We are in the season of summer camp! My three granddaughters all went to camp in July…for two weeks and in another state. Two went to camp in a neighboring state.  But, Kaylee, the oldest, flew cross country to California to an exclusively outdoor camp without knowing a soul. Before she went, if you talked with her about the California camp, you could hear a bit of apprehension in her voice.  But, when she was packing her large backpack and looking at the camp website, she was super excited and ready to go…right now!

Camp is always all about meeting new friends and trying new things. There are typically skinned knees, a bit of homesickness, and the telling and retelling of super-sized stories. Kaylee came back home much older than simply two weeks! Summer camp, especially one on the other side of the country, was a new awakening for her. She is already talking about going back next summer!

What if service providers approached service like summer camp? Every customer would be the source of adventure and excitement. New offerings would provoke the apprehension of the unknown as well as the excitement of a fresh opportunity. Service providers would put their name on every service act, just like Kaylee put a name tag on every piece of clothing.

The setting for service would feature color, charm and newness, like bumper stickers on a camp trunk. Every aspect of the service experience would get the close scrutiny of camp inspection right after breakfast. And, all customer communication would be as upbeat and animated as camp mail call. What are ways to turn your customers’ experiences into the freshness of summer camp? Not only will your customers spread their excited stories, they will come back “next summer!”