Techy? Sometimes. Funny? Often. Relevant? Always.

Many times I email a client and wonder what their reaction is to receiving an email from FIT@worthwhile.com. My internal thoughts include conversations like “why is my technology company sending me emails about their wellness program???” Actually, to be a FIT member at Worthwhile means you’re part of the First Impression Team. And, interestingly enough, FIT is a worthwhile wellness acronym — relating to your web services well-being, not how many steps I recorded on my pedometer yesterday.

When I’m asked where I work, usually the next question is, “What are YOU doing at a technology company?” At that point my stock answer is that I answer the phones. When pressed further I sometimes give out some old buzzwords like: quality control and total customer satisfaction. If someone really acts interested I launch into the litany of tasks that I’ve recorded in my time record…until their eyes glaze over. You see, as a First Impression Team member I get involved in almost everything that happens around here! For example, recently I helped with the scary job of putting the sticker of our name on our glass front door…today I used Windex on that front door. Your first impression of Worthwhile is my responsibility, just like your customer’s first impression of your web site is ALSO my responsibility.

So, why does a technology company need a team to create a great first impression? Personally, I find that keeping up with my internal customers — the TWC employees — could be a full time job, and I know Christopher who works with me thinks so too. Then there’s our relationship with our clients that keeps my focus for many hours each day. Thinking through this past week’s variety of FIT tasks had me remembering:

• the client’s web site with the grammatical error I caught first while doing their launch checklist
• talking with Leslie about what’s important about web site validation
• the SEO , web site and software proposals I edited and formatted for Chris
• phone calls from clients I transfer to everyone in the office
• those “I love you” emails I forward to Georg when his 3rd grade daughter (who has just discovered email) sends them in to Worthwhile support
• 4 new web pages I wrote content for and published
• the proposal and agreement I proofread for Brandon
• the emails and phone calls
• having Dave show me how to reconnect links in InDesign
• press releases and articles
• how I spent too much time in the men’s restroom trying to fix the toilet that wouldn’t stop running
• orchids I bought for a client’s open house
• trying to get everyone’s air miles to work for the Design conference trip I just booked for 3
• more phone calls and emails plus some meetings with our clients
• setting up meeting agendas
• explaining to a client how we save clicks as signatures because they can be traced to IP addresses
• emails I exchange with vendors trying to contact Worthwhile Clothing in Charleston
• emptying the trash (I’ve not done well with this job this week)
• using the words Sand Castle and Subversion in a proposal and knowing I was NOT talking about the beach

A lot of my day is spent in the worthwhile pursuit of making sure that everything is in place so everyone can do their jobs.…clients and co-workers. Some days I feel like my counterpoint from an old TV show, Remington Steele…Doris Roberts who played Pierce Brosnan’s administrative assistant. I loved seeing her come through with the vital information at just the right minute so he could cock his eyebrow at the camera and finish the job…wait! that sounds like my friend Cody Webster…creating worthwhile moments like the ones I live for!

So, the next time you see that email address: FIT@worthwhile.com rest secure, your web services wellness team is geared up and taking care of things so your first impression is one you can be proud of.