Tribeology

Recently I checked into a hotel.  It’s in a nice area with lots of restaurants and things to do.  It’s also in a business area near a convention center.  There’s a mix of people in for one day and some for several days.

When I was finishing my paperwork the lady at the front desk gave me a one page green piece of paper.  It has information on it explaining how the hotel shuttle works, internet access password, and directions to the convention center.  When you flip it over there are the names, addresses and phone numbers for about 20 restaurants in the area.

It’s a fantastic “quick and easy” guide.  It’s not glossy, full of color photos, or ads.  It’s just a piece of paper with lots of useful information.  The neat thing is… when the lady gave it to me she was proud to tell me that the other woman standing next to her made it.  She said, “she recently put this all together.”  Clearly it was a source of pride and took a great deal of effort, and honestly… it was well worth her time because it’s greatly appreciated.

Clearly the backstory of the paper is it’s the topics the front desk is asked for all the time.  You can read it and get the gist that it’s really a FAQ for the front desk.  Walking directions, trolley, and restaurants.  But the presentation the front desk uses is awesome, they don’t hand you the sheet and say, “here’s some info – go away” — they tell you what’s on it.  The sheet of paper is a presentation and has become part of the check-in process.

As you’re thinking of your business, is there a FAQ sheet you can make?  Are there questions that you are always asked that could be turned into an email or webpage?  There’s a lot to learn from one green sheet of paper!