It is cliché to offer New Year's Resolutions right after issuing predictions for the upcoming year. I would like to start 2024 on a different path, where Clearfield reaffirms our commitment to core, institutional practices we have been committed to over the past few years and longer.
To keep this post short, I will focus on three that I believe are the heart of our ongoing success, and you do not have to worry about a quiz at the end. If anything, you will be quizzing me throughout the year to see if we continue to hold true to these three principles.
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Grow Healthy Supply Chains
We have always had an acute awareness about where our materials come from to produce the best, most reliable fiber connection products in the industry. The pandemic followed by exuberant orders tested our assumptions and practices for sourcing and production in ways that, yes, we did not anticipate. Supply chain disruption post-COVID provided a stress test that we did not ask for, but we met all the same. We have taken everything we have learned and applied it to improve our current operations and products to ensure our customers get what they need, when they need it. Where we saw synergies, we created stronger alignments. Where we saw fragility, we took measures to get healthy as we bridge into future growth.
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Exceed Customer Expectations
Mixed martial artist and TikTok food critic Keith Lee always starts his reviews by rating an establishment’s customer service, be it a storefront location or a pop-up food stand he stumbled onto while driving around in his home city of Las Vegas. It is the first thing he sees when he walks in to order or picks up his meal and sets the tone for the rest of his review.
We realize buying from Clearfield is both a choice and a philosophy where you are valuing ease-of-use and craft-friendly products to increase deployment efficiency, saving time and money. We want every interaction with us to be the best, from the first time you see us at a trade show or call us to ask more questions about our services, through the process of ordering and to the day when your products arrive.
Every time you work with us, we want to make sure you are not merely content, but happy in a Keith Lee 9.7, “Going back for more right now” rating way.
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Radically Innovate
“Sitting on your laurels” is another cliché that we do not believe in. Part of exceeding customer expectations is listening to what customers want and need, then finding new ways to help drive their success. Creation of our CraftSmart® FiberFirst 6-Inch Pedestal is our latest example of recognizing the need for new ways to deploy fiber networks using a solution able to be flexible to market requirements and supportable through an onshore supply chain.
We are continuously working on more innovations to make our customer’s deployment life easier, and you should expect to see a steady release of new products throughout the year. I am excited to share, without details, we will have another announcement soon that is part of this focused effort at Clearfield.
We realize we have set the bar high in these 2024 affirmations, but we have no doubt we are well-positioned to meet them. I and the rest of the Clearfield team are looking forward to working with you this year and in the years to come.
Kevin leads the marketing efforts for Clearfield as Chief Marketing Officer. He joined the fiber company in 2016, leveraging his extensive experience in advanced communications technology, fiber optic systems, and business product marketing. Prior to joining Clearfield, he spent two decades serving in various senior marketing positions at ADTRAN. Before that, he spent a decade at telephone operating company BellSouth, now a part of AT&T, where he worked as the lead broadband product evaluations resource in the Science & Technology department.
Morgan currently serves on the Fiber Broadband Association Senior Council Committee and has also held various leadership positions at the Fiber Broadband Association, including Board of Directors Chair for 2015, 2019, and 2022. Morgan holds an Electrical Engineering degree from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Alabama.