"One of my greatest pleasures and rewards is being able to share the knowledge about Customer Value Management that I gathered over the years as Director of Customer Satisfaction at AT&T. Many people have helped me by sharing their knowledge with me.
One of them is a fellow named Harry Brugrogner. Now Harry and I built a log cabin together 20 years ago. I always wanted to build a log cabin, I always liked the outdoors. I cut trees, hauled logs, stripped them, put them up, and bought a book on building log cabins. But I knew I had to get some help so I befriended Harry, a 50 year old German who had built cabins in the US since he arrived when he was about 19. It was a wonderful experience of about 4 weeks, everyday he would teach me how to build this cabin. We built a beautiful cabin and he would say every day "Ray, I'll teach you everything I know and when I'm all done, you still won't know nothing."
After many years of helping people get started with Customer Value Management I understand what Harry was really trying to say. Every day I learn something new about Customer Value and some days it seems that even though I know a lot about it, I don't know nothing. There is so much to know and so much to learn but I'll tell you one thing, Harry and I built a beautiful cabin together. So I am going to share with you what I've learned at AT&T and over the last few years, working with companies like Fletcher Challenge New Zealand, Nortel, Whirlpool, and Standard & Poors. My work with these companies had taken me from Sao Paulo to Helinski and many other places along the way. I've enjoyed meeting and working with people who have been excited about building customer loyalty and growing market share.
'Downunder' in Australia and New Zealand I work with my good friend and colleague Rodger Gallagher. We have collected some of our notes on what works and what doesn't when you are kicking off a Customer Value Management project. Hopefully you can take some of what we have learned and get yourself started on building the log cabins that you want to build."
Regards, Ray Kordupleski
Rodger Gallagher:
Rodger is one of the leading experts in using customer value management, having championed their introduction at Telecom New Zealand since the establishment of the company in 1987.
He has wide experience in the telecommunications business, having worked in the areas of general management, network engineering, customer satisfaction and quality, marketing, and information services for Telecom New Zealand. He led many of the change management projects that have seen Telecom New Zealand change from a government department to a world class company.
His published papers include, 'Modeling Customer Satisfaction at Telecom New Zealand', European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 31, Issue 2, 1997, and 'The Role of Innovation in Establishing a Customer Service Operation for Maximum Customer and Business Benefit', Proceedings of the Decision Sciences Institute Fourth International Meeting, Sydney, 20-23 July 1997. His work at Telecom New Zealand is documented in Bradley T. Gale's book, 'Managing Customer Value', Page 90: 'Testing the Customer Value Philosophy at Telecom of New Zealand.'
In May 1996, Rodger launched Customer Value Management New Zealand Ltd., a consultancy working in the fields of customer value management and business process innovation. His clients include companies in the Retailing, Banking, Packaging, Construction, Building Products, Medical Supplies, Insurance, and Telecommunication industries in Australia and New Zealand. Internationally he has presented papers and run workshops in Australia, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Ray Kordupleski:
Ray Kordupleski is internationally recognized as a leading expert in the practice of customer value management. He is the President of Customer Value Management, Inc.; a consulting firm specializing in helping companies create a substantial competitive advantage through the development, implementation, and strategic use of customer and competitor information. He has served as an advisor on the subject to organizations within the US and Canada such as Walt Disney World, Milliken, Hewlett-Packard, Faber Castel, Nortel, Mead Corporation, Philadelphia Electric, Wisconsin Electric Power Company, and the Department of Defense Communications Agency. Internationally, he has worked with Swedish Televerkert, the Quality Association of Finland, Fletcher Challenge Building, BellSouth New Zealand, the ANZ Banking Group of Australia and New Zealand and Multibras of Brazil - a division of Whirlpool.
Prior to forming his own company in 1996, Mr. Kordupleski had over twenty-nine years of experience in the telecommunications industry, including positions with Illinois Bell, New Jersey Bell, Bell Atlantic, and AT&T. At AT&T, he was the Customer Satisfaction Director for the Corporation.
Ray is a member of the American Marketing Association, where he served as the chairperson for the Second Congress on Customer Satisfaction. He is also a member of the International Service Quality Association (ISQA), and a member of the Advisory Board and Research Roundtable at the Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University. His publications include "Why Improving Quality Doesn't Improve Quality," California Management Review. His work at AT&T is documented in Bradley T. Gale's book, Managing Customer Value, Chapter 4 "Customer Value Added" at AT&T: A Competitive Strategy Milestone.
