“How May I Not Help You Today?”
Hey folks,
This week I found myself thinking about customer service. It’s always been an important part of the marketing mix, and as we employ new technologies in our businesses, I think we need to ask ourselves, “Are we doing this for the customer or are we doing this for us?” Customer service is a lost art in the digital age. Most fast food places have great technologies that get you through the drive-thru quickly, but it’s all for naught if the guy forgets to give you a fork or a straw, or they give you extra pickles on your burger when you specifically asked for no pickles. #ARRRRRGGGGH. In the past few weeks, all of my new bank cards arrived with a chip in them. This new chip adds three more steps and three more minutes to the checkout process. This week, I was quoted in the Chesterfield Observer in an article about Wegmans, the new super-grocery store that recently opened in Midlothian. Everything about the Wegmans brand is done with the customer in mind, and they don’t let technology get in the way of quality customer service. If you are adding new technologies this year — on the website or in your place of business — ask yourself first, “Am I doing this to make a better customer experience?” and secondly, “How will this benefit my customers?” Don’t spend a dime on new technology until you answer those two questions.
Monday, May 30th (Memorial Day) – Let’s Remember
On Monday, we paused to remember the brave men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice #FreedomIsntFree. Unofficially, the “official” start of summer was a bust, but I still managed to grill out even in the rain.
Tuesday, May 31st – Anniversary
19 years ago, I married a brown-eyed girl with a funny accent. On Tuesday, Sue and I celebrated our wedding anniversary and that same day, we found out that she’ll make the leap from Permanent Resident Alien to US Citizen. She is planning to take the oath at Jefferson’s Monticello on July 4th. “I wanted to get my citizenship paperwork done before Donald Trump becomes President and tosses me out of the country,” she said.
May 31st is also another important day in my life, as Lindsey Durfee celebrates another birthday. Durf celebrated her birthday by not coming into work.
On Tuesday, we sent out a press release for our clients at Yard Works, announcing their sixth retail location, which opens tomorrow in Mechanicsville. Stop by on Saturday — the friendly folks at Yard Works will be giving away free hot dogs, sodas, chips, and other goodies at 10402 Chamberlayne Road, Mechanicsville, Virginia.
 |
| Happy Durf-day! |
Wednesday, June 1st – Wonderful is the Word of the Day
On Wednesday, I worked on a new rack card and web copy for NewFound Families, Virginia’s adoption, foster and kinship association. Formerly known asFACES of Virginia, NewFound Families has a new name and new brand identity that we helped them to create this year. If you know parents of a child that wasn’t born to them, visit NewFoundVa.org or call 877-823-2237 to learn more about getting a free membership to this wonderful organization.
Speaking of wonderful organizations, we want to help your favorite charity reach almost 7,000 subscribers to the weekly report for free. If you have news about a Central Virginia nonprofit, tell us about it, and we’ll put it in a future edition of this e-mail. E-mail matto@madisonmain.com, and give him all the details. Be sure to put “Weekly Report” in the subject heading.
Thursday, June 2nd – Teaching Nana How to Text
My mom (my kids call her Nana) was born during WWII, and the last piece of technology she felt comfortable with was a rotary dial phone, so you can imagine the great technological leaps she has made since my Pop passed away in December; she now has an iPhone, a Facebook account, and listens to Pandora in her new Nissan Murano. At Christmas, I bet my niece, Isabel, $20 that Nana would never learn how to text. Isabel Grace Cox is getting a crisp, new Andrew Jackson in the mail. And don’t worry Nana, I will “c.allmkk” you later tonight.
 |
| Nana texted me. |
Friday, June 3rd – City of Seven Hills
I got up early this morning and drove the back roads to my hometown of Lynchburg. Sometimes we take for granted just how beautiful Virginia is. I had a lot of time to think about my hometown — the City of Seven Hills — as I attended a reception honoring retirees from Lynchburg Fire Department and the four members of the department who passed away this past year, which included my dad the former Fire Marshal, and cousin Ricky Jennings the former Battalion Chief. Ironic that both spent their lives fighting fire and died from smoking. #FCancer
 |
| I forgot to buy Kaity a gift, so I gave her a potted plant out of my office. |
Have a GREAT weekend!
“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.”
– Albert Einstein