Customer Service Comparison - Pizza Style

I recently had the occasion to order pizza twice in the last two weeks (which is a rarity in my life).  Both times the pizza came from national chains, but only one does any type of significant advertising in my area.  I could change the names to protect the innocent, but I won't.

My first call was nearly 2 weeks ago exactly, and it was to Poppa John's.  It was a call in order, single pizza, nothing especially challenging.  The time when I called in the order was not during the height of any meal rush, and I was going to to the store to pick it up.  The person on the other end of the line answered with the single word "ThankYouforcallingPoppaJohn'sMayIHelpYou".
"What specials are going on right now please?"
"Umm, <very fast delivery of 2 specials that were said without a pause or breath anywhere>"
From what I gathered, I wasn't interested in either of the specials (what I heard of them), therefore I told the person on the other end of the phone my pizza order, they responded with "Name?" -- I told them my name, then "That'll be $$, and ready in 10 minutes.  Thank you" <click>

The feeling that I got was that there was a time crunch in that person's life - they got the order right, but it wasn't confirmed with me to make sure of that.  There was no offer to tell me what the specials were, no real interaction that couldn't have been done online just as well, in other words - get the order, tell the price and timeframe, and get off the phone.  Nothing particularly wrong with that approach, but there just wasn't enough right about it either.

My second call was last Friday, and it was to my local Poppa Murphy's.  I can say that Poppa Murphy's doesn't do any TV/radio advertising in my area, so I don't know if other people are aware of them.  They are a take and bake pizza shop, so they'll make the pizza for you, but it's up to you to cook it yourself.  So they do put some of the work onto the customer, which means they might not be for everyone/every occasion.

Again, this was a call in order, wasn't going to be a single pizza since I was feeding the entire family this time., and it was closer to the dinnertime rush on a Friday, but wasn't at the height of it (maybe 4:15/4:30).  This conversation went a bit differently.  "Hey, this is Mike at Poppa Murphy's, what can I get for you today?"
"Mike, before I order, what's the specials going on today?"
"I'm glad you asked, we have our large one topping pizza for $$, and we have one that we just created called the Chive.   It's got (and I wish I could remember everything, but I remember chicken, chives, olives and pineapple), which I know sounds strange - but it's become our favorite here in the store."
"That does sound interesting, but I don't think my kids will be willing to give that a try."
"Really, how old are your kids?"
"They're X and Y"
"Yeah, at that age they probably aren't quite ready for that kind of taste adventure, but if you get it, they can pick off what they don't like and you can get extra, right?"
"Well, the wife and I were going to either do the chicken/bacon/artichoke . ."
"ooh that's a great one - it's our third best seller"
"or the garlic chicken and spinach"
"That is a tough choice.  Would it be easier if I suggested getting one family size, and I'll have them do half of the pizza with each of those two choices?"
"Winning - we'll go that route.  So for the kids we'll do the once topping pepperoni, and a Greek salad."
"I can do that..."
The rest of the conversation dealt with how much it was, and what time would I like to pick it up.

That was the kind of conversation I'd expect from a sit down restaurant from a waiter or waitress, not the person taking my pizza order over the phone, and it's one of the main reasons I keep ordering from Poppa Murphy's.  (Well that and the pizza is extremely good.)  That welcoming spirit was also found at the store when I went to pick up the pizza - I didn't see the person who does the phone work, but each of the people behind the counter really made me feel welcome, even when I discovered I had to add one item to my order at the last minute.  Where they shone isn't that they got the order right, but they made sure they got it right for me.  They interacted with me, I wasn't just a voice on the other end of the phone, and as such - they keep getting my business, even if I have to cook the pizzas myself.

So for those who are in the selling/service/support position, and if you have a job - make no mistake about it - you are in one of those positions - are you doing what it takes to fulfill the job requirements, or are you actively taking care of your customers?  If you're taking care of your customers, they will continue to take care of you.

Thanks Mike for making me want to order from Poppa Murphy's again, and again.

Know the difference, show the difference

There is a fine line between the phrase "outstanding in his field" and "out standing in his field".  Both imply visibility, but only one implies production.  Don't confuse the two, and don't mislead yourself that you're doing one, when you're actually doing the other.

A quick shoutout of gratitude for some unsung workers

Those who work in the mortuary business are special people.  I cannot imagine what it takes to receive in a body, no matter what the age, race, sex, or physical condition - and prepare it for both viewing and burial.  We live in a society where death is rather widely exposed, from CSI:wherever, to Bones, to Dr G: Medical Examiner.  So many shows where death is either a reason for the show, or a byproduct.

My coworkers funeral was today, and it's still not fully set in yet.  Not the first funeral I've been to, nor will it be my last.  The service was well done, and yet - as in most things - it was the behind the scenes attention to detail that made it go as well as it did.  To have your profession to be the preparation and processing of loved ones, and still have the skill to deal with the grieving still living family, it (I feel) takes a special sort of person to do it, and do it well.

Hopefully less morbid thoughts will be coming soon.  But a big thank you to those who do the jobs that need to be done, even when they aren't the glamour-filled professions that others flock to.

So, driving while talking on the phone isn't a big deal?

Last Friday, I was working from home, we were short staffed because half the team had gone to a meeting in another city.  One of the people who stayed to work was a good guy named Larry.  We made quite a bit of fun about Larry, because he had more fender benders than everyone else in the department combined.  But they were all 15 mph incidents or less, basically you just didn't want to park anywhere near him.  On the road, he was fine.  Larry was rebuilding a BMW in his spare time, tracking down original parts online, because he wanted his car to be authentic, no aftermarket parts, everything that would have been on the car when it rolled off of the production line.

Larry was a very personable guy, he knew everyone, their cousin, their cousin's dog, and their cousin's dog's cousin.  The other joke about Larry was that he was at work 9 hours a day, but at his desk only 5 of those hours, because he'd be talking to someone either on the way to, at, or back from the coffee shop at work.  He'd give you the shirt off of his back, help you find a great deal on anything you might be looking for, and then help you move it/install it/test whatever it was out.

Last Friday, as I was saying, I was working from home, and noticed that Larry had not made it back from lunch, and was rather late, about forty-five minutes late.  I messaged the people who were at the office asking if they'd seen him.  "Oh you know Larry, he's probably at the coffee shop".  Two hours late, and we're emailing our manager and leads to see if anyone's heard from Larry.  A call to his cell phone went to voice mail, so we knew nothing.

Three hours late, we get an email saying that there's been an accident.  No details at this time, but Larry's been airlifted to the hospital.  Three hours later, I get a call to get on a bridgeline concerning Larry.

Yesterday we get the full story of what happened.  Larry was riding his motorcycle back from lunch, and was making a left hand turn with the light across the local highway, one hundred yards from the entrance to work.  Someone coming from the other direction was having a rather animated discussion on their cellphone, and didn't see that their light had changed.  The impact threw Larry a good sixty feet.  He was wearing full safety gear, helmet, jacket, boots, etc....., but needless to say those only work where the only impact is between the rider and the ground.

We expect the service to be later this week.  There's a reason there are bumper stickers that say things like "Hang Up and Drive".  I hope the conversation was worth it - because there are parents this week who are burying their only child, who was only twenty-six years old, because of it.

Bowlmor/AMF versus Independent Houses part 1

There was a recent post on G+ that I responded to where I expressed my observations about the Bowlmor corporate philosophy change of AMF centers.  This is actually something I've been following in various forums ever since Bowlmor took over AMF, and it's been interesting to see the changes and how those changes have been received.

To bring everyone up to speed . . .  well . . . I'll let the Press Release bring everyone up to speed about the technical parts of the merger.  What I'm more interested in addressing is how Bowlmor is implementing/has implemented it's philosophy of upscale bowling lounges across the scope of the AMF landscape.  This is certainly not new, Bowlmor is one of several groups that have moved towards the 'urban bowling center' (Lucky Strike Lanes, Garage Bowl, Sunset Lanes are other examples of this movement) that are trying to redefine bowling as hip, chic, and trendy.  There are positives to their business plan and practices, else they wouldn't have the capital to come out on top of AMF in the merger.  My question is:  does their business plan and practice really scale well to the number of centers that they've just acquired?  My initial observations in listening to people directly impacted on the forums, and reading the news articles from various local news agencies across the nation, is that their niche that worked well in smaller, more intimate settings are having problems in dealing with 36+ lane houses, or areas of the country that are not quite metropolitan enough for that level of 'trendiness'.

So what are you studying?

Many times I've heard the phrase "if you're not learning, you're not growing", or some variation thereof.  There are dozens of one liners that apply here, but one liners lack one fundamental element -- direction.  I can read the Wonderwall blog and fulfill the criteria for "Leaders are Readers", but only if I'm trying to lead in an extremely narrow field.

So then, if we were to expand on the one liners, how about "Diverse Leaders consistently do Diverse Reading."  What have you read to move the horizon a bit further away?  What new thoughts, opinions, or viewpoints have you gotten recently due to reading?  How many genres do you follow?  Do they tie in with your current interests, your current career, your future career?

Who I'm reading this month, in no particular order:

Tim Dorsey
Glen Cook
David Drake
Robert Asprin
Steven Brust
Richard Feynman
Ken Robinson
Seth Godin
Paul Grahm
Ryan Holiday
James Altucher
Bernadette Jiwa
Dean Hinitz
Mark Baker
Richard N. Bolles
Tom Rath
Henry Rollins

Many of these are re-reads for me, some are things that I'm reading for the first time.  All of them touch on a facet of my life that I'm either interested in, or interested in improving.  How about once a day, or even four times a week, opening up and reading a book or e-book that makes you think, makes you ponder something new and fresh?

If I could come up with something to write about

As I sit here, a mug of Earl Grey tea beside me, crackers awaiting my cheese and pepperoni topping, I look at a blank screen and think "If I could only come up with something to write about".  The warm smell of the tea, the combination of the sweet cheese and spice of the pepperoni is making my mouth water - awaiting that first bite as a reward for getting started.  But it's not getting started that's the problem, it's narrowing down what to talk about really, there are so many things that leap out at me.

I look at my sketchpad, full of drawings of furniture, of rooms, of architecture that I've seen that inspires me.  Diagrams of the bunk beds that I've designed for my kids, built exactly to fit in the spaces that I have in their rooms.  The changes I want to make to the house, each room drawn out in detail, fully in discord with my wife's design ideas.  It's nice that I've drawn these things out, really it is - but anything that involves the house really needs to be drawn up and run by a professional in these things.  Your designs are too intricate, not generic enough, all I wanted when I suggested bunk beds was "this".  Yet "this" came from a factory overseas, is built out of faux wood, and won't be a legacy to my kids.  It doesn't have the permanence that I look for, nor the feeling of "I saw it in my mind, I drew it out, my kids and I worked together to make it, and it's something special."  Wood grain veneer over pressboard has no soul, no matter how 'sculpted' you can make it.  The desks I've designed for drafting, the workshop and computer rooms that are cozy yet functional, the bookshelves . . .

I glance up from my sketchpad, and look at the shelves that hold part of my book collection.  It's not much at the moment, my other bookcases are still with my relatives.  These only hold the books that I've collected since I've bought this house, maybe thirty to forty books.  One day I'll finish the basement, and have my boxes of books come back to me, greeting them like the old friends that they are.  I'm ashamed that I haven't devoted more time to getting them back, but life has a way of making it's own demands.  In my sketchbook I've got the room built, everything in a honeyed oak, a circular room with bookshelves around the outside wall, only broken by windows that a man could stand in if he so desired.  Inside there's a second circular reading area, on a platform that is reached by three footbridges, with a handrail that gives that solid sturdy feeling but doesn't intrude on the eye.  This is a room for old friends, both human and books, where conversations can be had, tales can be spun, drinks shared, and lives both real and read can be revisited.

I think back on the phrase, "since I've bought this house", because even though I live here, I can't say I've bought it -- not yet.  So few people actually can say that without being caught in the lie of our lifetime.  Who can say that we actually own anything of significant value anymore?  Our homes are not our own, unless we've made thirty years of payments on it, and even then we've paid so much more into it than we had originally designed.  We so need to have things now, and somethings rightfully so, that we'll gladly wind up paying multiple times the actual cost of the thing - just to have it right then.

But enough of that mental diversion, it generally leads to more dark economic philosophical thoughts, and those generally don't make my stomach set well, and it's quite ready for the happiness of cheese and pepperoni crackers.  So I look around some more, and my eyes light on my bowling ball collection.  Each one has a story, each one reminds me of some aspect of my bowling life.  That row of balls came into my hands when I traded two classic balls that had never been drilled for eight that had been drilled one time.  The next row down is the entire line that came out in 2005 from that one ballmaker, it took a while to get all of them.  That was back before my kids came along, and I had free time and money to spend.

I hear a thump above me, one of them has gotten out of bed and headed for a call of nature.  It'll be a coin flip as to whether they go back to bed, or come down here to see where Daddy is.  I look at their pictures, and reaffirm that they're what my daily life is all about.  They're in school, and tomorrow is a school day, and I've got to set the example for them each and every day - about learning, about reading, about facing those things that you don't like.  Now that both are students, I've got to be a student again.  I've let my brain be lax for far too long, and it shows up in many different ways.  I've got to be willing to get back into learning, growing, stretching for new goals, new dreams.  It's no longer a point of wishing, because wishing is pointless, it's passive - nothing really comes of wishing.  It's about actively dreaming, setting designs, making goals, getting past the first step - and the thirtieth step - and the one hundredth step.  They can't complain about reading and answering questions if Daddy's doing it every day as well.

But first, I've got to come up with something to write about, every day.  Whether or not anyone ever reads it, or finds it interesting, shares it, believes it, it doesn't matter -- if I don't set the example, what example will they follow?  If I'm not walking the same walk I ask of them, if I'm not being respectable - how can I expect them to respect me?  Dreams have never been the issue, plans have never been the issue, goals have never been the issue -- keeping the nose to the proverbial grindstone, that's been the issue.  Fighting through the molehills that seem like mountains, taking the temporary fix over the permanent solution.  This is not the legacy that I want to leave for my kids, it's not the legacy that I want for my name.  I don't want them to come across my sketchpad, look at it and wonder "why were these never built?  Was this all that he was?"

So many dreams, so many goals, so much to say, so much to share.  So many days that went by where no progress was made - and months where ground was lost.  But little steps forward add up to miles if given enough time, and enough consistency.  So there will be a lot of topics, a lot of viewpoints, a variety of subjects, some will make sense - some might not.  I could potentially be completely off base on some - but I'll be learning everyday, and everything will improve

Because I'm finding things to write about, every day.

Bowling - a Sign and Philosophy I'd love to see in more Centers

Bowling - a Sign and Philosophy I'd love to see in more Centers

The Management and Staff of this facility reserve the right to be In/En- your business.

Inform - about specials, leagues, open bowling, and tournaments.

Encourage - we enjoy your successes on the lanes, and will be behind you when the lanes are being more challenging.

Enlighten - sometimes it just takes that little bit of shared wisdom to turn a OK game into a far better game.

Involve - there are youth programs, tournaments, and leagues happening daily/nightly to accommodate most schedules.  If you don't see one that fits your schedule, ask - enough interest and we can make one.

Instruction - with private or group lessons, pointers, from beginners to advanced players, our coaches can help improve any one's game.  We want you to be competitive no matter what center you bowl in.

Enable you - to take this wonderful sport of bowling as far as you elect to go with it.

We want to be In-/En- your business, so that you'll be wanting to stay in ours.