You Can Have An Effect - Sometimes You Just Need A Reminder

So yesterday I had to take my Ford Explorer back into the dealership for service. I have had a leak that despite multiple attempts to fix it hasn't been fixed. Yesterday I had had enough after seeing the rather large pool of fluid sitting on my garage floor yesterday morning. I had a very full morning and a lunch meeting but decided that I was going to go out to the dealership and raise some hell.

I was mad driving out there. It's bad enough that the dealership is somewhat of a drive for me but I have been out there so much over the past year that the service advisers no longer need to ask me for my name so they can fill out their service ticket. They are a very nice group but the simple fact was I was angry at having to see them again and it was putting me "in a mood."

My regular service adviser was not in when I arrived but the gentleman that helped me was very nice. He immediately sensed my frustration and offered to delay my day no further and offered me a rental car. My blood pressure calmed a bit and I appreciated his proactive approach to at least helping make my bad situation better in some small way. He pointed me to the waiting area and asked me to "make myself comfortable" until the rental car agent could come by and bring me my car. I remember thinking 'great, waiting around with nothing to do.'

I arrived in the waiting room to find a older man sitting in the chairs watching Dr. Phil. He wore a black baseball cap that indicated he had fought in both World War Two and Korea. He had brought old "Bessie," his Ford 250 horse hauling truck in to have the mirror replaced. Apparently his son and law couldn't handle such a powerful beast as Bessie and he sideswiped a mailbox with the mirror, breaking it.

He and I exchanged a few pleasantries and some ongoing commentary about the crazy beauty pageant ladies who were being counseled by Dr. Phil. He was a delightful man full of spark and personality and seemed to enjoy the company. He moved a few chairs closer to "visit" and I suspect to hear a little bit better.

He told me about living on a small little spec of land out yonder and how his truck had seen many a mile of this great state. Not a lick of problems with that "old Ford"; I wish I could be so lucky. We could have made polite chit chat for the rest of the time but I decided to ask about his hat.

His eyes lit up when I asked about his hat and his apparent service in our military. He sat up straighter, spoke stronger and almost seemed to take on a completely different personality altogether. He told me he had joined the Navy in 1944 because it was his only option out of the cotton fields. He spun stories of all his adventures both state side and beyond and spoke of some of the action his crew had seen but oddly didn't seem to want to talk about much of that.

He left the service in 1948 in hopes of making a better life for himself. He went to refrigeration school in Dallas and did well but soon found his job prospects somewhat limited. He rejoined the military but this time in the Army. He met his wife and was shipped off overseas to "fight the fight."

He simply transformed as he talked to me. Apparently he said he suffered from post traumatic syndrome and the "boys in his unit" thought him crazy. He claimed he wasn't crazy but just scared. The night terrors as he described them were almost unbearable and he was eventually given his walking papers and sent on back home to Texas. The sparkle seemed to trickle out of his eyes at that point; replaced by some barely noticeable tears.

"Here I've been ever since," he said almost apologetically.

I could have stayed and talked with him for hours. He was fascinating. To me it seemed like he hadn't had much of a chance to talk to anyone about what we shared in those few precious moments. It seemed really, really good for him and I was so glad that I had asked about his hat. Thinking back it could have been so easy to ignore what is obviously a powerful connection point to him and his life. What a shame that would have been!

As the rental car lady tapped me on the shoulder, I stood up and thanked him. I thanked him for his service to our country and for doing his duty and told him I was truly glad to know him. Big tears welled up in his eyes and he mumbled something barely audible. I asked him to repeat it but he looked down as if embarrassed by whatever he had said. He held my hand with a firm grip and said, "Nice talking with you fella."

It was nice talking with you too!

Think you can't make an impact on someone's day? I am glad my Ford (Fix Or Repair Daily - no joke!) had a problem and that I was led to that waiting area yesterday afternoon. Even the Ripple guy needs a wake up call and reminder every now and then.

Have a great weekend my friends.

Ripple On!!!

Presidential Candidates Need Gas.....Plan That Is

Political season is in full swing. Promises are being made. Babies are being kissed. Politicians are up on stages telling all of us how bad we've got it and how they hold the coveted secret to fixing all that ales us.

Rather than grandstanding about what our current administration has or hasn't done, I would like to hear just one presidential candidate talk about an issue that burns me every week or so....gas prices.

This is not a political BLOG and for the most part I try and stay agnostic when it comes to such things as politics and religion. However with this particular issue, I am deeply concerned with the economic impact that it will continue to have on our country. Yes my friends if we continue to feel it at the pump you can be sure it will affect how quickly our economy truly does dive headlong into the dark recesses of the recession-esq pool.

When the Iraq war began and prices shot up over $ 2.00 here in Texas people were outraged. Every other day I would get an email from some protesting friend asking me to boycott this gas company or that gas company. We could, as with most customer satisfaction issues, likely get the attention of these often greedy gas companies by deciding how and where to vote with our dollar. Some people did it but most didn't and today we quietly continue to pay the ridiculous increase while secretly cursing the companies at the pump.

I remember telling my wife at the time that once the country was groomed to pay higher prices the prices would never go down. I truly believed that once they had us over a particular price point and there was no national revolt, there would be nothing to stop them from putting forth increase after increase. Six years later there's talk of the national average for gas hovering around $ 4.00 this summer and how these gas prices are continuing to drive up everything from the groceries on the table to how much more we will pay for our jeas. Like I said, there's nothing stopping them and oddly enough, there's no one presidential candidate really talking about it.

Don't get me wrong I understand what drives the gas prices. But when our country fights so hard to protect many oil producing countries, you think we would be entitled to some good buddy discount or something. Or at minimum, quit shoving it in my face that this gas company CEO or that gas company CEO gets a multi-million dollar bonus or golden parachute when he or she retires. But alas that doesn't happen in the real world and those of us who depend on our cars for our living just have to suck it up and find the extra coin to continue driving. I wonder if McDonald's is still hiring for third shift?

It just seems to me that if these presidential candidates were really concerned with mapping out the direction the country is going to go they might just consider how many of us can afford to pay our own way to meet them there. Otherwise, I hope there's some extra room on their fancy buses to give me an my family a ride. A week with my crew might just make lowering gas prices agenda item number one for our newly minted Commander in Chief.

But like Dennis Miller always says, "Hey that's just my opinion. I could be wrong."

Ripple On!!!

I Don't Talk To Customers!

Imagine your co-worker or employee picking up the phone and on the other end of the line is one of your customers in need of help. After a short explanation as to why they are calling your employee responds by saying "Wait a minute your a customer? I don't talk to customers."

Hard to believe? Well it just happened to one of my friends/clients a few weeks ago. What's even more distressing is that a customer service representative from the bank he was calling actually forwarded this poor guy to this person's extension for advanced help. Imagine his shock when that was the response he received. As you can imagine the conversation and the banking relationship proceeded to quickly decline from there.

Talk about a Ripple Effect of poor customer service. I would say that people surprise me but that is rarely the case these days. Situations like this happen every day in every industry. If you don't think it happens in yours, look closer.

There are many ways one could say this bank is to blame. Perhaps they hired the wrong person. Maybe they should have better equipped customer service reps to handle all conceivable issues so needless forwarding of customers for second level help never occurs. Or maybe, just maybe, customers and the importance of them wasn't explained to an employee buried beneath the bowels of the organization. Rest assured if it wasn't properly explained to that employee then it likely wasn't properly explained to a lot more employees who might encounter a customer.

Whatever the issue is one thing is for sure, this bank likely lost a successful growing company as a result of it. I know for a fact I won't ever do business with them! No one in an organization should ever feel comfortable to say I don't talk to customers. Regardless of position, responsibility, seniority, department, whatever....Everyone within an organization is in customer service.

I mentioned a few days ago about checking your common sense for understanding. Perhaps in building upon that point I should ask:

Does everyone at your company know that the customer is the single most important reason they receive a little thing called a paycheck? And with that paycheck comes a responsibility to both the organization and its customers to step up to the plate and help whenever they are called upon to do so.

If your answer is no (or hmmm I am not sure) then we should really talk.

Manners Will Take You Far

My youngest son Josh came home the other night armed with something for his older brother Zachary. I am not exactly sure of the circumstances as to why Josh extended this advice to his big brother (surly it was on the heels of being picked on which is the older brother/younger brother daily drama) but it was certainly something that was memorable.

"Zach Miss Dee Dee says that bad manners will take you no where. But good manners, well Zach they can take you far."

For the entire weekend we had the pleasure of Josh repeating his newly learned pearls of wisdom over and over again. But it was more than just a quote that he had learned from his amazing pre-k teacher, it was how he delivered it that continues to warm my heart this morning. He says it with absolute conviction and he means it. So much so that when he found himself being a little rude to his mom yesterday he caught himself and said sorry and then proceeded to repeat the phrase.

Though the advice likely went in one ear and out the other of his older brother, it wasn't lost on me. It just reminds me that no matter the circumstances, if there are other people around, you should always remember your manners. You just have no idea what doors your politeness might open for you.

Thanks Miss Dee Dee for creating a unbelievable Ripple for Joshua. I can assure you he has taken it to heart as have I. I hope those of you who read this will too!

Ripple On!!!