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April Fool or FUN?

When I looked at my calendar today to leave my daily voicemail message, I realized it's almost "April Fool's Day" and I remembered an email message I had sent a few years ago making the suggestion that we might "reframe" the day and have some fun with it. So I looked it up, added a few more items to it and I'm republishing it with the reminder that we all need to "lighten up" and enjoy ourselves, and our customers, a little more.

When I looked at my calendar today to leave my daily voicemail message, I realized it's almost "April Fool's Day" and I remembered an email message I had sent a few years ago making the suggestion that we might "reframe" the day and have some fun with it. So I looked it up, added a few more items to it and I am sending it along with the reminder that we all need to "lighten up" and enjoy ourselves, and our customers, a little more.

If you're too busy to laugh, you are entirely too busy, according to "fun" expert and colleague Matt Weinstein, President of Playfair, in Berkeley CA. Matt believes the company that plays together, stays together. And we all know that there is a high correlation between employee loyalty and customer loyalty. (Customers really love dealing with people they "know.") The good folks at Playfair are on a mission to "re-frame" April Fool's Day and re-create it as April FUN DAY! Here are a few suggestions from them and from me to do just that:

Create a "Stress-Free" Day (my personal favorite). Hire a masseuse to walk through the office giving neck and shoulder massages on request. Hire a shoe-shiner to shine shoes, hire someone to wash employee's cars in the parking lots. Hire a concierge for the day to pick up people's dry cleaning or prescriptions. You get the idea, build on it and let us know what you did to create a "Stress-Free" day.

How about hiring a local yoga or tai chi teacher to come into the office once a week for an hour to give classes in the cafeteria or conference room. Teaching people skills they can use every day will help keep the stress, and the blood pressure, down.

Give people an opportunity to earn unusual rewards. Name a dish after them in the company cafeteria, have their boss do their job for a day, give out coupons for casual days, or a few hours off. Not everyone works for money alone. In fact the emotional value we get from a relationship is often the thing that keeps us "bonded" to the relationship.

Take joy breaks throughout the day. Put some music on and teach people to juggle, belly dance, line dance, or tell jokes like a stand up comic. Have your resident fly-fishing expert give tips on fishing, or your resident Pilates enthusiast give some stretching lessons.

Have a baby picture contest. Guess who that chubby baby with the big cheeks is! Prizes for all the entrants.

Let people take turns at being the Corporate "Fool." Innovation consultant David Firth, author of "The Corporate Fool" says "The fool sees things as they really are." Firth runs a school for fools and a Foolish clinic that tours conferences giving foolish advice - advice that seems ludicrous but actually makes you re-think the situation afresh. Firth feels that we are a little short on wisdom in organizations because "We do not suffer fools gladly." "Our Emperors remain naked. Our cultures vibrate with the tension of people thinking, 'They must be able to see what's wrong? Why don't they ask us? Why don't they change?' - but not having the power, the authority or the skills to do anything about it." By sanctioning "foolishness" we make it okay to raise the questions that will allow us to see where we need to change the culture. Appoint a court jester! Out with the old and in with the new!

Create your own occasions and celebrate them! If you are in the gardening business you might be celebrating Arbor Day; the photography business, the spring equinox where there is an equal amount of dark and light; the direct mail business, the anniversary of the pony express. You get the idea - start creating days you can have fun with.

So turn April Fools day into April FUN day - or FUN month for that matter.

You get my point. Create an idea, or two, or ten and celebrate yourselves by celebrating April FUN day.

As Matt Weinstein, author of "Managing to Have Fun" and "Work Like Your Dog" would say "Take your work seriously and yourself lightly."

As I say, "Dare to Care!"

JoAnna

For more ideas on celebrating FUN day, go to: http://www.playfair.com/fun.htm#ideas
To send a standing ovation to someone who deserves it, go to: http://www.playfair.com/standingO/send.htm
For ideas on turning your customer service into Exquisite Customer Care, go to: http://www.customercarecoach.com

JoAnna Brandi is Publisher of the Customer Care Coach® a weekly training program on mastering "The Art and Science of Exquisite Customer Care." She is the author of books such as "Winning at Customer Retention - 101 Ways to Keep 'em Happy, Keep 'em Loyal, and Keep 'em Coming Back" and "Building Customer Loyalty - 21 Essential Elements in ACTION."

A Speaker and consultant, she is publisher of the bi-weekly Customer Care Tips Bulletin. To receive her free bi-weekly tips bulletin, sign up at www.returnonhappiness.com. You can also reach JoAnna at 561-279-0027 or e-mail joanna@customercarecoach.com.