This non-profit organization, which provides medical care for low-income children, wanted to make a more powerful impact on donors. In this website redesign, wherever possible, we provided snap-shot stories of the children and families helped. The stories show donors that their contributions make a difference. This pro bono project was accomplished through a Taproot Foundation grant.

It occurs to me that the best customer service follows a similar thriller-filler-spiller principle. Take my hairdresser for example. She gives me the unchanging good service I would expect from any hairdresser—competent cut and consistent color. That’s the filler. The filler is the basic level of service that everyone in the business should be capable of delivering. In addition, to that expected level of customer service, she gives the most wonderful shampoos! She doesn’t just wash hair—she gives a head and neck massage that is out of this world. This is the thriller. It’s her particular signature—part of her brand. But what about the spiller? What does she do between appointments to keep the relationship with me going and growing? She calls to remind me when appointments are coming up. This is not only good for her business—fewer missed appointments—but I really appreciate the reminder. I even quit a hairdresser once because she didn’t do this. Other spillers could be a newsletter with hair care tips, pictures of style trends, and special partnership offers, such as a discount on a pedicare at neighboring nail salon.

This is just a brief excerpt, but feel free to read my full length posts at the Nielson Design Blog.