At Ballantyne Business Center (BBC), we’ve worked hard to become an extension of our clients’ business — and also their personal life to a great degree. We believe that the more we understand our clients the better we can provide services to fulfill their needs. Sometimes these gestures are small, yet meaningful, such as changing the display on their phone to read “Happy Birthday” or “Congratulations.” Other times, we’ve dug a little deeper into what’s on their minds and worked on more extensive facility improvements to help them. The cumulative result of this constant focus pays off.
It starts with the small things. For example, we have a client who often travels to New York City and always goes to Broadway plays with his wife and daughter. For him , we’ve researched show openings for the remainder of the year so he can plan accordingly. We did this without him asking us, and he appreciates that we remembered his interest in the arts. Again, a small thing.
During the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament, we kept the break room television set tuned to the games and have provided popcorn and drinks for everyone to enjoy throughout the day. This has been greatly appreciated, especially given that we are located in one of the most avid college basketball fan territories.
Larger undertakings to make client life easier require some imagination, some planning time, and even a little money to pull off, but can make a world of difference for current as well as potential clients.
Beginning last year, our team began to notice that the stress levels of some clients seemed to be creeping higher due to the difficult economic times. For several weeks, I thought about what BBC could do to offer at least some relief or support to help our clients through these tough times.
One statement I’m familiar with kept creeping into my head: “Create balance.” So I closed my eyes and thought about what I could do to create more balance at BBC, for not only our clients but for our client service team as well. Then it hit me: we need ZEN! Yes, ZEN.
I’ve had a calming water feature in my office that was given to me years ago and thought about how soothing that sound can be throughout the day. I decided to turn an un-rentable nook in our facility into our Zen Den. The purpose of the room is to provide a calming haven for people to sit in a relaxing setting with aromatherapy, sound machine, water feature, flameless candles and light-hearted books while sipping on hot tea.
Am I going to make any money from this Zen Den? No, but am I going to make a statement to our current clients — and future clients — that we truly care about their wellbeing and want to assist them to find balance during their workday. The Zen Den has been utilized on a regular basis and has become a very popular feature at BBC. If you are in Charlotte, please come by for some tea and take time to relax, reflect and rejuvenate.
My message is that the small things count, and sometimes small ideas can become big ideas, and often the collective result of these ideas put into action can impact your business — maybe not an immediate financial impact, but an impact nonetheless that will pay off down the road.
Love the avatar
Amanda, this is GREAT! We preach this everyday at OE. Clients need to relax while they work. I am so glad to see you are supporting the “new” style of work. Thank you for sharing, Mark C