I did a little internet research on customer service, and I found a lot of good information on the subject. One article, 8 Rules of Good Customer Service, had some great points about listening to your customers, being helpful, and much more. I agree with the article wholeheartedly. But to me, while the eight rules constitute good customer service, you really have to go above and beyond to provide great customer service.

To me, when your goal is not only to give your customers what they expect, but to also go above and beyond to give them more than they ever dreamed they’d even want, then THAT is great customer service. When you can think ahead to any possible issue that might come up, and you are able to stop it before it even begins, then THAT is great customer service. When you go the extra step to make sure your clients get more than they dreamed they could get for a price within their budget, then THAT is great customer service. And when you consider every single detail and make sure that everything that is important to your client is now important to you too, then THAT is great customer service.

In today’s tough economy, there are a lot of companies out there competing for customers, so here at Rent What? we strive to be the easiest, friendliest, most creative, and most organized drapery rental business out there. But above everything else, I think that it is outstanding customer service that makes a good company great, and I am proud to say that, in my opinion, this is truly an area in which Rent What excels.

First, let me tell you a little bit about my background. I’ve been an event planner for over 10 years, with the last three years working primarily as a wedding planner and coordinator in Las Vegas, Nevada. After moving back out to Southern California, I knew I wanted to stay in the field of planning events, but wasn’t sure exactly which angle I would choose. Once I heard about Rent What? Inc., and their amazing products and business model, I knew I had to be a part of this female owned and operated company! Now I get to help plan events, concerts, productions, trade shows, festivals, tours, and other special occasions through an aspect that I truly love—production design! Through creative use of rental stage drapes, pipe and drape systems, kabuki drops, track systems, and all different styles of fabrics and textures, we can create any look and feel that our clients want, and to me that is absolutely amazing.

Being a part of this “family” has been a dream come true for me, and I am honored and grateful to be a part of something so wonderful. I hope to help give you some of my perspective as someone who is both a long-standing member of this industry, as well as a “newbie” to this specific field. I can’t wait to share with you everything I learn about this fascinating and exciting business!

It is really fascinating to me to hear an artist like John talk about his design process.  Want to hear more?  Check out John’s post at the GrafixJam blog.

P.S. Stand by for a surprise post this week.  Hint – it’s some late-breaking news about John Rios!

If you are a fan of rock and metal, I’m sure you’ll like the play list, with songs from Ozzy Osborne, Van Halen, Journey, and many more (I personally love Megan’s lead vocals on Metallica’s “Enter Sandman”).

On a personal note, I love the band’s logo, designed by our favorite artist, John Rios of Grafix Jam.  Check it out!

But one thing that gave me problems was video.  This past summer, Michael with Imagination Entertainment sent us a short video of a performance of iL CiRCo in which custom stage drapes made by Sew What? are a prominent part of the scene.

Unfortunately, try as I might, I could not figure out how to include a video in a post.  I finally gave up, pulled a still image from the video, and used that in the post.

However, recently Megan discovered in her e-mail a video sent to her last year by another client, Dan with “Sonic Youth.”  She forwarded it to me and suggested I include it in a post.  I decided that it was time I figure out how to include videos in my post.

So, I sat down at the computer this evening, started this post, and clicked on every single button on the “Kitchen Sink” in WordPress.  Low and behold – I figured out how to add a video to the Media Library and then how to embed it into a post.  Woo hoo!

So, to show that I really can do it, here is the iL CiRCo video that I was unable to post in August (click here to read the original post):

Pretty cool!  I’ll be posting soon on the “Sonic Youth” project and will definitely include Dan’s video in that post!

He was surprised and delight to come upon a great Dell Computers ad featuring Megan.  He couldn’t wait to send us photos of himself reading the ad.  Take a look!

With making custom stage drapes and theatrical backdrops for major artists such as Green Day and Lady Gaga, we have become (somewhat) used to seeing our drapes in a variety of magazines and videos.  But seeing Megan’s photo in a full-page ad in a magazine in Australia is almost surreal!  And so fun to see the photo of her dad reading the ad.

The Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald recently published an article about Megan and Sew What?, and I really enjoyed reading it – it gives a true portrayal of Megan, the company, and the many roles that custom stage curtains play.  

The staff photo used in the article is especially fun to see – all of us had a fun time posing for Megan.  She gathered us all together with a bunch of fabric and said, “Have fun,” and we sure did!  Here is another one taken during the same shoot:

I think these photos really show the spirit of Sew What?  We take our work seriously, but we still have fun while doing it!

I started the trip out on a high note. Had a terrific flight over with China Eastern Airlines and landed safely and well rested. The Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai was the venue selected for both accommodations and the program. The hotel is fantastic, and as a guest the services were flawless.

We were absolutely floored to be greeted at registration with an unexpected (and completely amazing) attendee gift kit featuring a Dell Vostro 3300 laptop fully loaded with Windows 10.  I am personally putting it to use already!

Started the program out with an evening cocktail party at the M Bar on the Bund. It was a lovely evening where we spent several hours meeting and greeting and getting to know each other. The group (75ish) was small enough to be able to get around and really dedicate some time to learning what everyone is doing. I was fascinated to learn of the stories – so many of them with similar threads and certainly similar challenges. There was a lot of commonality. Really interesting. I believe that there were 10 countries represented at the conference.

One goal that I had in attending was to meet inspirational CEO’s and learn their stories and discover their challenges. No problem meeting this goal –  I felt very humbled by meeting these women. There was a tremendous amount of authenticity amongst the group.

The programs were excellent. The live link to the Bloomberg DWEN Group on LinkedIn was a great idea. I have not seen this type of tool used live in a presentation program before – and I am completely sold on it now. It really benefits the attendee. Having the attendee comments posted live throughout the sessions allowed the speakers to keep the content relevant and also made it possible to generate some great break conversations.

There was a focus on innovation and technology. The theme was definitely “mission first”. Passion and commitment to innovation and business development was very strong amongst the group.

The session with Frog Design was fascinating. We participated in a hands on activity in smaller groups that challenged us to really push typical business concepts to the limit and develop our own innovative business plans. Despite having had a business for 14 years and also having a 2 year old startup company I found myself really scratching my head – collaborating with my team was great. 

This was an incredibly inspirational group – in particular I was very inspired by Ingrid Venderveldt (CEO Clean Air Conversions). 

After the conference ended, I was luckily enough to have a free day in Shanghai to explore.  I loved visiting the garment district and seeing bolt upon bolt of lovely fabric.  I also visited several textile mills – fascinating!

I arrived home last Thursday, exhausted by jet lag but energized by this incredible experience.  What an great opportunity, one I won’t soon forget.

Here are just a few examples:

LinkedIn

DWEN utilized this resource to connect conference participants before, during, and after the event, to discuss events and share information. 

Facebook

With its Dell for Business page on Facebook, DWEN is able to provide conference information and updates to Facebook users everywhere.

Twitter

If you are a lover of Twitter, then the DWEN page is the place to go for information on the conference.