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Build Relationships with First-timers - 11/11/25


We’ve worked with one of our sports clients for over 10 years, and although the main focus of our work is research with their fan base, we also provide informal consulting advice and guidance whenever possible.  One approach we’ve talked about on and off for years is the need Read more

Last Impression Faux Pas - 11/4/25


Rightfully so, many customer service experts harp on the importance of the first impression.  It happens quickly, and it can impact the individual’s perception of you and the organization.  We even wrote a Tip of the Week on this years ago called First Impression Faux Pas. What many people tend Read more

Familying with Customers - 10/28/25


In our transactional society, it’s hard to think about customers in the long-term.  But if we want to be as successful as we can as an individual or as a business, we need to view customers through a relationship lens. What do we need to know about them to Read more

Avoid These Techniques - 10/21/25


We had a Customer Service Tip of the Week recently that addressed gaining control of the conversation.  One of the key points was that the focus should be on gaining control of conversations in various circumstances, but trying to avoid making it your goal to gain control of the Read more

View Quality through the Customer’s Eyes - 10/14/25


Geri had been dealing with backups in the downstairs plumbing system of her house on and off for the past year.  The most recent company that she called in to unclog the pipes stated that they could send a camera down the pipes and tell her exactly where the Read more

Be Supportive, Not Defensive - 10/7/25


[An employee on the phone with a customer…] Who told you that you didn’t have to submit that form? … Bob?  Oh brother!  You see Bob is our “special” co-worker.  He seems to always tell customers the wrong thing to do, and we’re having to clean up after him.  Read more

Some Customers LOVE Predictability - 9/30/25


I was facilitating focus groups of businesses that utilize local government services.  The phrase that popped up multiple times was “Time Is Money!”  What these municipal customers were conveying was that their time was valuable, and delays were wasting their time.  But the conversations were not just about how Read more

Find Your Special Sauce - 9/23/25


When I watch a football game and I see a great quarterback (somebody who may be considered a “Star”), he might be an excellent runner, have a big arm, be able to diagnose the defense and get his team into the right play.  But he’s likely not great at Read more

Gain Control of the Conversation - 9/16/25


The customer’s angry or upset or they have a complaint.  They’re very chatty or very wordy or they just want to talk to somebody.  You’re on a time crunch, and the customer obviously is not. There are times when you need to gain control of the conversation.  It’s important for Read more

Complement with a Compliment - 9/9/25


We perform many tasks for our customers every day, and when we’re done with a step in the process, oftentimes we will tell the customer what’s been done.  But if we want to create more of a WOW experience, if we want to make the customer feel a little Read more

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The University versus the NBA

Posted on May 10, 2010 in Business Advice, Education, Sports Please leave a comment

There’s a lot that higher education and the National Basketball Association have in common. Yes, you read that correctly.

One of the biggest priorities that they have in common is their need to focus on their first year customers. The universities’ biggest risk of drop out or transfer occurs with freshmen. The NBA teams’ biggest risk of loss of season ticket holders comes with the first year season ticket holders. Both of these customer groups come in with certain expectations, certain dreams, certain perceptions that either they themselves have developed or that the organization has created with their marketing and recruiting and sales efforts. But the question is, how well are those expectations being met?

For organizations to do a great job in retaining first year customers – whether they be the student for the four-year university or the season ticket holder for the professional sports franchise – they need to make sure they have a “Year One Strategy.”

Much of what a Year One Strategy involves is research. Since you’re going through a sales process with a season ticket holder or going through a recruitment process for the new student, you need to take that opportunity to gather a great deal of intelligence on why they are coming to your organization and why they would go. You need to know what they understand and expect of their experience as a new customer, so you have an understanding of how well that will match with the reality that they are about to experience.

Setup an ongoing research strategy that involves an early survey of these individuals to gauge what their experience is like and what issues they might be having. As part of that Year One Strategy, you also need to have an ongoing intelligence-building set of research efforts taking place to gather more and more information about what is unique about these individuals, what they want to get out of their experience, and how satisfied they are with your organization.

The other key component of your Year One Strategy needs to be education. And that educational focus is not just for educational institutions, but it’s for any organization wanting to grow by retaining their existing customers. Part of the educational process needs to focus on getting your first year students, your first year customers, knowledgeable about your processes so they are comfortable working with your organization. You need to foster education of their knowledge of your products and services so they know how they can benefit from their relationship with your organization. You need to have an educational program in place to make sure you build comfort, confidence, and set realistic expectations in the minds of your customers.

Learn from the universities and the sports organizations of the world. Have a Year One Strategy that focuses on research and education.

Interested in improving your company’s customer service? See more information at: http://www.cssamerica.com/