It is becoming increasingly more common these days when dealing with a company such as your cable, your insurance or a purchase, that you may be calling a large service center or emailing the company. Here are some guidelines.
First, always put identifying information on the subject line of any emails. These could be your name or your account number. This lets them identify your account and if you continue to email back and forth, to differentiate you from every other email they may get that day. Putting Highland Ave on the subject line may let you know it is your Highland Ave house but if the email right after you says Highland St as the subject line, this could lead to you getting wrong information. Try instead putting something like Jane Doe, Highland Ave, #1315656.
Do not put sensitive information such as your social security number or passwords. This is intended to identify you; not put you at risk.
Second, when emailing to a company, it is a good idea to be polite and precise in your initial emails. Requests that come filled with profanity or threats are rarely going to get you the result you want. Always start by being polite and saying what it is you want from them. This is especially true if you are asking them to make an exception to their company policy.
The same rules of politeness apply when calling a company. Start off by identifying yourself such as providing the name on the account or the number. Let them know what the situation is and what they should do to resolve it to your satisfaction. For example, an item arrived damaged so you would like a replacement one. Your bill never came so you would like them to waive the late fee.
If the person you are speaking with can not help you, then ask to speak with a supervisor or manager. This is especially true if the representative is saying something like "I can not" or "I am unable". This may be them trying to tell you to ask for a supervisor. A lot of companies will not let you be transferred until you ask to be transferred. By berating the first person, you are wasting your time and ruining their day. Neither of which will help you.
Above all, try to remain calm. The person with whom you are speaking is rarely the person who caused your problem and may not even be the person who can fix it. Try not to yell or threaten or swear at some one just because they are on the other end of the phone. This is especially true if the mistake was yours and you are asking them to do something for you because of it such as waiving a late fee when you forgot to send your payment.
As always when ever you deal with some one in a service position, treat them with respect and civility. Be polite, have your information handy and be clear about what it is you want and people will be more likely to go that extra mile to help you out.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
Sunday, February 9, 2014
Winter Etiquette
It is early February and we up here in the Northeast are mostly pretty sick of snow. It's something that is not getting any better for at least 4 to 6 weeks but we can make an effort to be considerate of each other as we all deal with Mother Nature.
Clean the snow off the roof of your car. If you do not clean it off because you can not reach, keep in mind that they do sell snow brushes with extra long handles and extenders that can be added on to existing snow brushes. If you leave snow on the roof of your car, it can lead to several issues.
1) You could stop short and have the snow fall and block your windshield.
2) The snow could start to melt and slide down and block your rear window.
3) If it is windy, the snow could fly off and land on the windshield of the person behind you potentially causing them to have an accident or at the very least, get a bad scare. In many places, you are legally liable if your failure to clean your car leads to an accident for someone else.
Make sure you can see out of your windows before pulling out. When you try to see out of the tiny clear circle you made, you endanger everyone. There is a reason your windshield is so big. Its' so you can see everyone around you.
Never push the snow from your driveway out into the street. The logic of it sounds solid. The plows are going to be along and push that snow out of there anyways, right? Except how many times have you lamented the lack of a plow down your street? Or been driving and thought the plows did not do a very good job and should be back? Plows don't come by nearly often enough. In the meantime, you have just added to the problem for everyone that drives by. Again, this action is also illegal in many places.
You may not be able to see the lines of the parking space. Park as best you can. This time of year a lot of spaces tend to be lost to piles of snow. Do your best to be as straight and accurate as you can so your car is not blocking some of those limited spaces.
Try to keep your cars in your driveway when it is going to snow. Avoid parking on the street if at all possible so the snow plows can get as close as possible to the side of the road. If your car is parked there, they will have to do a wide circle around to avoid it and leave a large unplowed patch after you leave.
If you have an elderly neighbor, consider helping them clear off their steps or a path to get out. People have heart attacks every year from shoveling snow. Plus it's just neighborly.
Wipe your feet or stomp your boots before entering a building. Everyone is tired of mopping up puddles and salt by now.
Do your best to be considerate of others and maybe we can make this winter go by a little easier since we can't make it go faster. Here's hoping the rest of the winter will be more snow angels-and-hot chocolate than shoveling -and-slipping.
Clean the snow off the roof of your car. If you do not clean it off because you can not reach, keep in mind that they do sell snow brushes with extra long handles and extenders that can be added on to existing snow brushes. If you leave snow on the roof of your car, it can lead to several issues.
1) You could stop short and have the snow fall and block your windshield.
2) The snow could start to melt and slide down and block your rear window.
3) If it is windy, the snow could fly off and land on the windshield of the person behind you potentially causing them to have an accident or at the very least, get a bad scare. In many places, you are legally liable if your failure to clean your car leads to an accident for someone else.
Make sure you can see out of your windows before pulling out. When you try to see out of the tiny clear circle you made, you endanger everyone. There is a reason your windshield is so big. Its' so you can see everyone around you.
Never push the snow from your driveway out into the street. The logic of it sounds solid. The plows are going to be along and push that snow out of there anyways, right? Except how many times have you lamented the lack of a plow down your street? Or been driving and thought the plows did not do a very good job and should be back? Plows don't come by nearly often enough. In the meantime, you have just added to the problem for everyone that drives by. Again, this action is also illegal in many places.
You may not be able to see the lines of the parking space. Park as best you can. This time of year a lot of spaces tend to be lost to piles of snow. Do your best to be as straight and accurate as you can so your car is not blocking some of those limited spaces.
Try to keep your cars in your driveway when it is going to snow. Avoid parking on the street if at all possible so the snow plows can get as close as possible to the side of the road. If your car is parked there, they will have to do a wide circle around to avoid it and leave a large unplowed patch after you leave.
If you have an elderly neighbor, consider helping them clear off their steps or a path to get out. People have heart attacks every year from shoveling snow. Plus it's just neighborly.
Wipe your feet or stomp your boots before entering a building. Everyone is tired of mopping up puddles and salt by now.
Do your best to be considerate of others and maybe we can make this winter go by a little easier since we can't make it go faster. Here's hoping the rest of the winter will be more snow angels-and-hot chocolate than shoveling -and-slipping.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Honoring Your Host's Wishes
Today is Super Bowl Sunday for us Americans. It is often a day where people get together to watch two footballs teams fight it out while surrounding ourselves with a near ridiculous amount of food and beer.
If you are invited to a Super Bowl party, you may be wondering what you should or should not bring to the party. The answer generally is to contact your host and ask them. A call or an email to say "Is there anything I can bring?" is a simple straightforward way to do it. If they say yes, they may very well have an item in mind such as an appetizer or wine. If not, suggest what you would like to bring. Are you someone who likes making little appetizers or someone who would rather grab a bag of chips?
If they say no they do not need you to bring anything, then you should honor that. You may be trying to help or to reduce their work load but they may be offended. It was not that long ago that the thought of asking or offering to bring something outside of a pot luck or family tragedy was not even considered. Some people still consider it a slight on the host to suggest that they are not capable of providing a complete meal.
You should also never bring something without consulting your host. You may mean well by bringing those chocolate chip cookies but what if they have already made chocolate chip cookies? Or you show up with a dip that needs heating but they are actively cooking and you throw off their rhythm or schedule?
For many people, the reason they want to bring something is a feeling of obligation. Your host is going to all of this trouble so you feel you should reciprocate in some way. The best way to do this is to reciprocate with an invitation later. Have them over for dinner or to watch a movie and eat snacks. You do not have to have the same level of food or occasion that they do; just having them over is sufficient. So make that call or send that email and see what you can do to help. Accept their answer either way and when the time is right, feel free to have them over or take them out. One good time out deserves another.
If you are invited to a Super Bowl party, you may be wondering what you should or should not bring to the party. The answer generally is to contact your host and ask them. A call or an email to say "Is there anything I can bring?" is a simple straightforward way to do it. If they say yes, they may very well have an item in mind such as an appetizer or wine. If not, suggest what you would like to bring. Are you someone who likes making little appetizers or someone who would rather grab a bag of chips?
If they say no they do not need you to bring anything, then you should honor that. You may be trying to help or to reduce their work load but they may be offended. It was not that long ago that the thought of asking or offering to bring something outside of a pot luck or family tragedy was not even considered. Some people still consider it a slight on the host to suggest that they are not capable of providing a complete meal.
You should also never bring something without consulting your host. You may mean well by bringing those chocolate chip cookies but what if they have already made chocolate chip cookies? Or you show up with a dip that needs heating but they are actively cooking and you throw off their rhythm or schedule?
For many people, the reason they want to bring something is a feeling of obligation. Your host is going to all of this trouble so you feel you should reciprocate in some way. The best way to do this is to reciprocate with an invitation later. Have them over for dinner or to watch a movie and eat snacks. You do not have to have the same level of food or occasion that they do; just having them over is sufficient. So make that call or send that email and see what you can do to help. Accept their answer either way and when the time is right, feel free to have them over or take them out. One good time out deserves another.
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