Happy Endings

On Friday I finished doing some clean up from summer. I was pleasantly surprised at the outcome in both cases.

Matt’s Story
In July I was surprised to pick-up the phone and find a parent who was concerned because he had gotten a letter from his son, Matt, who was on the 10th day of his NOLS Wind River Wilderness course. The letter was sent out from the field at the re-ration. Matt was unhappy. Early in the course he and three other students along with their instructor had gotten disoriented and could not find the rest of the course for a few days. Eventually the groups all got back together again (with a little help from in-town staff). Matt indicated that he was concerned about being lost and he didn’t feel like he was going to learn anything. That of course had his dad concerned because his son’s safety was in our hands and he had a lot invested in the NOLS course. I spent some time reassuring Peter (the dad) and then handed the call off to Chris Brauneis, a NOLS Rocky Mountain program supervisor. Chris had more specific information at hand and called Peter back. Chris was able to fill in some of the details and Matt continued along with his course.

In looking in the database recently I was pleased to see that Chris tried to follow up with Peter a few days after Matt arrived home after his course leaving a message inviting Peter to call back. I was psyched to see the great follow through.

On Friday I also tried to follow-up with Peter. Matt actually picked up the phone. His dad wasn’t home. Matt and I had great conversation about his course. He was very psyched, felt like he had learned a lot and indicated that it was a very valuable experience for him. After a rocky start the group jelled and an excellent NOLS course was the outcome.

Ramsey’s Story
Also in July I became aware of a pretty major customer service snafu by our department.

Strike 1
Ramsey arrived in Lander for his course to find that he was in an all-male group. He had not been notified of this in advance and expected a co-ed group like we advertised. His dad, Martin, was very upset. Martin is an executive with Starbucks, the quintessential customer service organization. I was embarrassed for NOLS.

Betsy Treadway, a NOLS Rocky Mountain program supervisor, went to work. She found a way to get Ramsey switched to a co-ed group. Of course by then Ramsey had gotten to know the folks in his group and so he decided to stick with the all male course. All’s well, right?

Strike 2
About ten days later Jennifer, Ramsey’s mom called to say that she had gotten a letter from her son from the field and that he was very unhappy. The basic message was, “Get me outta here!” Betsy spent quite a bit of time on the phone with Jennifer. Betsy reassured Jennifer and let her know that we send a note in at the next re-ration to see how Ramset was doing.

Home Run
On Friday I spoke with Jennifer on the phone. I apologized again for the foul-up concerning the all-male course. I then asked her how it had all turned out. She indicated that Ramsey had a wonderful time. He had been very homesick, but as the course progressed he got over it. He learned a lot and had a very strong sense of accomplishment because even though it was hard he had persevered. I was surprised to hear that Ramsey is looking through his NOLS catalog trying to decide which course he wants to take next summer. Jennifer is very supportive of that.

Both of these conversations made me feel good. In both cases NOLS got off to a rocky start. In both instances people stepped in with empathy and understanding. In both cases a student had a life-changing experience. It was a great way to start the weekend.

Bruce Palmer, NOLS marketing director