Industry pros take CSDS exam to better serve customers
December 13, 2012
In Boston this morning, a group of secure destruction professionals took the Certified Secure Destruction Specialist (CSDS) Examination. It was the second such exam held this year and will be followed by several other regional exams over the next couple of months.
I have the utmost respect for these industry professionals. Instead of just complaining about customers who only care about price, they are doing something about it. It is not a silver bullet. It is not as if they now will be able to magically change customers into careful buyers but at least they have a chance. These professionals will be in a better position to meet customers’ needs and interact with customers more effectively because they will be more confident.
Earlier this week, I posted a tweet stating, “For 99.9% of customers, data destruction is 0.01% of their job.” Now, you can dispute my percentages all you want, but the gist is no less valid.
When you get a call from a shopper, how are they supposed to know what to ask you about besides price? They have no idea of the regulatory requirement to make sure their service provider has adequate security. Heck, even if they knew of the regulatory requirement, they wouldn’t know what to ask. They are not supposed to know. It’s not their job to know, it’s yours. And, it is your responsibility to explain it or at least try. We all know shoppers usually don’t want to hear it. From their perspective you’re just trying to get in their pockets and so they dismiss what you say. To that I say, so what. You still try. After all, it’s the truth and you are acting in their best interest by telling them.
Further, when faced with the question that’s blatantly focused on your pricing, a customer needs to hear someone respond with, “I understand why pricing would be the first thing on your mind but to make your selection process, legally you should be asking a few other question too. Would you like to know the other questions you should be asking to make your selection process legal?” If they say no, you at least exercised your responsibility as a secure destruction professional. If they say yes, you can continue to talk and you are one step closer to a customer that is worth having.
By the way, NAID is working on a new brochure under the working title “It is illegal to hire a data destruction company based only on price.” While such brochures have their limitations, it will give your response credibility given it has been generated by an authority outside your business. The estimated release date for this brochure is Feb. 15, 2013. Read NAID’s e-newsletter, NAIDDirect, to learn more.