First Impressions …
You only get one chance at a first impression, or so I’ve been told. Our customers may be judging us (you, me, the school, the district) on first impressions in a variety of ways. In some cases, these preconceived notions are entirely valid. In some cases, they are not.
- Our Telephone - If a customer is calling us for the first time and they immediately get voice mail, what does that say to them? Does it say that we are very busy people, or does it say that our school or office is impersonal? Are other people besides frontline personnel trained or encouraged to answer a ringing phone?
- Our front office - Is it “customer” friendly? How many “STOP” signs are posted? Are visitors greeted with a smile?
- Our parking lot - Do customers know where to park? Is visitor parking convenient? Once they park, are there directional signs that make it easy to find the front office?
The list can go on and on. What can we do to improve our first impression rating? We can examine our operation from the outside looking in.
If we don’t believe that people judge things based on what they see for the first time, then we are naively mistaken. The truth is that we judge based on sight just as well as anyone else does. Food for thought.
