disgustingly filthy the device was, I watch as he punched buttons and slid his credit card through the machine at least eight times trying to make it work. After struggling with the device, finally a server stopped by to help complete the transaction. Since he needed a receipt that was printed somewhere else in the building, the staff member had to retrieve it. I thought “WOW” wouldn’t it have been much easier for everyone if the staff member would have just taken the card, or even run it for us right at the table, instead of struggling with this device that was mostly in the way the whole time we were eating. A totally different kind of “WOW”!
In business, every contact we have with a customer, or prospective customer, is a chance to “WOW” them. We should all focus on making sure they are “WOWed” in the right way.

Notes from the President

04 January 2019 khilton Notes from the President


Ken Hilton - President Red Wing Software

I hope you had a joyous holiday season.
January is the busiest month here at Red Wing Software. With everyone closing out 2018, beginning 2019, and making sure their payroll information is up-to-date with the rapidly changing tax calculations, our support lines light up. We have prepared internally to answer the calls from our customers at a rate you’ve come to expect from us. You can help ensure a smooth transition to the new year by reviewing the documents and videos recently posted on our web site, and referred to in this newsletter, that answer frequently asked questions about your software.
I’d like to congratulate our support staff for consistently reaching 92% direct pick-up of calls coming in to our support lines. That percentage has steadily improved over the years to the excellent level it is today. Our entire staff has worked hard to achieve this goal, and they are prepared to continue this high level of service. Please join me in thanking them for their hard work.
All of us at Red Wing Software wish you a happy, prosperous, and safe New Year.