I received an email this week from Texas Section President Kevin Edney, director of advancement at Forest Glen Camps, whom I met at the 2010 national conference at Ridgecrest. Kevin attended one of my seminars on marketing at the Texas Sectional Conference, and he knows I’m passionate about helping camps market themselves with excellence in order to fill more beds and do more ministry.
Here is Kevin’s firsthand experience with excellent customer service that won him over with this manufacturer, possibly for a lifetime:
I purchased an iPhone a couple months ago, which was my first Apple product ever. Since that time I have integrated both my personal and professional life into that phone. I have found it’s abilities to be incredibly valuable to what I do. This weekend, my iPhone decided to go swimming with me, which wasn’t the best decision because those kinds of actions are not covered under AT&T or Apple warranties. So I made an appointment with the Genius Bar at the Apple Store hoping they could salvage it. But in my mind, I was ready and willing to pay for the cost of a new one because of how functional it’s been for me.
Well, they couldn’t salvage it. There was no magic pill. But, because I was a new apple customer and have never had any service done, they replaced my phone absolutely free. “One time gift,” they said. But this is what they really did – they bought brand loyalty for their cost of giving me that phone. I’m absolutely committed to purchasing or using Apple products in the future and when I upgrade my current computers, it will be with Apple. Their phone is good, but their willingness to meet my needs (customer service) was excellent.
I’m going to tell that story to those on the Texas section e-mail list this week and encourage them to keep up the good work of creating “brand loyalty” with their innovative and “need meeting” service. The “experience” is where the present and future of camping has to be.
How can this level of customer service be applied at camps and conference centers to create brand loyalty? Can we really do this kind of thing on limited budgets? Please share your ideas or experiences here.
P.S. An interesting article on this topic: Apple triggers “religious reaction” in fans’ brains.
Greg,
I think it’s often easier for us in Christian Camping to create Brand disloyalty by providing poor response or service. In 1985 a Camp Director stood up in front of 40 people at an Aussie equivalent of a Sectional and asked what the crushed table tennis ball he had in his hand was worth?
The answers ranged from 10c to nothing as it was broken.
He said “One of you sitting in this room has lost a guest group for life because of the fuss you made about replacing a 10c Table Tennis Ball. That group and their $4,500 per annum, (remember its 1985) have just been with us for a weekend, and booked again for the next three years. 4 camps totalling over $18,000 lost over a 10c ball!!!
We need to recognise that the relationship with Campers and leaders is Vital. Your Camp’s Brand depends so much on YOU – in fact it is YOU – as you are the contact point, and can all hang on something as inexpensive as a Table Tennis Ball.
Ken
Great story, Ken. What a fantastic reminder. Thanks for sharing.