Thursday, June 30, 2011

Business Advice

To all businesses, small and large; to all CEO's, Presidents, Owners, and Managers; to all who are listening with intentions of opening up shop:

One must respond to each and every inquiry. Whether it be advice, suggestion, complaint, request, or compliment-- respond. Whether the customer's word arrives to you by email, snail mail or voice mail, proper protocol says response and/or contact must be made within 48 hours, no matter how large or small the correspondence is, or from whom it comes.

Companies with really stellar customer service already practicing this: (I've had personal success with each one.)

Lantern Moon ( Knitting needles tarnished, they sent new ones immediately.)

Life is Good (Sent one knitted sock and a letter. I promised to send matching sock once they hired me. They did not hire me, but I did receive a call from an executive applauding my knittig capability.)

American Airlines (Had terrible difficulty obtaining a ticket to Grenada; they stepped in on behalf of Orbitz and took care of ordeal.)

Cold Stone Creamery (Just a letter about how I adore cake batter ice cream and was saddened to exit the freeway on a road trip because I saw a Cold Stone Sign but the business had since vacated.)

Response within a timely manner allows for positive reputation and continued patronage. And if you do not have the time or inclination to respond to every piece of correspondence you receive, then hire someone specifcally for this task. Please and Thank you.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Daydream

The woman at the counter attempts to make happy, summer small-talk, they way any well-trained Starbucks barista does.
"Pick a number between one and 10," she commands. I think this relates to something the two coffee experts on shift just read in Oprah Magazine, but I can't be sure because all I can think aobut is picking up a roasted corn and bag of coconut turnovers on the way to La Sagesse.
Island life dictates every thought, at least in my head, these days. Even a coffee order is a distant second to the snacks one can purchase along the streets in Grenada.

Daydream

The woman at the counter attempts to make happy, summer small-talk, they way any well-trained Starbucks barista does.
"Pick a number between one and 10," she commands. I think this relates to something the two coffee experts on shift just read in Oprah Magazine, but I can't be sure because all I can think aobut is picking up a roasted corn and bag of coconut turnovers on the way to La Sagesse.
Island life dictates every thought, at least in my head, these days. Even a coffee order is a distant second to the snacks one can purchase along the streets in Grenada.

Monday, June 27, 2011

No Ugly Scarves, Please

"What would you like for your birthday this year?" asked her aunt.
The girl thought a moment or two.
"Gainful employment; more sun; a book deal; a great shade of roseberry lipstick; an Italian Chopped Salad from Trader Joe's."
The girl smiled after reciting her list. She had just purchased the lipstick and the salad. Two out of five, she thought, now that's not bad. Happy Birthday to me.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

little dancing rhinos


"The thing about beauty is that it will be there, shiny and quiet, whether you see it or not. So aren't you lucky to see what you saw today?" asks the ballerina rhinoceros piroetting and plieing away ...
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