As I look towards 2016, I can’t help but reflect on the many reasons why we do what we do. I wanted to share just a couple of stories that I hope resonate with you as they do with me…
One very busy day, we received an urgent request to purchase and deliver a stroller. A member of the concierge team dropped everything and raced to the store. Although, we don’t make a habit of questioning our clients, the concierge admitted that it seemed odd that a stroller would be “urgent”. Did the customer’s stroller just break mid-walk? Did he/she not expect a baby to appear at their home? The concierge arrived at the client’s house a bit flustered until she saw a vision that stopped her dead in her tracks. The client, a high-powered female partner at a prestigious law firm, was seated under a tree in her front yard cradling a precious baby. Happiness radiated from the woman’s face as she looked up to see her concierge with tears streaming down her face. She proceeded to explain that she was afraid to fill her home with baby items as she waited for the call from the adoption agency. She wanted a baby so badly that the cute, cuddly reminders would simply make her too sad. The concierge promptly wiped away her tears and congratulated the proud new mommy and her new bundle of joy. Then, in typical TimeSquared fashion, she proceeded to make a list of all of the other tasks that this client needed to off-load to us so that she could focus on her important new role. We are so honored to play a small part in the most important journeys of our clients’ lives!
Admittedly, when a call escalates to me as the CEO of the company, I am immediately concerned that we might have a dissatisfied customer. This particular client was a hospital patient who was apparently screaming at the nurses. So, one of them thought to call me to handle it! The patient was completely out of sorts because he was brought into the Emergency Room a couple of days prior and was going to have to stay for several additional days. However, he felt out of sorts because he didn’t have any of the personal items required to make him feel comfortable. The nurse explained that my team would be glad to purchase and deliver anything that he needed. Once I calmed him down, I began to ask him questions not about what he needed from the store but rather, what would reallymake him feel better. If he could have anything, what would it be? And not surprising given that he was in a hospital, he wanted things from his home. After all, it is the familiar that often gives us peace and comfort. The most important item was his wheelchair. He said, “They keep telling me that they have plenty of wheelchairs at the hospital, but I want MY wheelchair – it’s a part of me!” I replied, “I get it, your wheelchair is your legs, and they are clear across town!” He laughed out loud and then said, “You do get it, and that means more than I can explain.” I sent a concierge to his home to retrieve his favorite comfy sweatpants, slippers, etc. and, of course, his legs! We are so grateful for hospital clients who understand that patient care is more than just procedures and prescriptions and allow us to help their patients along the arduous road to recovery.
Simply put, making a difference is why we do what we do. The opportunity to make a positive impact on our clients’ lives fulfills us. We are motivated to figure out what that looks like for each customer.
We, at TimeSquared, welcome 2016 as a year filled with making a difference.
We look forward to doing so for you and your valued employees!
