Empathetic vs. Sympathetic

“The more high tech the world becomes, the more people crave high touch service…True or False?” What defines a customer?  What do they look like?  As consumers are we still varied by a wide variety of shapes and sizes, wants, needs expectations, attitudes, and expectations with them to the service transactions?  As an expert event planner, I have learned that when we recognize our customer’s emotional states helps us figure out the best way to be effective and serve them professionally.

How would you handle this?

• Timid Taylor walks into an event planning meeting looking panicky and stressed.  He is planning a birthday party for his boss, Mr. Anal and has never planned anything.
• Demanding Deloris is the point person for hosting events in her department. The holiday gala is the sixth function for the year. She strolls into banquet hall, knowing exactly what she wants.  Her “you all just stand back and take direction” attitude is evidently noticeable.

How do you treat Taylor and Deloris as individuals? Whatever the emotional state of your customers whether they are “cautious” or confident”, it is important to each of them that you understand what they are communicating to you and how they feel about the services you provide.

Sympathy involves identifying with or even taking on another person’s emotions. A sympathetic response goes further to a client then dictating their needs. Empathy means acknowledging and affirming another’s emotional state. An empathetic response goes further to a client then anger.

What are your thoughts?

“Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning. – Gloria Steinem” 

If your contemplating planning an event, have last minute details, want to have the “wow factor” unlike any other affair, do not know what to include for with your event preparation budget or want something different or special this pick is the choice.  Please know that this event planning jewel is not limited to small or large weddings, fashions shows, holiday parties, theatrical productions, videos, films or anything else that you can come up with for a function.

I challenge you to consider this pick of the week for your next soiree or wedding. After you retain an event planner you must check out www.thelightingguy.net.  The Lighting Guy Company is the best lighting vendor in the event industry in both the local market of Michigan and the national circuit of the US!  If you can imagine, they will take you to the unimaginable with your ideas and concepts.  This team is known as “the illumination transformers”.  The Dave and Kim Reynolds team is professional and talented.

Please know how convinced I am, if you want to have a fabulous affair, product launch, any themed party, corporate affair and production that this is the best vendor. Tea Time Events work with them exclusively for lighting.   This is a brilliant show stopper to the illumination of lights! 

Tee Thompson the event expert offers 6 things that you must take note of so as to get the best results from your holiday events:

1. Who’s on the guest list? Who are you inviting to your event? As a host, you must know the audience for your holiday event. For example, is your event for a marketing business group, co workers, new clients or prospective clients; Do you know the gender, age group, and flexibility of your invitees?  If your holiday event is comprised of business associates, friends or family it is important to have them engage with each other.   Have a fun – happy holiday activity.  Such as, having pre-determined famous person name tags available and attached to guest.  Have each guest introduce themselves by what the famous person is known for as a celebrity.  For example, “Hello, I am the president-elect, who am I”.  You may create fun rules as to how they can or can not guess what name each guest has.  Guest – ask the host what to bring and honor their request.

2. What’s the theme of your event?  Host – make your event meaningful. Teach them something that they do not know about the holiday theme. Provide them with meaningful and valuable information, or ask each guest what’s their hopes in the year 2009.  Guest can ask their host if they can bring a centerpiece or holiday floral arrangement to go with the event theme.

3. Determine a budget.  Host – try to get as many people to confirm attendance as possible. If your budget allows, make your event as impressive as possible, or add creativity and strong ambiance to your event with things you already have.   Use candles, pine cones, cranberries, ornaments, fresh fruit, bows, wrapping paper and ribbons as quick and inexpensive décor solutions. As a guest keep your commitment if you say your bringing wine, please do not show up with a soft drink instead or unexpected guest.

4. Socialize.  Host - Remember to socialize around! The main purpose of organizing an event is that you can socialize with your invitees face to face. Make them feel welcome and appreciated.   Have a quick and easy menu. As a guest bring fun activities or games for great socialization.

5. Follow up quickly.  Host - After the event, send a personalized “Thank You” email or post card to your invitees.  If you have a family holiday affair, please start or keep a family tradition running.  For example, if your family sings Holiday carols or trade dessert recipes at your party then keep the tradition going by sending the favorite carol in your email or in a holiday card.  If you have invited clients or perspective clients then give them a call afterwards ask them for feedback or suggestions that you may use to improve the next year’s event festivities.   This may breed a good business relationship.  Guest – always send your host a “thank you” host like to know that their guest had a wonderful holiday event.

6.  Avoid Culprits of ineffective planning.  Leave the extravagant event planning and management to the professionals.   If you are a business let your, staff tend to their normal duties often times they have little or no experience in special event planning.  Avoid procrastination and inadequate planning timelines prior to an event.   Not hiring a truly experienced and dedicated event planner to oversee operations to insure everything that is required is done on time is a huge pitfall to ineffective planning.

An effective event planner will ensure that all the 6 things mentioned above get done. If you do not have time or confidence to fulfill the above, do hire a professional event planning & management company to help you to do organize the event.

Do we live in a society that focuses only on instant gratification?  Or, are we still strong in forethought?  These questions illuminate in my mind as I approach the worst holiday season for most corporate meeting planners in Michigan where sales are down.  A lot of meeting planners in the area are having more company’s have potlucks this season for festive fun with employees than hiring planners for holiday parties.  This is a residual effect of our economic climate.  For most of America that lives outside of Metro Detroit or Michigan, GM, Ford, and Chrysler’s ailing economics and well needed bailout seems optional.   For small business owners (including myself), this is no option.  A financial guarantee of support is a necessity and a dangerous domino effect to both the automobile industry and the twenty-first century.

When bearing in mind if the bailout is optional, consider this as Kathleen Alessandro of NAWBO Greater Detroit Chapter said, “The automotive industry and Michigan was the forefront to the twentieth century for the country, we went from horses to automobiles.  Michigan and the auto industry remain equally vital for the twenty-first century”.  I offer this country and lawmakers an epiphany, Michigan along with the automotive industry is a main artery to the heart of our country’s economy.  This artery carries oxygen to many industries in the twenty-first century; this includes electrical, printing, manufacturing, exporting, importing, and many other secondary supplier components. If the heart has built up alone the walls of the arteries, it leads to congestive heart failure.   At some point the heart stops.  We need to be innovative not destructive because we “shot ourselves in the left financial foot” by not passing legislation.

If as a country we can not recognize how the chain reaction of either bailing out or not bailing out ”The Big Three” will command an immediate occurrence, then the default occurrence will forever shift our society as we know it.  Securing a plan is urgent!  We need to choose to support the bail out of the automotive industry and see the benefits of not allowing our country to have an economic collapse. 

It behooves me how the media and lawmakers could remain fixated on the mode of transportation “The Big Three” arrived in, opposed to addressing how to expeditiously address a bi-partisan solution.  Now, I am all for having viability and accountability to how the solution is devised.  I do not support sensationalism of airplanes versus resolutions to hundreds of thousands of people the immediate problems affects.  Likewise, I give high accolades to both Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, for combating for the progression of this industry, the state, and the cities whose tax infrastructure depends on this.  I hope when the lawmakers make a choice for the bailout that the domino effect will be a positive outcome.   This bailout can continue to support the local and national charities, organizations and other multi-leveled businesses that drive financial pillars to the U.S.A.

I am an undercover germ phobic and shriek when I go to hotels for over night stay.  Most of my clients and close friends are not aware of my phobia.

My first rule of thumb… I always completely strip the bed of the linen and ask for fresh linen or request that housekeeping come clean while I am in the room after checking in.  The best germ sites for contamination are the telephone, hotel pens, glasses, bedspread, remotes, faucets and light switches.  As a result, I kindly request that these areas are cleaned or replaced with new/fresh items. 

Over the years, I have found that some hotels will easily accommodate your request than others.  My most recent stay at a local chain, housekeeping was very compliant of my safe guard me from other consumers germs.  I recommend to check in and leave with out things other guest have left behind….Germs and Colds included

Likewise, the staff at the front desk deserved five gold stars at my last stay.  Two front desk clerks stood out as being superior in catering to my needs, Toddrae and Art.    I got everything cleaned and replaced with two simple words spoken to me, “no problem”.  Those words were like a beautiful melody on continuious play.  Yet, so rare when you have a list of request to nestle into your hotel room. 

My pick of the week for the germ phobic patron is the Hilton Troy in Michigan.  Please check them out and let me know your thoughts.

Hilton Detroit/Troy

5500 Crooks Road

Troy, Michigan, United States 48098-2806

Tel:               1-248-879-2100          Fax: 1-248-879-6054

When I am planning for an intimidate function or large corporate affair I evaluate my choices on, “the level of satisfaction I have had as a consumer” in the best interest of my clients.  An essential component to a business making performance strides in their respective industry, is “Customer Service”.  This practice has been a three part provision of services before, during and after a purchase. Customer Service for me does not seem to be the same since my early experiences as a young girl accompanying my parents or grandparents while shopping at the old downtown Detroit Hudson’s multi-leveled store. 

As both a consumer and business owner this is important to both my clients and I. This blog will highlight event industry places, locations, businesses and individuals who deliver “tea-rrific customer service”.   The criteria I will utilize to review these stellar picks will be comprised of reliable, responsive, reassuring, empathetic, and doing the right thing.  In short, my picks will know “they are the company”!

Tee Thompson’s pick for this week event planning vendors is a floral chain.  However, this pick has exemplary services unlike its other locations or competitors. This store caters to you and your budget whether you have a budget like Oprah for a gorgeous gala or a last minute crisis for a wedding. This pick can help you with your floral needs with their superb customer service, creativity and artistry. This store is lead under the leadership of the store manager, Ruth Kaufman who is extremely knowledgeable, resourceful, inventive and available to the consumers needs.  Unlike most chains that keep reproducing the same arrangements and/or catalog shopping experience over and over again.  This is not the case here at this locale.  They are light years ahead of customer satisfaction beyond the chain store business model.  They offer the best in sales, customized floral arrangements, talented designers (Diana & Candy), and devoted staff (Claudia).    Please check them out this holiday season and share your thoughts!

Thrifty Florist

50992 Van Dyke Avenue,

Shelby Township, Michigan, 48317

586.726.9570

Happy Thursday,

This is Tee Thompson your event planning extraordinaire.  I am an event planning expert who loves to save time and money for pouring out signature affairs.  I utilize seven secrets to successful event planning as a baseline to creating functions with flair.  I love to chime in on wonderful locations for events, films, weddings, golf outings, luxury accomodations, within Michigan.  Please join me and share your thoughts on my picks of the week. 

Meanwhile, have a tea-rrific day,

Tee