As I wrote on Friday (dot #4609), ’tis the season for many organizations to have extended planning retreats or other off-site functions. Most groups put considerable effort into the content for those days, but managing expectations for a closed office is often overlooked.
One company, User Interviews, proactively addressed its absence with an email the week before, alerting customers of its event and providing helpful links in case there was a delay in reaching customer service. It did not entirely close its office, but let people know that response times may be slower. This helped to align expectations and (hopefully) trigger customers to reach out in advance or after the event.
If you conduct an extended meeting, don’t leave one person behind to staff the office. Practively plan and allow everyone to attend without returning to a host of customer complaints.
Thanks, Meg!
