Article Excerpt from:
A Happy Staff Equals Happy CustomersFortune Magazine - July, 12 2004
Anne Fisher
Page 52
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It may sound corny, but when people feel valued, they tend to spread sunshine. Just ask Don Slivensky, CEO of MicroTek Computer Labs, who makes it his business to hire the right people and then spoil them rotten. (For more on companies that put customers first, see, “Five Rules for Finding the Next Dell.”) Headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., MicroTek runs computer-training classrooms; its customers are instructors from other companies. Slivensky looks to hire outgoing types who can make decisions on their own: “We want our people to make any customer problem their own problem.” MicroTek staffers have changed tires, walked dogs, and sewed on buttons for instructors. In return, Slivensky showers his employees with goodies. He has paid for honeymoons, given down payments on homes, and sent $500 gift cards to expectant moms. “If people are happy, they enjoy taking care of customers,” Slivensky says. “It’s not a chore.” He must be on to something. MicroTek scored a 3.96 out of a possible four stars in a recent customer-satisfaction poll. Employee turnover is practically nil. In the 12 years of MicroTek’s existence, Slivensky says, “I think two people have left.”
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The complete article is available here: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2004/07/12/375865/index.htm