Customer Training?

I went to Kinkos today. Oops, I mean “FedEx Kinkos.” I had to fax something, and I can never figure out my fax machine at home. So, off to FedEx I went.

I approached the counter and cleared my throat. The young (as in mid-20s) clerk magically appeared, so I presented my one page fax enthusiastically, thinking he’d be all excited to see it wasn’t a huge print job that involved collating.

Instead, I heard: “Oh no. What you need is right behind you.”

Hmm….Really? I whipped around looking to find that hot young stud with my winning lottery ticket. Instead, I stared down a fax machine on the other side of the store. It didn’t look happy to see me.

Could someone please tell me when and why every single thing is self service nowadays? Where oh where have all the friendly greeters gone? I just wanted to run in and out of there, get my fax faxed, and get on with my day.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm not lazy, and sometimes I actually prefer self service.  But what I prefer even more is having a choice.

So, I huff and puff my way over to the angry machine, knowing that this was going to turn into an ordeal. And I also noticed that Joe Kinko was following sheepishly behind, as I'm sure he could tell I was less than thrilled.

First, he said I needed to insert my card. I thought he meant my FedEx Kinkos Business Account card which he encouraged me to sign up for during my last not-so-short visit to FEK. After digging through every nook and cranny of my wallet, I finally find it. Swipe it.  And naturally, it's no go.

Oh, he meant my credit card.  I guess customer service reps don't even have to ring you up anymore.

So I find that, swipe that, and then dial the fax number. This is the point when he chimes in that I’m one of the few customers who knows to dial a one.  Hmmmmm, I think to myself, I guess those customers must need some customer service.

We wait for a good three minutes while he goes on to explain that this fax machine is a weird one, it doesn’t make any noise whatsoever and that silence confuses all of his customers.  Hmmmmm, I think to myself again.  He then reads a message on the machine that my fax apparently didn’t go through.

Surprise. Surprise.

“It’s probably just busy, try again.”  I oblige and listen to him go on about how faxing to law firms usually doesn’t work on the weekends b/c they turn their machines off.  One, I’m not faxing to a lawyer. Two, can we listen to the mute fax machine please?

My patience is really starting to wane now that I'm going on about 12 minutes in the FEK store. Under my breath, I blurt, “For crying out loud, why does something so easy have to be so hard? I just wanted you to fax my fax.”

“It’s called customer training,” he says. 

Are you kidding me? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 

“I don’t need customer training. You need customer service.” 

I’ve always hated fax machines. And I still do.

Especially ones that require "customer training" to function properly.

Three Week Update

It's been three weeks now since HireMeAspen officially launched, and I hit the town promoting it.  Boy, have I already learned a lot about website launches!

Gameplan: Phase 1 ~ Filling Up Database of Workers

To date, we have about 55 unique profiles equalling 700+ cross-referenced profiles in our database.  My goal is to get to 100 uniques by the end of the month.  Agressive? Yes.  But doable if I really hustle!  I've got to keep the momentum going, and hopefully with 1. our launch press release being distributed tomorrow, 2, friends of friends finding out about the site, and 3. your continued support...we'll get there with ease. 

For a FREE profile, register here using code: CH01100. This code will be valid for a few more weeks only, so take advantage of it now!

Gameplan: Phase 2 ~Targeting Partners

Once I reach the first goal of 100 unique profiles in my database (or roughly 1250 profiles appearing in over 165 job categories), I can begin to focus new efforts on Phase 2 which is targeting Silver and Gold partners. You can view details about our Partner Program here.  We've signed up about 20 silver partners thus far which is better than awesome!  Once The Hive (the worker bee / members-only area of the website) is launched at the end of July, members will be able to see the Silver partner offers listed in The Honeycomb section.  First week of August, I'll start sending out membership cards so our worker bees can take advantage of these partner offers and start saving money! 

I've formulated an exciting gameplan for the Gold partners: creating an irresistable and valuable promotional package consisting of not only a business profile for all website visitors to see (including hirers), but unique promotional opportunities with other businesses in the valley like Qittle's Local Deals.  Plus, Gold Partners will receive display advertising opportunities on the site, preferred partner mentions on the site (ie. Partner Spotlight), social media marketing, and much, much more.  Stay tuned.  I've got more exciting things on the horizon for the Gold Partners.

And I've already met so many wonderful, interesting and supportive locals!  I'm finding that Facebook is a great way to generate brand awareness, so I've been playing around with several versions of targeted ads -- It's fun to see the results!  Lots of people come up to me indicating that they've seen my logo around town....from our gorilla marketing efforts of blanketing parking lots with info cards to community board flyers to hats and signage.  This feedback is great considering no press, no advertising, yet. 

Spread the Word

Become a fan on Facebook.  Follow us on Twitter.  And, if you're reading this post via FB/Twitter, please retreet/resend it to your friends.  Help me spread the word so I can help the hard-working locals.  Tell your friends/business partners we're looking for sponsors.  HireMeAspen is just what the Roaring Fork Valley locals need!

I'm jazzed for success, and I define success as: "locals ... getting hired, making money, saving money, being connected and having fun doing work they love!"

Thanks for being a part of the HireMeAspen community.  Let's get this snowball rolling!

Today, HireMeAspen is live!

The beta period is over.  And a new phase begins...

The website has been tested.  Changes have been made.  And now comes what will be the easiest part...selling HireMeAspen to the locals! 

Why easy?  Because I believe in my site.  I've worked hard to put myself in each user's situation, and offer an ROI that is irresistable to all 3 groups of users (workers, hirers and partners). 

WORKERS
(View our Profile Example here.)

Workers can display their detailed profile in up to 15 job categories for only $7.50/month at launch (that's .50 per category -- per MONTH -- to showcase your talents to potential hirers.  We over over 150 job categories to choose from. On top of that, they can actually save money once they become a member by taking advantage of all the local partner discounts offered to the membership.  They can join a crew.  They can connect with other locals. They can rate/recommend workers and hirers, they can access the Resource Center.  They can attend membership events.  They can and will SUCCEED when they join forces with HireMeAspen.

HIRERS
(View our Job Categories and find a worker here.)

Hirers have it made on our site!  They not only can search for workers and view the profiles for FREE, they can also access their contact information!  No charge.  For a limited time, hirers can easily post a job for all the members to view.  Hireres can send a quick email blast to a category of workers to let them know they're hiring when pressed for time.  They can hire a crew.  They can rate and recommend workers.  And coming soon, they can manage their projects by maintaining a list of workers, schedule work and manage all their pending and completed projects (this feature will be great for property managers!). 

PARTNERS
(View our Partner Program here.)

We offer 3 different levels of partners: Silver, Gold and Platinum.  Silver partners receive a listing in The Hive (the members area of the website) when they offer our members a discount for patronizing their restaurant, retail store or service business.  This Silver level is FREE.  What better way to drive traffic to your business to increase your sales!  For $300/year or $25/month at launch, the Gold partners get "preferred partner" status and receive other benefits such as display advertising, appearing in the partner spotlight, recognition in local advertising, social media mentions, and much much more.  The Platinum partner level is for sponsors.  This level is customizable to meet the needs of both parties; thus costs are variable.

Our ultimate goal at HireMeAspen is to ensure that we meet the needs of the local community.  Many resort locals need to work three jobs to maintain a life in the resort they love. 

HireMeAspen is here to help those passionate and driven locals not just survive, but thrive.

10 Reasons for Becoming Part of the HireMeAspen Community

Top 10 features and benefits

View more presentations from HireMeAspen.

What's Our Site All About?

We've all heard the old adage about resort towns: "You either own three homes or you work three jobs." 

Well, HireMeAspen is here to help cross that divide by connecting local hirers with part-time workers.

• Do you need to make extra money on the side, but just don't know how to spread the word?
• Do you need a worker to get a job done, but just don't know who to call?

HireMeAspen.com will help.

When a part-time worker posts their profile on HireMeAspen.com, they will have the opportunity to promote themselves in multiple job categories (we have over 150 job categories to choose from), increasing their chances of not only getting hired doing work they love, but earning lots of extra money on the side.

There will be many more bells and whistles and tools and functionality that come with the site, but the main focus is connecting locals.  Other features and benefits include:

• Hirers can search for free!
• Workers can post a profile in multiple job categories!
• Workers can connect with other workers, and even join a crew!
• Workers can track their jobs!
• Hirers can rate a worker!
• Workers can rate a boss!
• Workers set their fees, and their availability!
• Hirers can view worker references!
• Hirers and workers can track their projects!
• Workers gain access to The Hive and lots of other advantages of being a member!

And we won't stop in Aspen. We'll be launching other Colorado resort town websites in the coming months. 

So stay tuned....there's lots more on the horizon as we start turning on these sites!

HireMeAspen.com - Home Page Teaser

In an effort to start getting you fired up about the site, I thought I'd start sending some screen shots so you can get a glimpse of what's in store.   Pretty soon, local part-time workers will be able to post a profile to earn extra money on the side.  And local hirers will be able to find the perfect worker for the job.

First up: Home Page.  Hope you like it!