Matrix Group International

Tag: Matrix Group

  • Dear Doctor, Don’t You Know Me By Now?

    Dear Doctor, Don’t You Know Me By Now?

    I went for my annual physical yesterday. I love the practice I go to, but I hate feeling like I’m a nameless, faceless patient, even though I’ve been a patient for a decade. I also hate that I have to fill out the same infernal forms over and over again and write my name, address and insurance information multiple times. My check-in went something like this:

    Me: Hello, Joanna Pineda, here for a 3:15 appointment.
    Receptionist: Hello, please sign in. Has any of your information changed since your list visit?
    Me: No.
    Receptionist: Okay. Wait, you need to fill out new forms. (Hands me blank forms)

    I sit down and sigh as I realize that I am giving my doctor all the information she already has.  Not one thing in my profile has changed.  I also have to agree to a 4-page HIPAA privacy statement, which infuriates me because I have about three minutes to review the document.  C’mon doctor, can’t you:

    • Print out my information and let me confirm that nothing has changed or let me tell you just what has changed?
    • Send me the HIPAA privacy statement ahead of time so that I can really study it?

    Thankfully, because of my work, I’m familiar with HIPAA privacy statements and my rights, but what normal person takes the time to read and understand the document and his/her rights?

    This doctor visit makes me think of how Matrix Group clients want and expect that we will know them, their organization, their contact information, their projects. It’s a joke around the office that many clients have achieved one-name status around here, kind of like Madonna or Cher.  All the receptionist needs to say is, “Rajani (Rick, Pat, Sue, Merla, or Adrianne) is on the line” and pretty much every staff member knows who she’s talking about.  Of course, more common names like Dan or Tim need a client name, but if you’re a frequent caller, our First Impressions Officer will probably know you by voice.
    (more…)

  • Why Matrix Group Didn’t Send Paper Holiday Cards This Year

    Why Matrix Group Didn’t Send Paper Holiday Cards This Year

    For the past ten years, it’s been a Matrix Group tradition to send out holiday cards to clients, partners and friends and have staff sign the cards personally.  This year was different.  For the first time ever, we didn’t send out snail mail holiday cards and instead sent a holiday e-card.

    You’d think that sending out an e-mail over paper would be an easy choice.  But the holiday cards were a big deal.  Each staff member signed the cards for all the clients they supported and partners they worked with.  The new biz, net admin and administration teams signed every single card.  I am famous for signing every card and writing notes on many of them — yep, nearly 900 of them last year!  Clients and friends have told us that they love the Matrix Group holiday card precisely because they are signed by the staff who support them.

    So what happened this year that we abandoned a decade-old tradition? I was meeting with Jaime, my Director of Administration, to pick the card design and go over numbers.  It hit me that we were about to spend close to $2,500 on cards.  It seemed like a lot of money.  I also thought about how many of our charities and non-profit clients struggle to raise every dollar and consider gifts of $250, $500 or $1,000 major gifts.
    (more…)

  • What Are Your Company Traditions?

    What Are Your Company Traditions?

    ThanksgivingOn my way to work this morning, I heard a story on NPR about how immigrants to this country have adopted the Thanksgiving tradition and made it their own.  A Greek chef talked about how his mother made a Thanksgiving turkey but every other dish during the meal was Greek.  The story reminded me of the importance of traditions.

    We tend to think of traditions as part of our personal and family lives.  But if we look closely, most companies have traditions as well and they bind staff to the company and to each other. Here at Matrix Group, over the past ten years, we’ve amassed a set of traditions.  These traditions include: a pumpkin carving contest during Halloween, funny awards and a white elephant exchange during our holiday party, pie during the June birthday celebration, naming each server after a Star Wars character, and creating a special glass after an especially important launch. (more…)

  • In the Event That Miss Universe is Unable to Serve…

    In the Event That Miss Universe is Unable to Serve…

    Miss UniverseI haven’t watched a Miss Universe pageant in a long time, but a part of the program will stay with me forever:  the part where Bob Barker says to the 1st runner up something along the lines of:  In the event that Miss Universe is unable to serve, you will take the crown.

    What on earth does the Miss Universe pageant have to do with running a business?

    Well, it turns out that if you run a business long enough, no matter how successful you, there are times when you don’t take home the prize.  I can remember deals where we came soooo close to winning the account, but ultimately, we came in second place, or 1st runner up.

    But unlike a Miss Universe pageant, the 1st runner up in business often has a good chance of taking the prize when:  the first choice can’t deliver, the client’s needs outpace the capabilities of the selected vendor, or a change in staffing triggers a review of the account and the contracts.

    When Matrix Group comes in second, yes, it totally sucks, but here’s what we try and do: (more…)

  • Recruiting Top Job Candidates Through the Barry Deutsch Method

    Recruiting Top Job Candidates Through the Barry Deutsch Method

    Needle in a HaystackA few years ago, Matrix Group was looking for a Network Administrator. We had been looking for 18 months with no success.  The situation was bleak. The candidates coming in were awful, my team was overworked and desperate to make a hire, and recruiters were failing us miserably.

    Then I attended a presentation by Barry Deutsch, CEO of Impact Hiring Solutions, an executive search firm.  Barry’s presentation had such an impact on me and my company that Barry Deutsch is now a verb at Matrix Group.

    When a job announcement is not pulling in the candidates we need, I tell my staff to “Barry Deutsch” the description.

    Barry says that the top hiring mistakes companies make are:

    • Failing to define the job properly, i.e., not defining what will represent success in the job.
    • Falling victim to first impressions, i.e., the candidate looks good, talks well, she must be terrific.
    • Desperation hiring, i.e., making an offer because you think it’s better to hire someone, anyone.
    • Not asking deep and penetrating questions during the interview. This happens because managers don’t know how to conduct success-based interviews or lob softballs at the candidate because they “like” them.
    • Failing to check references deeply. Many companies skip reference checks or don’t properly validate the claims by candidates. And if a candidate can’t provide references, RUN!

    Ultimately, we all want to hire and retain top talent.  Here is what Barry has to say about top talent: (more…)

  • The Art and Science of Business Cards

    The Art and Science of Business Cards

    When we moved to our new office in Crysta City, it meant reprinting all of our marketing materials.  While it was simply a matter of updating and reprinting most of our collateral, we decided to redesign our business cards.  Matrix Group Creative Director Alex Pineda wanted to update the design with the refreshed logo and show some more personality.

    Here are some sample cards that demonstrate what we were trying to achieve.

    Joanna Pineda business cards

    Here’s my card.  The front is purple so it’s easy to find on a cluttered desk or stack o cards.  The corners are curved because Alex says the Matrix Group brand is curvey, node-y.  The prominent elements are my name and title and the company Web address.  You’ll also notice that my card has all the ways you can contact me:  phone, fax, e-mail, blog and Twitter.

    Maki Kato business card (more…)

  • At Work, as in Marriage and Friendship, A Sense of Humor Rocks

    At Work, as in Marriage and Friendship, A Sense of Humor Rocks

    Laughing manLast Wednesday afternoon, I was harried and stressed.  I was leaving for a conference on the West Coast. and if I didn’t leave the office by 2:30pm, the drive to BWI was not going to be pretty.  But I had two people to call, five e-mails to write, three people to see and it was already 2pm.  I decided to delegate a couple of the tasks to Ray, my new biz manager.  Just at that moment, he walked into my office and I said, “oh, thank goodness you’re here.”  Without missing a beat, Ray deadpanned, “You’re surprised I’m here?  I’m always here.  I work for you.  My office is next door.  I thought you designed it that way.”

    With those few words, Ray turned my afternoon around. All my tension slipped away as I burst out laughing.  I gave him a couple of calls to return, promised to make calls from the taxi, and headed on my way.

    If you Google “sense of humor in the workplace,” you’ll get all kinds of posts about how humor is often NOT appropriate in the workplace.  But I challenge anyone to tell me their dry, humorless office is a great place to work. Personally, I don’t think I would have survived the early MatrixMaxx software releases without Tanya’s dry sense of humor.  And Eric made the recent recruiting process for a Project Manager enjoyable with his hilarious stories from working in a casino.  Thankfully, at least one blogger, Elaine Ambrose, says that “(a) sense of humor will save your job and probably your life.” (more…)

  • Flight 93 National Memorial Web site

    Flight 93 National Memorial Web site

    Matrix Group worked with the Flight 93 Federal Advisory Commission and the Flight 93 Memorial Task Force, to design and launch the Flight 93 National Memorial Web site. The purpose of the site is to raise public awareness, funds, and commemorate the memorial, so that future generations may learn, and remember how the brave actions of few, can make a profound difference.

    Matrix work included:

    • A Web site that carries over design elements and functionality from the National Parks Web site to the Honor Flight 93 Web site.  Including, familiar navigation, imagery style and messaging.
    • A “Give Now” form, encouraging public engagement and donations.
    • Implementation of a user-friendly Content Management System (CMS)

    Visit the Flight 93 National Memorial Web site

  • Does Your Corporate Underground Match Your Company’s Size and Needs?

    Does Your Corporate Underground Match Your Company’s Size and Needs?

    Tins Cans and Red Network CableI was working with a prospect recently and lamenting to my team that the organization felt like a bunch of stovepipes, with the VPs competing for resources and influence.  I said something along the lines of “Arrgh, this organization is too small to be so silo’d!”

    Then it hit me: the company had gone through a fairly large downsizing recently.  The corporate culture was one I was more likely to find in a much larger organization because the culture had not adjusted to the new realities of the smaller organization!  Ick. (more…)

  • How SCRUM Made Our Office Move Great

    How SCRUM Made Our Office Move Great

    Office moves are never fun. Our move was months in the planning, but we were still scrambling last Friday night, the day before the movers arrived.  The plan was to complete the physical move on Saturday, then have all staff come in on Sunday to set-up their own work areas, test the network and phones, and help unpack the common areas. There were a million tasks to be done? How was it all going to get done? Then we had a great idea: let’s use SCRUM, do a one-day sprint and complete as much of the move as possible. Here’s what we did, with amazing results.

    Office Move To Do List

    Here is our Office Move To Do List at the start of the day on Saturday. (more…)