Kudos to Hawk Electronics in Arlington! After selling us a new alarm system for my Mom's house, the rep met the installer before and after the installation to make sure everything was just right. This gave my Mom peace of mind and me a good feeling about doing business with Hawk. Well done!
One of my favorite movies of all time is Friday, starring Ice Cube (as Craig) and Chris Tucker (as Smokey). One particular scene is where Smokey visits Craig's house and wants to make Koolade, but Craig informs Smokey they don't have any sugar. Smokey goes on a hilarious rant... (and I'm quoting by memory) 'Damn Craig! You don't ever have two things that match! Bread no butter... Cereal no milk... Koolade no sugar... Damn!' It seemed no matter what it was, Craig was always out of a key ingredient.
You'd think that type of thing only happens in movies, but it happened to me Monday at, of all places, Starbucks. This was one of their small stores inside Super Target. Ready to be amazed? I ordered my usual Grande bold roast coffee but they weren't able to fill the order. Guess what they were out of..... COFFEE!!
Imagine Discount Tire being out of tires. Or how about a Game Stop with no games? How about Bath and Body Works being stocked with nothing for your bath or your body. Weird huh?
I honestly don't get this type of customer service screw up. Shouldn't brewing coffee be the No. 2 task behind unlocking the doors in the morning? I'd like to know if this has happened to you. I need to know I'm not alone! GD (Moblogged from the mall while my wife shops!)
I'm sending this blog from my PDA. Cool technology if you can stand typing an entire blog from a microSized device like my Treo. So here's my first attempt... I'll let you know how it goes at the end of this entry.
For those who don't know, I'm the rookie Dad on my block. Our son is 8 weeks old and in need of constant attention as I know all babies are. Feeding, burping, swaddling, shooshing, swaying, bathing and one other thing... Oh yes.. Diaper changes, are an hourly activity in the Daye Household. He needs these and often needs them NOW. My son's needs got me thinking about customer service. How does it equate?
Customers are a lot like babies! They are in need of constant attention when doing business with you. Let's use a couple dining out as an example: They can't do anything for themselves and count on the server to meet their every need. If these needs aren't met, they will 'cry' about it to management. So just like a newbie parent, staff at the restaurant should be attentive with an eye for detail and let nothing be missed. The health of the business and the opportunity for repeat customers depends on it.
And as for this 'Moblogging' thing... Not too bad. I'll give it another go after the swelling in my thumbs goes down. :)
I fondly remember my first apartment I shared with my friend Darrell. It was a small, one bedroom place on the second floor located in Southwest Arlington, Texas. Darrell and I were both in our late teens and figured we'd make the arrangements work out no matter how uncomfortable. 'Uncomfortable' included sleeping every other night on the couch, not owning a vacuum, eating off paper plates, stocking the fridge with Shiner Bock beer and bologna, and wiping the word privacy from my vocabulary for some time to come. Those days were a blast, truth be told, but eventually Darrell and I partied ourselves into an eviction notice and out of our first apartment. It was time to move on to bigger, better and more mature. Not to mention better choices of meals. Shiner Bock and bologna sandwiches can only carry a guy so far.
This same situation is what has happened to me in a blogging sense. I have been writing somewhat regularly for a year or so over at Libsyn.com. Libsyn is primarily a podcasting host with the added ability to post blogs along with those podcasts. While very efficient at the podcasting, the blogging tools at Libsyn were lacking and I needed a cleaner presentation. So, the time has come to pack up, shake hands with my former 'roommate' and move on to bigger better and more mature. Typepad, here I am, suitcases in hand.
Those of you who haven't read my blogs before, I'll attempt to move some of them over to this new site. I primarily write about customer service, good and bad, and how I believe it can be improved. I'm convinced there is always room for improvement no matter how much a company touts its customer service skills (Starbucks, you are SO the target of my next rant!) and I do my best to call attention to these opportunities. Also, I CRAVE feedback and stories from others about their experiences. I like to discuss the nuts and bolt of these experiences, learn why they happen and try to figure out ways to repair them. I like the dialogue. I like the discussion. I like the sense of community that these discussions create.
So, that's what I've got for today. I'll save my Starbucks rant for another day (PREVIEW: I visited a Starbucks with (gasp) NO COFFEE brewed!) and hope that readers will come back for more. Meanwhile, pardon the mess while I unpack and get settled in. I hope you like what I do with the place!
Best regards and happy reading,
George W. Daye, III
Founder/President
BarServ Mystery Shopping Services
