I donated on campus at the ASMSU blood drive. The entire process took an hour and a half, six minutes of which I had a needle in my arm, and I had made an appointment ahead of time. However, the ordeal began months before I made said appointment ...
The phone calls began sometime during the end of December. It was always an '800' number and they never left a message-- It took about five calls before I finally answered. When I did answer the phone, I was informed that there was a blood shortage and that I was eligible to donate in three weeks. I had donated too recently and would not be able to give these people blood for at least 21 days, yet the phone rang almost every single day.
The morning of my appointment, I received one phone call from the '800' number and two from ASMSU, one asking me if I would like to donate that day and another to remind me of the appointment I had made weeks before. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed from the beginning.
After checking in and waiting, answering what feels like hundreds of questions, waiting some more, getting stuck with the needle and donating, I was out the door and extremely relieved to be on my way. I dread seeing that all-to-familiar '800' number on my phone and I resent the Red Cross for having such an absurd process. I'm willing to bet that if the company took the time to customer journey map, it would change its donation process and improve its relationship with donors. I have been donating blood since I was 18 years old-- as a kid, I always admired my dad for donating blood and loved when he would come home with the sticker on his shirt. So please Red Cross, fix your system because this last experience is almost enough to turn me into a blood hoarding ex-donor.
