So when does outbound messaging become a care touchpoint instead of a marketing opportunity?  The interaction is becoming increasingly blurred. Yesterday, my digital frame service password wasn't working (separate topic/issue) , and in a frantic move to send "grandma" photos of her 19-month twin grandsons raking leaves, I signed up for this PhotoShow http://www.photoshow.net/home product/service.  I stumbled upon it somehow I think via a Walgreens photo application on my desktop.  I think.  (I only have one hour during afternoon naps on weekends to get stuff done.  I'll pay more, to get a service fast. (I think I already have via another vendor but customer care wasn't opened on the weekend) (still don't have that password for the other service - well I have it - it doesn't work and I just don't have the cycles to deal with it.)

Anyway - as I sent this digital photo show to my mom - I saw an ad they had to 'package' this photoshow as a DVD for the upcoming holiday.  I thought - wow - that is a great idea for a grandma. (didn't have time to figure out how to organize photos for that that DVD in the 10 minutes I had remaining of my guys' nap time) - but I made a mental note.

Today - I received a note from PhotoShow http://www.photoshow.net/home giving me deadlines for when I needed to send them the photos in order to get a DVD in time for Christmas.  It categorized deadlines by delivery type. (i.e. my drop dead deadline is like December 17th.)

Anyway - I thought - "this feels like a service."  It was a message I wanted to receive, but didn't have the time, or the inclination to ask.  It felt like a courtesy. So thank you. 

I'm curious PhotoShow management team.  Was this idea from your care operation? or your marketing department?  I don't think outbound messaging is just for the marketing organization to think about anymore.  I felt "cared for" not "marketed towards."

Any other ideas like this out there.