Customer service - how to and how not to

My biggest client - a company called Rackspace - are absolutely passionate about customer service. In fact, if you ask what they do, they'll tell you they deliver Fanatical Support. The IT Hosting bit comes very much second. Being surrounded by all this customer love has taught me a thing or two. It has also made me a lot less tolerent of companies who forget that customers ultimately pay their wages.

A couple of recent examples. I was trying to pay for three pairs of various footwear in SportsDirect (yes, three pairs... having a small boy interested in sport is a very expensive affair!). It had been something of a drama getting this far in the store as there is never anyone around to assist in finding you the right size, but at last we'd got to the point of passing over cash. Except, we hadn't quite. The queue was about 10 deep with one till open. Don't get me wrong, they weren't short staffed. There were a couple of other girls behind the till tidying up hangers and security tags - because as we all know, that is far more important a task than serving paying customers. To cut a long story short (because this was just the start of the whole sorry affair!), I ended up practically leading a rebellion of angry customers and giving them lessons in how to create a pleasing customer experience (this from the girl who wouldn't say boo to a goose for the first 30 or so years of her life!). The only reason I didn't walk out was because my son had broken his trainers and needed them for school the next morning. I shan't be shopping there again any time this century.

Then, on Sunday, my Broadband suddenly stopped working. This in itself is annoyance enough, but your heart sinks after 10 minutes of no miraculous repair and you realise you are going to have to phone Sky Technical Support. After you've been through the maze of press 2 for this, 4 for that, 1 for the other, and 5 for will someone please just answer the ****** phone, you are then through the labotomised operative who, no matter what you tell them you already know, will insist on going through a set procedure. They will then diagnose a fault with the exchange which they don't know when will be repaired. Call back later and you'll find your ticket closed (with no repair), so you have to go through the whole procedure again.... and again.... and again..... No matter how many times you tell them you've already tried switching the router off and on, they are unable to move to the next question without an answer. The second time we called, it was a fault with our machine. The third time it had moved back to the exchange, the fourth it was clear that they just making it up as they went along, by the fifth attempt I had packed my screwdriver and was on my way down there to fix the thing myself.

At no point in either of these two examples did any member of staff take ownership, admit there was a problem and use their brains to solve it.

OK rant over. We are back on Broadband but Sky lost us as a customer - not just Broadband, but TV and phone too.



Bit of a stark contrast to the BMW dealership. I went in to buy a new key - which is probably the cheapest thing in there (but still £126!). I was also worried I had a bit of an oil leak and wondered if any of the mechanics could check it out for me. Despite the fact that I was clearly not going to be parting with £40k for a new motor, I was still greeted by a smiling lady who plied me with proper coffee from a fancy machine and cake and sorted my son out an X-Box to play with, while I waited to be served in a comfy chair with a fresh newspaper. As there was a bit of a wait (ooh, at lest 5 minutes) because I'd picked a busy time, she popped back to let me know they hadn't forgotten me and make sure I was OK.

It's just a shame they don't sell trainers or supply Broadband...

Run music draw clean create hula

I wonder is it possible to multi-task to the extent that one can paint, exercise, listen to music and type a blog post simultaneously? It's what I'm trying to do right now. Inevitably I'm getting in a bit of tangle with limbs flailing in all directions. I've also just bought an adult hula hoop but, perhaps fortunately, have to wait for delivery. I realised that trying to hula with a child's hoop that cost £1 from Tesco was probably the equivalent of attempting to ride a bicycle meant for a 5-year-old. I love hula hooping. I used to be pretty good at it. Well, I could keep it going for ages and performed the odd trick. I've decided that I'll have a go at something a bit fancier that might trim a few inches off the waistline in an enjoyable fashion.

What? At 41? Well, hey why not? A friend has just taken up roller derby (although she is a lot younger than me....).

Has anyone invented a swimming pool tank that works like a treadmill? I'd quite like me one of those.

A google moment later...

Oh my.... someone has invented one! Shame it costs £8k and I don't have anywhere to put it!

This piece of art is a result of multi-tasking too - but don't worry, I wasn't jogging or cooking dinner. I like slinging down backgrounds then seeing what wants to happen next. This is another of same set I made a few weeks ago. The round stamped pattern (now barely visible) was the catalyst for a daisy middle.

For Sunday Sketches.

Strange post this. I think I've been drinking too much coffee.

Her life followed a pattern

If you read my previous post you'll have noticed several things.

The first is that I love reading, the second that I was rather excited about painting over text. So thrilled in fact that I decided to do it again. They do say that there's a story behind every face after all, so I took a literal interpretation. I took a piece of patterned scrapbook paper, added some romantic novel and painted a picture.

Who is she? Well, she's a girl that follows a pattern... What kind of pattern? Does she always fall for the wrong sort of man? The kind that breaks hearts as easy as dry twigs on a forest floor? Does she give up before she ever gets started? Does she procrastinate and miss every moment? Is she afraid of living? No, it's nothing so dramatic I'm afraid. She just likes to dye her hair all the colours of the rainbow. This month it's pink, replacing August's orange. (I'm expecting October will be wicked witch green for Halloween).

Posting for Paint Party Friday & Inspiration Avenue's Pattern theme.

Mysterious goings on...

Have you ever wondered what happens to the characters in a book when you close the last page? Do they actually sail off into the proverbial sunset living in a state of perpetual bliss or are they perhaps destined to just begin again at page 1?

Imagine being Cathy and Heathcliff and having to relive that nightmare existence over and over and over? How many times has poor little Oliver had to ask for more? For Scarlett tomorrow would never come and Bridget Jones... well, could her liver cope with that much wine?

Every time we read these stories our imaginations bring each character to life. We give them soul and meaning. We take their hand and lift them from words to create our own picture. We create life only to shut it away once we've drunk our fill of joy and sorrow, exhileration, passion and despair.

One day maybe they will revolt. Will Elizabeth Bennett mysteriously take real form from the words on the page dragging Darcy in her wake then dive into a copy of Dracula to add some bite to their life? I'd have to caution Miss Jones from entering Wuthering Heights. Heathcliffe is just the sort of wrong man she'd fall for! And Peter Rabbit should avoid the Fantastic Mr Fox for obvious reasons. Alice and the Hatter would be sure to have fun at Hogwarts and I'm sure that Sauron and Voldemort would have a great deal in common!

Or, once free, these characters may just prefer to hang out in the 21st Century spending time analysing our behaviour for a change - especially those who are the favoured texts of examiners. Frankenstein might be only to pleased to have a chance to explain why he is so misunderstood...

The idea for this post came from when this mysterious lady started taking shape from the pages of a romantic novel... She's for Illustration Friday's Mysterious theme. I rather like this whole train of thought. Think I'll do some more... Watch this space!

The sun will come out...

Tomorrow...

Of course it will, for is not tomorrow Monday when we are back at work?

Tomorrow is of course another day. Tomorrow is hope and promise, but it's also most decidedly not to be trusted. Who has put off until tomorrow what they could have done today, only to find out that tomorrow had other plans for you?

Tomorrow has this clever way of making you feel safe. "It's OK, I'll do it tomorrow" has a touch of the Groundhog day about it, for how often has tomorrow never actually arrived - being forever the proverbial day away?

Tomorrow is in cahoots with 'too late' - partners in crime stealing your destiny and giving it to others who grab today by its hooves and ride off into the sunset of success.

Tomorrow is the Dark Side seducing you with indolence today only to blast you with regret later.

If I didn't listen to tomorrow so often I wouldn't have to worry about it so much.

What is tomorrow for you? A Sunday Scribble written today!

Beach treasure

Who can resist combing the sandy shore for treasure? Not me! Though I've never quite been lucky enough to find a shell of this size to stick in my bucket.

This Summer I brought home from Greece a teeny tiny bag full of teeny tiny shells that I thought I would include in my art at some point. When the IA challenge this week was 'beach treasure' you would think that this presented the ideal opportunity... Alas, I only remembered the teeny tiny bag as I was writing the accompaniment to this shell sketch that I'd done instead! I do worry about my memory sometimes.

Far too much time lately is spent searching for the 'thing I had in my hand just a moment ago'. Do you think perhaps there's some sort of mischief sprite in the house that delights in hiding things the moment your back is turned? We certainly have a knot fairy in residence. My son just showed me what she'd been up to last night. That little scamp visits us every evening and puts knots in computer cables, necklace chains, phone chargers and anything else stringy she can get her little hands on. We've yet to catch her in the act... but beware little madam we are on your case... it's only a matter of time!

Now, what was I doing? Oh yes, writing a post about beachcombing!

Never mind. This will do.

For Sunday Sketches too.

Topsy Turvey

Season of mists and fellow fruitfulness.... that'll be Summer then.

Autumn dawns with unbroken blue skies and temperatures reaching the 20s for the first time in weeks. What's occuring?

I feel a bit topsy turvy myself at the moment.

There are so many things I want to achieve right now: courses to take, assignments to finish, work to complete, adventures with my family, words to write and painting itching to see the light of day. I'm so excited. I just can't get enough. I am a growing, learning and creative wild woman! Then sometimes it all gets too much to contemplate and I just go to bed.

Goddess Leonie says that "The energy is a bit of a bucking bronco at the moment. Everything will be okay, we are just going through a shift". It certainly feels like the Universe is playing funny games with me. Is it behaving for you?

This painting attemped to capture the topsy turvey weather. Those moments of mystical light when the storm clouds gather, brooding and heavy but the sun still sneaks through a gap and illuminates almost from beneath. That was the general idea anyway and I thought sunflowers were just perfect! Posting for Paint Party Friday (on Thursday - see, told you I was all at sixes and sevens!).

Now, what shall I do next? Art or go to bed?