Sandcastles
hat a beautiful Sunday it was last week. The tide had gone way out under the influence of the full moon, leaving a large, flat, easy-to-walk-on and easy-to-play-on beach. The waves were small and steady and it was the perfect ocean for kids of all sizes to play in. Families came out in large numbers.
I took my walk late in the day, and many of those families were packing up to go home for dinner, leaving remnants of the days' play at the shoreline. As I walked north, past a popular family beach, there was sandcastle after sandcastle. The sight of all of these creations brought a broad smile to my face!
There were small castles and big castles. There castles made with upside down pails, some made with coffee cups and there were 'dribble' castles and castles made with bare hands. I envisioned the children that made these castles and the fun they had.
There was one castle that stood out from the others. It was square and several stories high. It had a moat and turrets and a rather impressive front entryway. The body of the castle had shells pressed carefully into the dried sand, producing the effect of mosaic-lined walls. Heaps of brown seaweed ringed the castle and all around there were small trees and other green decorations, scavenged I supposed, from the park area, a long block's walk away.
As I stood looking at this castle, I couldn't help notice the attention to detail, and its impressive stature on the beach. What came to my mind immediately was that famous castle builder, Walt Disney. Walt used to say "There's no magic to magic - it's all in the details."
All the castles I saw on the beach that day were beautiful, and I appreciate the fun and love people put into building them. But I focused my attention on this one.
This castle reminded me of Walt. When he built the first Disneyland, he built the castle first. His accountants and architects both told him it was totally impractical, but Walt, being Walt, told them to do it anyway. He said that he wanted every one working on that project to be able to SEE what they were working towards, day in and day out.
What does YOUR castle look like?
Do you have a clear and compelling picture of what you are moving towards with your customer care? Does every one on YOUR team see that picture each and every day, motivating them (and you) to move toward it? Does everyone know the experience they are trying to create for the customer?
While sandcastles wash away with the next tide, companies that understand what their customer care "castle" looks like are building a strong foundation for customer loyalty - customers who last and who keep coming back with friends.
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JoAnna Brandi, aka the Customer Care Lady, is the author of Winning at Customer Retention - 101 Ways to Keep 'em Happy, Keep 'em Loyal and Keep 'em Coming Back. She is a regular speaker at Inc. Magazine conferences and speaks nationally and internationally on the topics of Retention and Loyalty.
