Insights

Customer service is the process of taking care of a customer before, during, and after the sale. While the level of service may differ with the value or cost of the goods or service, the outcome should be the same: a pleasant customer experience that reinforces perceptions gathered through marketing materials, referrals, etc. That's the theory, at least.

In case you haven't noticed—and judging by the attendance, you haven't*—we made a few changes the other day over at our portfolio. We're not talking major renovations; I simply added three items and removed two. However, the experience left me with a touch of melancholy.

The two items I cut from the list—the Boerne CVB and the Cibolo Nature Center—were jobs performed for local clients with whom we've had long-standing relationships. Those relationships aren't in jeopardy, incidentally. For one, we simply wanted to show off some of our recent work; additionally, one of those websites was built on a platform we no longer use or emphasize.

In A Guide to Stock Photography, Part 1, which I'll rename The Easy Part, I talked about where to find good stock photography. It becomes a little more difficult when it comes time to choose that perfect photo for your website. So what makes a good stock photo? How do you know which photo to choose? Perhaps I can shed some light.

If you wander into the camera store and ask the guy behind the counter which is the best camera, he's likely to say (well, he should say), "It depends what you're using for." And that's the same answer you'll likely get when asking about TVs, computers, cars—and now stock photography. Choosing the right photo depends on what you're using it for, which brings me to my first, and most important, point.

One of the more challenging aspects of content governance is maintaining a blog, particularly if it's well-established and contains years worth of posts. Trust me on this one; as part of my role as guardian of Digett's content, I've been auditing and maintaining a half-decade's worth of blog posts from more than 10 authors. Invariably, the emotional response to this activity tends to range from:

• Wow, that post was insightful, straightforward, and written in something approximating proper English.
• Sweet Caroline, what were we thinking?!?

A few weeks ago, Mike Wolfsohn of Ad Age wrote about what lessons agency directors could learn from Project Runway. Yes, the fashion design, reality TV show, Project Runway.

He argued that Tim Gunn, the wisdom-imparting godfather of the show, can be a role model for agency creative directors, as he encourages each designer to find solutions that reflect personal style, but are still appropriate for their target audience.

In our office, we frequently invoke another treasure of Tim Gunn advice from Project Runway: beware the monkey house.