BlogClump - Blogging About Associations From a Gen Xer

I am so sorry I haven't blogged in a while. 9 days between posts is a lot for me. But, I traveled last weekend to see my beloved Wolverines get crushed by Illinois. Then this week I was out for 3 days for my final InfoComm trip which was to St. Louis and Nashville. So here in my last day, I am organizing, handing off, and packing. Lots of fun. Just so you know, my new email is mattbaehr@arlingtonsoccer.com. And Tuesday, I will be at the ASAE Membership Idea Swap - From Membership Pro to CEO . Talk about timing since Monday is my first day as Executive Director.

Yesterday I went to my local Verizon store to get my new cell phone. I compare the experience to the DMV. I walk in and there are kiosks (that I walk right by). Someone stops me and asks how they can help. I tell him I need to buy a new phone on a corporate account. He says great and starts typing on a kiosk. He asks me my name, then says the next sales person will be with me. I see my name go up on the nice LCD TV under sales. There are also queues for Technical Support and Customer Service. There are also employees standing around doing nothing. This is why it reminds me of the DMV. You get in a queue based on what you need to do. It takes forever, yet there doesn't seem to be a reason why, because there are plenty of workers not doing anything. I really hope your association isn't like this with member services. Cross training is very important. You need to have your specialists, but you need people who can take care of your members. Most people like to be cro...