Believe it or not, spring cleaning and customer service have something in common. The urge to purge, to spruce up and air out winter’s doldrums hits all of us this time of year, from critters thinking of nests to homeowners pondering paint. Even the phrase “spring cleaning” evokes images of fresh breezes and crisp organization, as blessed by Martha Stewart. Why limit that sweep to the basement storage bin or linen closet? Sometimes business benefits from a little springtime shakeup too.
For several years I’ve been on the mailing list for a monthly e-newsletter. Except it’s no longer monthly, more like bimonthly, or quarterly. Or whenever it pops up. The publisher always slips in a slightly apologetic note explaining its late arrival, or lack of a promised article. She thanks readers for their patience and promises that the next one will arrive right on time. But it never does. The latest, for January, came more than a month late. It includes a discount coupon good though Feb. 1. And in her haste to get this first newsletter of 2010 out, the publisher neglected to change the template, which is still dated 2009.
When it launched, the e-newsletter held promise, with easy updates and timely tidbits. Because it came via email, it never cluttered a mailbox or wastebasket, thus saving trees and postage. But its publication became just one more chore for the harried editor putting it together. She allowed it to grow stale instead of updating its look and promoting it via more current avenues. Instead of a business tool, it stagnated into an antique, largely ignored. The editor admits to rarely receiving feedback. And her monthly discount coupons? Unused. In this economy, a customer skipping the chance to save money, because he didn’t see it? Definitely, time to spring clean that e-newsletter out of there.
Maybe you’ve got an outdated “newsletter” of your own that worked just “then”. But a fresh approach will give you a better handle on “now.”
Give Market Viewpoint a call and we’ll be happy to take a look at your newsletter and offer suggestions for how you can spring clean and spruce up the most important vehicle for staying in touch with the most important people in your business- the customers!