I'm referring to the term 'CRM', which is an absolutely critical operational success factor in the aviation and the business world. If CRM is done well, in aviation and in business, we are safer, more secure, more professional, and our outlook is tremendously positive. This is true in spite of the fact that CRM means two totally different things to those two industries. The fact is that business and aviation could learn volumes from each other's definition of this term.

I'm writing, of course, to you in the aviation market, where CRM means 'Cockpit (or Crew) Resource Management'. We pilots are trained to fully leverage every possible resource - mechanical and human (even spiritual, for some of us) - to ensure that the work of aviating is done and done very, very well. We reduce distractions, train ourselves to think in certain ways at certain times, we manage ourselves and judiciously call on other resources, whether an autopilot or an air traffic controller, to assist when required. You will know you have succeeded with CRM in the cockpit when you enter and remain in what some have called 'The Zone', living in past, present and future tenses all at once, maintaining situational awareness, anticipating each task in the flight, and keeping enough 'white space' in your own psyche to successfully handle the unforeseen elements.

In business, however, CRM means something vastly different, and this is where we find the business and aviation acronyms collide. 'Customer Relationship Management' has been one of the hottest and fastest growing trends in the business software industry for almost a decade. Entire corporations have risen and fallen based on their ability to execute CRM well. (Sound familiar, fellow pilot?) In a nutshell, customer relationship management means walking a mile or two in your target customer's shoes, and then making the tough decisions required to smooth that path by changing your internal and external systems, so that doing business with you becomes so easy and profitable to your customer that they begin to see you as an invaluable partner in their own success. In business, you will know you have succeeded in CRM when your information systems, processes, and staff are perfectly in tune with your customer base, know what they want, and can deliver consistently with a confident smile.

Fewer than half of the FBO's and flight schools in the world have a website on the Internet. Even fewer are taking advantage of the Internet's ability to deliver interactive customer systems, such as online scheduling. I firmly believe that the rising younger generations of pilots, who have grown up with the Internet at school and home, who regularly text message their friends from their cell phones, will quickly judge a flight training organization that is not able to provide interactive systems via the Web. Like you, they recognize good customer relationship management systems when they see them.

It is in this spirit that I strongly encourage you to look seriously at your own business. How strong is your Internet presence? Is it robust and interactive, enabling customers access to their account information 24/7/365? Do your flight training customers still drive out to the airport, only to find that the aircraft they scheduled last week over the phone is now down for maintenance? How much could you save if you no longer paid a receptionist to maintain your flight schedule with pencil and paper? What difference would it make if you moved to an online flight scheduling system based on a flat fee per month, with no hidden or variable-per-aircraft fees?

I am proud of the products our team has produced here at LimpWindsock.com. We've made every effort to make it easy for you to do business with us, so that your own customers will find it easier to do business with you. Our goal has always been to improve your profitability and utilization, to lower your costs and overhead, and to provide a rock-solid, reliable system that will serve you for years to come.

We continue to make improvements to this system based on your feedback, and some rather brilliant ideas of our own. Look for new functionality over the next few months as we continue developing some new technologies. We share your passion for aviation, and we're committed to building a business that consistently meets and exceeds your expectations.

To the future of aviation,

Christopher M. Bates
President