Build a relation ship…Tips

From the “ Customer Service Advantage”

Four ways to Build relationships and loyalty in short spans of time:

In our business we are the first face of our services so we are responsible for maintaining the relationships the Client Service Managers have established.

Use your time well

Be a wizard at alternative solutions.
Use these four tips to build relationships and customer loyalty during short interactions:
Being creative often means you save customers time and/or money- they will stick around for that.
Brainstorm with co-workers in your department and outside for alternatives to situations that arise.

Listen then repeat

Customers are under pressure to cut costs, save money, do more, etc., in their lives and work.
They want/need a sounding board when they complain or explain their issue.
If you act as one and prove you heard them by repeating their story, they will take your advice and come back for more.

Deliver small acts of kindness
You don’t have to give away the store, but you can build goodwill by giving something useful from time to time. For instance we have a new feature that may help them down the road. If you briefly explain the new feature they will become interested in it and want to know more. Guide them to the customer portal for more information.

Give your best customers a voice

This is the time to make your best customers feel more even more valuable.
Ask them to post on the forum page to let others know how the system works for them and how they get the most out of the service. This feedback will be very valuable to improve customer service and help maintain a healthy relationship with the clients.

Source: “Soothing the Savaged Soul: Customer Love When Times are Tough” by Jeanne Bliss, The Customer Service Institute of America’s Customer Service Excellence, 02/09.

Do not grieve, it is logical - Spock

The man that inspired my quest for enlightenment has passed away.
When asked “What was your inspiration for the Character Kwai Chang Caine?” he replied with little emotion and lots of logic. "Spock" was his answer with his half smile.
This Brief biography is from the WIKIPEDIA

Born John Arthur Carradine
December 8, 1936
Hollywood, California
Died June 3, 2009 (aged 72)
Bangkok, Thailand
Occupation actor, producer, director
Years active 1963 - 2009

Early life

Carradine was born in Hollywood, California, the son of Ardanelle Abigail (née McCool) and noted American actor John Carradine.[4] He was the brother of Bruce Carradine and half-brother of Keith and Robert Carradine, as well as the uncle of Ever Carradine and Martha Plimpton. Carradine had Irish, English, Scottish, Welsh, German, Spanish, Italian, Ukrainian and Cherokee ancestry.[5] Carradine studied drama at San Francisco State University before working as an actor on stage as well as in television and cinema. He changed his given name to David after starting his career.


Career

Carradine was known for his roles as Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s television series Kung Fu (as well as the sequels in the 1980s and 1990s), as well as 'Big' Bill Shelly in Martin Scorsese's Boxcar Bertha (1972), folksinger Woody Guthrie in Bound for Glory (1976), Abel Rosenberg in Ingmar Bergman's The Serpent's Egg (1977), and as Bill in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, Vols. 1 & 2 (2003, 2004, respectively).

Other notable roles included the lead in Shane (the 1966 television series based upon the 1949 novel of the same name) and a gunslinger in Taggart, a 1964 western film based on a novel by Louis L'Amour. He also starred in the Broadway version of the play The Royal Hunt of the Sun in 1965. More recently, he portrayed Tempus, a powerful demon with the ability to manipulate time, on the hit television series Charmed, as well as Conrad in the television series Alias. Carradine twice played a supernatural being with the power to control time: "Tempus" on Charmed and "Clockwork" on Danny Phantom.

Carradine appeared in an episode of Lizzie McGuire, and also provided his voice for the King of the Hill episode, Returning Japanese, in which he voiced the character of Hank's Japanese half-brother. He provided the voice for Lo Pei, the ancient warrior who was responsible for Shendu's petrification in the animated series Jackie Chan Adventures.

Carradine was also known for producing and starring in several exercise videos teaching the martial arts of Tai chi and Qi Gong. Carradine actually had no knowledge of martial arts prior to starring in the series Kung Fu, but developed an interest in it after this experience and became an avid practitioner.

Carradine appeared as the host of Wild West Tech on the History Channel, taking over the duties from his brother Keith. He narrated the PBS anthropology series "Faces of Culture". In 2006, he became the spokesman for Yellowbook, a publisher of independent telephone directories in the United States. He was also the TV spokesperson for Lipton[6] ("This ain't no sippin' tea"), in a memorable commercial where he paid homage not only to Kung Fu, but also to the Three Stooges.

Carradine also appeared in the music video for "Minus You" by the southern California band Chapel of Thieves, which was co-directed by the YouTube personality Boh3m3. He also worked with the Jonas Brothers in their video Burnin' Up, playing a Kung Fu Master, and planned to work with Miley Cyrus. In 2009, he played a 100 year-old Chinese gangster in Crank: High Voltage.

Carradine signing autographs in Malmö, 2005

[edit]
Personal life

Carradine was married five times and had two daughters, Calista Miranda and Kansas.[1] On December 26, 2004, he married his wife Annie,[1] at the seaside Malibu home of his friend, Michael Madsen. His attorney and his wife’s longtime friend, Vicki Roberts, performed the ceremony.
Rest in Peace Kwai Chang Caine

Borrowed Buzzwords

I was given some News letters to look over about Customer service, I found some Material that we can play with. Now I know that you readers do not usually answer me back but I have a Challange
I got these Buzzwords from http://www.buzzwhack.com/inside/mostfun.htm
and my challange is to come up with some of your own. I want you to send me yours and If they are good I will post them here.
So here goes.
1. blamestorming: A group process where participants analyze a failed project and look for scapegoats other than themselves.

2. Death by Tweakage: When a product or project fails due to unnecessary tinkering or too many last-minute revisions.

3. BMWs: Bitchers, Moaners and Whiners.

4. clockroaches: Employees who spend most of their day watching the clock - instead of doing their jobs

5. plutoed: To be unceremoniously dumped or relegated to a lower position without an adequate reason or explanation.

6. prairie dogging: A modern office phenomenon. Occurs when workers simultaneously pop their heads up out of their cubicles to see what's going on.

7. carbon-based error: Error caused by a human, not a computer (which we assume would be a silicon-based error).

8. menoporsche: Male menopause. Symptoms include a sudden lack of energy, crankiness and the overpowering urge to buy a Porsche.

9. adminisphere: The upper levels of management where big, impractical, and counterproductive decisions are made.

10. deja poo: The feeling that you've stepped in this bull before.

11. bobbleheading: The mass nod of agreement by participants in a meeting to comments made by the boss even though most have no idea what he/she just said.

12. ringtone rage: The violent response by cube mates after hearing your annoying cell phone ringtone for the 15th time.

13. muffin top: The unsightly roll of flesh that spills over the waist of a pair of too-tight
The above are taken from
http://www.buzzwhack.com/inside/mostfun.htm

Garage Wars.. The Saga Continues!

We last left our hero battling the insurance company with nothing more than this blog and a sharp whit.
They caved in and sent a paltry sum for the items that burnt up and let me start with the contractor selection. We found the one we wanted and with all the paper work submitted I am Pleased to announce the demolition started this morning. I can’t wait to see what else will happen. There is much planning in the works and some cash to take care of it plus I squeezed a little more out of the evil dominion of the insurance company.
I know that there will be more excitement when they take their time to pay out but waiting is becoming commonplace with us. I don’t like being a pain in the ass but having all this customer service experience is paying off handsomely, you see I can be a good customer that rolls over when the cheats say so or be as stubborn as hell when I desire. I desire a lot. I demand a lot too. When you are met with someone like myself what do you do? If you have been following the story here I hope that you have learned a thing or two about the customer experience. How we treat them is as important as how we face their issue.
If you greet them with contempt they hate you from the first words and there is no recovery from that. If they become annoyed with the process (just not moving as fast as they like) and it is within your control to stick a fire under the department that is handling the issue do it and make a star out of yourself. We do this at home, so why not at work?
Whining won’t help! We have some clients that call in , they have an issue that requires special assistance, they get upset that it cannot be resolved over the phone and will have to wait (sound familiar?) you handle the call then dispatch the issue to where they will get the assistance they need. They in turn call the person responsible for the product and tell them “I don’t think they (us) are taking my problem seriously and the are blowing me off. The fact of the matter is you are doing exactly what you are supposed to do and everything that can be done is being done…just not right now. As they demand. I worry about these people! They can make life difficult, but the are at the same time making the problem more difficult for themselves by saying to their supervisor I don’t feel important enough. When they find out the solution is a whole system wide detail and involve more than their issue and would be best served in a complete solution (not a partial one) they have just placed egg on their faces and feel the fool. Now they really hate you for doing your job. I go home each day confident that I have done all I can do to please these people, that is all I can do. They go out of their way to make it harder to do what you do, in the long run have made them selves tired by making more work causing trouble for everyone involved. My recent experience is no exception, I am tired of the fighting but in order for my family to get what was ours back in good working order and as nice as it once was. I have to fight and yell to the windmills in order to accomplish what I need done. So have I walked in these customers shoes? Do I know their frustration? Can I be of better service to them? Yes!

was it 5 minutes ago? or 25 years ago?

Time is a funny thing, Time passes slowly for something’s while it whizzes by in another respect.
I am looking back at what amounts to about 5 minutes ago. I said I Do 25 years ago today. My wife and I have managed to raise 2 fine children and adopted a third, we talked the other night about our lives together and came up with where did the time go. We lived in the same apartment for 16 years and don’t remember most of it and yet we remember it all. We had plenty of good things happen to us and some bad. For the most part all has been well in our home and yes, Life is good.
I met my wife while helping a friend move to his new apartment, back home in Pomona. I knew what I wanted the moment I saw her. Her big smile and brown eyes captivated me from the beginning!
When I first spoke to her I asked are you from here? She said no just here living with my sister. “Well where are you from?” I am from Salem! She exclaimed with great pride. I asked the typical question Massachusetts or Oregon? Her reply was Utah… see? NO HORNS!. I was hooked!
Let me step back a few months before I met Dianna. I was traveling back to California from Wisconsin where I had spent the coldest winter of my life. 60 degrees below zero some days and more snow than I had ever seen in my life. As the bus passed through Utah I saw a sign for the Budget Fuel Stop in a place called Payson.
I remember this because I thought to my self “I wonder what kind of girl come from Payson? I would have to return one day to see!
After meeting Dianna and being inseparable for 3 months, She came home to visit with her grandmother who was ill. She and her sister came back only to leave again. I was heart broken that she did this. So a few months passed a failed relationship had come and gone (she wasn’t my Dianna) and I called her up. I pled my case this way “ I love you, I miss you! What are you going to do about it?”
She told me she was in love with me too. When asked should she come back to California? Or Me here to Utah or can we meet in the middle? The discussion was short! I came here. When the bus got off the freeway the first stop was the Budget Fuel Stop! I guess my passing thought paid off, as I know what kind of girl comes from Payson. The best kind!.
I have gone through many changes since then, I was an Appliance repair man, A guinea pig for a drug study an Auto mechanic and shop manager and now a computer technician. A Boyfriend, a father and Husband, Grandfather. The Jobs get better and so does life.
To my surprise I have lived most of my life here (longer than anywhere else) I have grown in so many ways and learned to love (most importantly) This sounds like a lot of living for 25 years but it’s only been about 5 minutes since I said “Hello”

Will it go Round in circles?

Karma is fixed to the wheel of life some call it Biorhythm or the UP’s and downs of life. Dharma is revealed to us this way.
The Dharma is the truth as it actually is. Always changing, always re-inventing itself.
Good things happen and bad things happen not withstanding they are just things. How we react is where good and bad come from.
After my short sabbatical I returned to the business of the Fire and started getting bids on the rebuild. The costs are getting lower and lower and we now have a plan.
I haven’t heard from the adjuster in a while (remember he said we will communicate better?) So I e-mailed him a week after sending in my inventory asking if he got it. I called the very next day and left one of “those” voice mails, asking if he received the e-mail, and asked him to call. Three days later I called him again with a little more emotion and asked if he got the e-mail. Fifteen minutes later I got an e-mail indicating he did but I wasn’t supposed to do web research to get replacement costs. “We have a team that does that for you!” Then 3 days later he calls me almost angry that I did do the research. I explained replacement cost is relevant to the area you live in, and his company won’t cheat me.
The restoration company called they said the Adjuster indicated the payment for the work preformed on the house was in the mail 2 weeks ago. I asked about that (using direct quotes and names) he said it was approved on Friday last week. I asked so? Which is it? In the mail? Or in to be approved?
The tune suddenly changed. I like to call this guy on his Bovine Excrement. (Family site you know?)
I explained my Insurance Agent is now involved and that he will be calling and checking on the progress. This did not please the adjuster at all! (I am beginning to see a pattern here, aren’t you?) I really liked it when he said that wasn’t necessary. The roll of the “Insurance Agent” is to sell the policy and make sure the policy is executed to the benefit of all parties.
The agent is looking out for our best interest and will let us know when to contact the attorneys.
Still the bids come and still getting lower….
I Have been getting better at being the customer in order to get what I need done. I have to remember that I have to deliver to my customers as well. This is called walking in the customer’s shoes!
What we do in life is reflected in how life does us this is karma When we do just the basics in our work we are called sloppy, inept and we don’t communicate with the customer. This makes us look bad.
On the other hand when we do all the steps and follow through regardless of the outcome and pass this information to our coworkers or our clients we have done all we can do. This is called good customer service and will maintain customers for a long time.
My wife likes the saying what goes around comes around. Sounds like the wheel of life.

Stress, Therapy and Push Rods

As many of you may have noticed I have been away for a few days. With all the “Stuff” going on the Garage, The Bills and the pressures here at work all came to a head the other day. Someone blasted me for doing my job when the rules were never expressed over the task at hand (pleasing the customer and a parent) I placed someone on a do not call list. I do this all the time for clients and have never had a problem until this one. With that the camels back broke and I packed my desk, made a fool of my self then took 2 ½ days off to relieve the stress that had been building for too long.
I went home with my desk stuff and sacred my daughter (thought I got Fired) I explained in a shaky voice I am Burnt out! By that I meant 4 years of no vacation 4 hours of sleep at night Mounting pressure from all sides have done me in.
My truck hadn’t run well for a couple of weeks so I took that time to do major surgery on it. Long story short after 1 day of tearing it down and looking to the job of replacing head gaskets. I found a thrown rod. By this time (having enjoyed turning a wrench for a whole day) it was a simple four-dollar repair. I had set myself a goal of being done by 12 noon Wednesday. I was done at 11:15 am. My truck runs far better now, I didn’t think about work, I hardly noticed there was no garage behind me. Just my engine and busy hands.
After I started the truck, A stream of calm washed over me. The sun was brighter the breeze cooler and the stress just went away.
Contractors are coming by to give estimates on the garage (first one was 42,600) to rebuild. Better sounding numbers are ahead and I can’t wait to get this part of the story finished.
I work a lot, I do more than is required by my employers because I am built that way. I stay up late to attend to the needs of my family and help out as much as I can.. Makes for a long day and short amounts of sleep. I just had to take a few days off to collect myself and now I am back and better than ever.
My Friend and Mentor, Bill gave me a flier on how to cope with stress. Simple things like change your environment, take a walk do something like a hobby (rebuild the upper half of your engine) to get away from the situation for awhile. I should have read it before I got all stressed out, So a note to self: do not should yourself!
My thanks to my managers and those who have followed my train wreck so far for understanding. I hope nobody has to be driven to take a few days off. Keep something on the back burner to keep your sanity. I know I will. Take time if you need it or take time when you don’t. Just take the time to get away from the stresses we all face and let life happen for just a little while. All the important things will be there when you get back.