A lot of companies have mission statements, but those tend to come and go. Datamax execs wanted something bolder than that.
It was important to carve a cultural structure that would stand like a rock, that everyone could jump on with, and one that would never go out of style. So that’s why the Datamax Philosophies and Principles were formed — a collection of collaborations and conversations that started more than two decades ago.
Ideas like “make decisions based on the good of the entire organization,” and “we have the right to disagree” were born out of real-life professional experiences from the collaborators, with the intention that putting these principles in place would better guide the company’s cultural trajectory.
Time, and technologies, would change. But these core beliefs would not waver.
Today, those philosophies and principles are shared in the form of The Little Blue Book, a 26-page guide that gets handed to every new employee. They’re not just words, but words to live by at Datamax.
Just ask Steve Kennemer about The Little Blue Book.
If you walk into the Texas VP of Service’s office, you’ll see a permanent dog ear on page 8 of “The Little Blue Book.” His favorite phrase in it? “Above all, we believe that our “RAVING FANS” will come from our passion to be “THE BEST.”
“That phrase, to me, about wraps it up. It’s a key principle inside our department — if your team works together, and has passion about what they’re doing, it proves they won’t be mediocre in their day to day activities,” Steve said.
Standing Like a Rock: 3 Principles Steve’s Service Teams Live By Every Day at Datamax
1. Quality Over Quantity.
Fix it right the first time, Steve says.
“If there’s one thing we will not waver on, it’s quality. We’re going to do four really great service calls over six half-done jobs,” Steve says. “It’s not that I want technicians to do less work. I want them to do the highest quality level of work.”
2. Check Your List.
A standard procedure on every service call in Texas is the completion of a Datamax Quality Assurance Check List. Items include everything from “clean exterior covers and inside paper trays,” to “test scan to email and/or scan to file.”
Steve says this list ensures the “total call” completion.
“If we state that we’re one of the best and want to make that statement true, we’ve got to do the total service call. This list is just a reminder of that,” he says.
3. Perform With Passion.
Again, back to the Little Blue Book.
“We’ve got to have a passion to keep growing, staying on top of technology,” Steve says. “If you have a passion for what you do, and being part of an industry-leading team, the end result is a satisfied customer.”