The Letter "V" in SERVICE

After consulting a dictionary to open my mind to Service related words beginning with the letter “V” VERSATILITY and VELOCITY popped to the top of my awareness. Why? Both communicate how we do business at the IdeaConnect store.

Always VERSATILE, we are able to move and change as our customers' needs change - even moment to moment. Just a few of my favorite recent examples:

• we upgraded shipping speed. And, we didn't just change a label on the computer. We ran to UPS to retrieve a package and resent it for even faster delivery.


• we added and changed templates in orders during (and for some, after) packing.


• we found creative ways to support our customers making payments: those pesky credit card limits, sometimes multiple payments are just the thing. And we're getting really good at identifying why credit cards are declined, taking a little frustration out of the equation (usually it's is a simple billing address mismatch).

Always the picture of VELOCITY, we “print on demand” so templates are in the best possible condition when they arrive at your doorstep. And we know we love to get things fast so we work to help each customer get their things as fast as possible. If you stopped by our store in person you might only see a blur - yes we move that fast! VELOCITY, as in speedy fast, is our best ally.

So, during your next visit to the IdeaConnect store, just remember we Serve with VERSATILITY and VELOCITY! And we love SERVING YOU!

SERVICE and getting it RIGHT

Need I say more?

The most important part of getting it RIGHT is that the right product ships on the right timing. In the land of template printing and packing and shipping a high level of focus is required. There might be a few orders rolling off the printer about the same time, lots of templates to roll together, 4 of these, 2 of these, 1 of these, 8 of this….etc. It can get crazy with 4’ x 3’ papers all over the tables.

So we practice
• Living and Being “IN THE MOMENT,”
• Observing with care, each step to fulfill the order.
• Verifying that we know what we are sending.
• Enthusiastic appreciation for the customer and the work they are about to accomplish.

Continual attention to get things Right is important to us. Sometimes things don’t happen as planned, so getting it Right also means, making it Right. Interestingly, the following "crash course on customer service" just came across my attention, thought I’d pass it along,from Simple Truths

SERVICE AND EASE

I love it when something is easy and efficient, but what does EASE really entail? EASE is something I consider everyday when I come to work in the IdeaConnect store. When we at get tangled up in the details of sharing our cool tools, training and workshops on the web-store, our guiding light is the word EASE. Other words on my visual thesaurus that capture this - simplicity and facilitate. We strive to have the process of ordering make sense and be intuitive. That is much EASIER said than done.

One of our biggest challenges is communicating shipping possibilities and keeping it simple. This is something we are striving to evolve. There are so many options out there on other webstores. Have you ordered from Amazon or Tom’s Shoes or even Home of Poi? -- they are all different. A customer just wants to know when they will get their stuff! They don’t really care about

• all the store calculations that are based on lots of different estimates.


• the internal webstore programming roadblocks that take time to detour around and change.


• our estimates of product parameters that go into estimating the best shipping possibility.
  

So, which way to present shipping is the EASIEST from the customer perspective? We consider this question perpetually! This week we are working on International shipping. Thank goodness we have an expert web designer to support us. Thanks Chad!

SERVICE WITH A SMILE

I’ve been thinking about Service a lot in the last few weeks and what it means for e-commerce. I’ve had some experiences with Service from products I’ve ordered online; I’ve provided Service to those interested in our products on the IdeaConnect store; I guide others in our principles and practices in Service.

The word for me today is SMILE. How do you smile when no one sees you, since they order online and receive the products in the mail? I certainly smile every time I see an “ORDER PROCESS” e-mail. That means a product or service has been ordered and needs attention. But deeper than that, a SMILE that can’t be seen visually can still be felt. It is an attitude, the tone of an email, the spirit in which the products are prepared and shipped….and if you get a package, me, a face with a smile drawn on the packing slip.

What SERVICE means to me, doesn’t always mean the same to someone else. So, I listen carefully, with a smile, to communications from our customers and store members – this is what drives my ever evolving definition of and action in SERVICE.

Stay tuned for the next word related to SERVICE, hint, it starts with an E:)