Archives Management takes pride in the excellent service that they provide. But Wasserstein is quick to point out, “I’m not the one claiming that we provide good service; our customers are telling us that we provide good service. That’s not me; it’s them!”

To objectively evaluate the quality of their service and performance, the company conducts a survey among both their clients and employees. The survey, conducted every six months, gives the management qualitative and quantitative gauge of how they are performing as perceived by their external and internal clients.

And so far, customers have reported that they are satisfied. Wasserstein beams, “Last survey results we have from our customers, on a scale of 0 to 5, 0 being bad and 5 outstanding, our customers rated us 4.55.”  Employees’ approval rating, while slightly lower, is still an impressive 4.45. 

In their quest to further improve efficiency and increase customer satisfaction, Archives Management launched its web site at http://www.archivesmanagement.com 18 months ago. While presently set-up as an informational and marketing tool, more interactive features will be introduced in the site. Customers will soon be able to access all their data in a secured form on the Internet. Wasserstein is understandably excited with this feature, “That will be a very material step-up in terms of what the Internet means to our company. Instead of calling our customer service person or emailing our customer service person, or faxing our customer service person - they’ll be able to research and create work orders directly on the Internet by themselves.”

So why is Archives Management successful?

“I think we’re good sales people. We are successful because of our creative sales people,” he is quick to point out.  While other companies cite their advanced technologies and innovative products, Wasserstein credits their ability to differentiate themselves by bringing creativity, energy and ingenuity into the sales process as the main reason for their success.

Another strength of Archives Management is the efficiency in the way it handles and delivers the files and paperwork they store for their clients. The speedy and accurate retrieval of stored records is made possible by the company’s use of cutting-edge technology.

“We’re in a situation where technology and customer service coincide,” he said. “We are great users of technology. We are extremely, extremely computerized.”

Archives Management has made significant investments in the past four years on new technology to improve the business.  Employees use sophisticated hand-held scanners, costing about $2,000 each, to keep track of orders on the delivery run.  They also have printers costing $1,000 each that can print receipts with activity records for each document, so they know exactly where the paperwork has been.

Five years ago, either one of three things can happen when a driver is asked to deliver five boxes: (1) the driver can successfully execute the order; (2) the driver can deliver the 5 boxes but they are the wrong 5 or only 3 of the boxes are correct; or (3) the driver can only deliver three boxes because he is hungry and has to eat lunch.

With the sophisticated new technology, orders placed at one of Archives Management's warehouses for file deliveries are programmed into hand-held scanners, which drivers keep in order to remember their itinerary for the day. Before they head out on the road, delivery workers scan the devices in front of bar codes located on the sides of boxes in the warehouse. Now, when the driver delivers five boxes, the scanner does not let the driver close out the order until it is perfect. This creates time efficiency, minimizes rework and it is great customer service.

Wasserstein’s dedication and trust to his employees is exemplary. While honored at being named as Connecticut’s Small Business Person of Year for 2000, he would rather that the award be renamed as “Small Business Company of the Year.” 

He contends that, “I just have the luxury, honor and privilege of being the president of our company. But I have 59 other people that make me look smart. To think for a second that I do it alone would be foolish on my part, or anyone else’s part.  I am a large contributor; I think I play a large role for the company’s development and success, but it is not me alone.”

In addition to being chosen as the Small Business Person of the Year for Connecticut, Archives Management has also won several recognition and awards in the past. The Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce named it as the 1997 Small Business of the Year. The award recognizes outstanding business development and achievement in the Waterbury community. The company also won the Connecticut Quality Improvement Silver Award winner for a unique implementation and application of technology that dramatically improved operational quality.

So what is the secret of his personal success? “None! There is no secret,” Wasserstein chuckles.

To be good in business, however, his first advice is to always start out with a good business. As his own experience shows, a good business is one that has good economic characteristics and fundamentals, and covers a lot of business sense.

Second, an entrepreneur must be energetic, optimistic and full of passion about his or her own business. “Your business will not succeed on 20 or 40 hours a week. It’s got to be your number one priority probably for at least the first 3-5 years. Then maybe after 5 years, it is a real business and will have some energy and progress on its own. But initially you are the driving force behind your business.”

An entrepreneur also needs to be success and development-oriented, possessing sheer energy and persistence to just keep going. Sometimes, business owners need to call a customer 20 to 50 times just to follow-up, and this requires persistence. “I think some people fail to recognize that the persistence factor is what really drives a lot of people to success in all walks of life,” says Wasserstein. Persistence, creativity, ingenuity, coupled with a thick skin to handle all the rejections -- these are the tools of entrepreneurial success.

So, is he enjoying everything?  “Yeah! I’m a lucky guy. I have a super wife, a healthy son, and a great business – why wouldn’t I enjoy it? I make more money than I should. This is a fun life. I wouldn’t trade places with anyone.”