I’m deep in the trenches of OpenWorld prep, and while the more mundane details like event registration and speaker session logistics are monopolizing my time, I’m getting excited to see some of my coworkers and to meet a lot of them – most of them, actually – for the first time.
Part of our presence at OpenWorld includes a “customer welcome center” that’s located, fortunately and conveniently enough, on the upper floor of a brewpub just half a block from most of the Moscone craziness. There will be food, there will be meeting space, there will be demo stations…there will be beer. And most important, there will be a contained space for our customers to meet sales reps they’ve likely worked with for months or even years, sometimes without ever seeing them face to face.
This isn’t unusual – after all, I’ve never met a number of my colleagues in the flesh – but it does present a bit of a problem when you’re trying to arrange a meeting at a user conference that welcomes tens of thousands of people. You don’t want to waste your customer’s time while you both wander aimlessly around a convention center. And what if you’ve enticed a prospect to give you 20 minutes in their busy conference schedule? Best not to introduce any confusion or uncertainty into that meeting, either.
I’m glad our group has anticipated these issues and can offer some peace of mind to our reps, as well as a welcoming experience to new and current customers alike. Removing inconvenience and other unknowns is a key part of providing a good customer experience, and hopefully a bite to eat, a place to sit, and some friendly faces will underscore our commitment to customer service.
Beer can’t hurt, either.
SARAH SHEEHAN 