Miracle on 34th Street

One of my favorite parts in the movie "Miracle on 34th Street" is when Kris Kringle, acting as the Macy's Santa Claus, begins directing parents to other stores to purchase toys that Macy's doesn't carry. The parents love and appreciate this. Macy's management is at first upset and then realize all of the goodwill it is creating with their customers and adopt the practice throughout the store.

I remembered this part of the movie this afternoon as I was speaking with a friend. He was recounting to me an experience that one of his friends had recently with a college admissions office. This friend is thinking about going back to school to finish their bachelor's degree. They were speaking to an admissions representative at the college they were originally planning to attend. The two were discussing prior credits, plans for the future, and the reason for going back to school. After discussing all of this the admissions representative did something out of the ordinary: he recommended that they attend another university to complete the bachelor's degree. He explained his reasoning: at the other college it would only take a year and a half to complete and would be cheaper (there may have been another reason or two but these were the main ones). He also mentioned one of the cons: that at the other school there were only a few majors to choose from. However, this didn't matter too much because they did have a teaching program which is what the prospective student wanted to study. The friend of a friend was very thankful for the help that the admissions counselor provided and highly satisfied with the interaction. There are no hard feelings or animosity toward the original school. Sure they may have lost one student this year but the good things that could come of this down the road (i.e. possible referrals, future donations, positive word of mouth, etc) far outweigh losing one student.

Congratulations to the school that hired such a down to earth, friendly, and helpful admissions counselor. That's idea behind customer service: to help the customer get what they want (even if sometimes they don't yet know what they want).

Cory and Shawn

I was watching an episode of one of my all-time favorite TV shows, Boy Meets World, the other day with my wife. The two main characters, Cory and Shawn, get internships at this company working in the mailroom. One day they are delivering mail on the floor where all of the company's executive officers' offices are located and they walk by a phone that's ringing. Shawn stops to answer the phone and Cory tries to talk him out of it. Shawn replies: "I may not know much about business, but I know that when the phone rings you answer it." After that Shawn gets appointed to be an assistant to one of the vice-presidents. As I watched this episode I realized that most of the time customer service really is that simple, just pick up the phone when it rings. We should be polite and helpful when we answer the phone but it all starts with answering it. Customer service associates can be trained by world-class professionals how to answer the phone but if it rings and goes unanswered all of the training was a waste. WE MUST ANSWER THE PHONE WHEN IT RINGS. It's that simple and is where it all starts.

The episode of Boy Meets World continues with Cory working in the mailroom bitter that Shawn was promoted. He looks at his supervisor, Phil (who appears to be in his 70's), and the following interchange occurs:

Cory: "I don't get it Phil, all he did was pick up the phone."
Phil: "Was it ringing?"
Cory: "Yeah."
Phil: "He's a smart kid."

That really was a smart move. Let's follow suit and answer the phone when it rings.

(the above mentioned episode is "Boy Meets World," Season 5, Episode 9)

Birthday Wishes, a Personal Touch

Who doesn't like to be remembered on their birthday?

For businesses that have a clientele (such as doctor's offices, schools, law practices, accountants, many retail stores, etc) a simple and inexpensive way to make a positive impression is to send a birthday e-card. They already have the client's birthday on file and often have their email address as well. You can create your own e-card or Google e-card services and you'll receive hundreds of options in seconds normally at a cost of just a few dollars. If you want you can even send an e-card for free (but it normally comes with ads attached to it). If your database is sofisticated enough, or you have someone in the office that can automate the process, you can simply set it up to run on the client's birthday. A birthday e-card will be sent, well wishes wished, and it only cost a few dollars (for the e-card which normally you can use as many times as you like at no additional fee). If you can't automate it, just print a list and use a mail merge to send the e-card. A secretary or receptionist can do it in a few minutes first thing in the morning. Here is a sample birthday e-card I received on my birthday this year (I changed some of the wording to keep the sender anonymous):

"Dear Tyson,

On behalf of [Our Organization], I wish you a very Happy Birthday! As a student of this university, you are much more than a name on a class roster. Rather, you are an important member of our...family.

As you continue your education with us, please remember we take your academic and spiritual growth personally, and we are here to assist you in any way possible on your journey toward earning your degree.

We celebrate with you today, and pray all God's blessings for you as you begin this next year of your life.


Sincerely,
[Name]
Executive Director"

Inexpensive, easy, and effective. Birthday e-cards, give 'em a shot!