I love challah bread but I often miss the Friday window to buy it in the local stores. Fortunately for me, I love to bake and so today I made some challah bread.
Challah
Author: Seniye Groff
Coolest Flowers
Blog Inc.
I am reading the book “Blog Inc.” by Joy Deangdeelert Cho. This is an awesome resource for the world of blogging. Cho offers all sorts of wisdom about building a blog centered around your passion and creating community at the same time. She begins with the basics, moves on to finding your voice and choosing a platform. She talks about etiquette, making your blog a businees and even how to get published. She also covers making money from a blog, but repeatedly states that making money from your blog should not be your priority. Blogging for profit will be transparent; a blog focused on money rather than a passion will turn off readers. I love how her book includes interviews with other bloggers because you get to read about many different perspectives. Every blogger showcased reveals how blogging changed their lives.
So if you don’t have a blog, yet, pick up this book and get inspired…and get blogging!
Powerful Phrases for Effective Customer Service
Powerful Phrases for Effective Customer Service should be required reading for anyone working in a customer service role. Renee Evenson has worked in the customer service management for over 30 years and this book is a compilation of all that knowledge and experience. Evenson contends that action coupled with the right words will result in successful customer interactions. Part one of the book covers the various phrases that demonstrate courtesy, rapport, empathy and a host of additional phrases. The second section of the chapter examines actions that reinforce those phrases. Part two includes over 30 different scripts for every possible customer interaction-either positive or negative. Evenson reports each customer scenario with great detail including the customer situation, some identifying behaviors of the customer, a “Do This!” story, a “Why this works” and finally tips on applying the suggested approach. Evenson also covers 20 different situations when the customer service person commits a gaffe with the customer such as when the customer rep says something tactless. Evenson’s final chapter encompasses phrases for social media interactions.
Evenson has written an invaluable tool and resource for the customer service provider. This is a book that you will refer to repeatedly. Evenson suggests appropriate, effective behaviors that will improve any customer service interaction. The social media chapter is not as robust as the other content in this book, which is the one improvement I would suggest. Otherwise, this book is one you will want to keep handy when customer interactions run afoul or you just want to review how you handled a situation.
Customer Service
Today’s customer service is way too transactional. Companies expect you to scroll through a bunch of drop down boxes, narrow down your topic and then read through a frequently asked questions page to “resolve” your issue. Is that really any way to treat a current, future or soon to be past customer? A company’s revenue stream? A company’s lifeblood? I think not. We are faced with customer service scenarios many times a day…some good impressions but most abysmal. Yet some companies get it right every time. How do they do that? I think the answer is simple but first, let me share a few of my own recent examples.
My realtor, Morgan Davis, hosts a referral party every year…15 years strong at this point. This is a party where those that have bought, sold, referred or just because, get invited to an evening event with fun, frolic and good food. Each year has a different theme.. This year’s theme was cowboy. Given that Morgan is from Texas, I wonder what took him so long to come up with that theme?! Nonetheless, he always chooses great venues, usually one that I am not familiar with. This years was at Urban Pine. Basically Texas dropped in the middle of eastside Portland! On arrival, you were given a cowboy hat and vest, if you wanted. You then caroused over to the open bar. You were greeted by black-clad servers hauling around, nothing less than Texas toast with pimiento cheese. The movie, The Good, Bad and Ugly was playing on two TVs, there was a photo booth (so much fun) and a fabulous buffet. Then a comedic skit was done and finally Morgan thanked everyone and recognized two separate people for their outstanding efforts on his behalf. All in all a great night, that definitely solidifies that Morgan VALUES his customers.
This party is on top of what he regularly does such as monthly perks, a referral guide and he even stepped in when he recommended a contractor to me that failed miserably. Morgan found another contractor and then paid for that portion of the project!!! Wow!!
Let’s now flip to the not so good side. I recently upgraded my phone with Verizon. I have been a customer for 10 years. I spent an hour on the phone with the customer service rep. Got my phone, loved it. Part deux…I receive my bill and low and behold it is completely different from what she told me it would be. When I called customer service and spent ANOTHER hour on the phone, he basically told me that the previous rep had misinformed me and he was sorry, but this is what it was. Can we say DECEPTION! I requested a supervisor and was told he would call me within 24 hours…can you guess it…no call yet…. Is that really how you want to treat a customer of 10 years that you are making money from each month??? Hmm, makes you wonder.
So what can companies do to address this abysmal trend of lousy service? Like most things, it comes from the top and needs to be pervasive in everything the company does…look at Zappos for example….the website, the policies and the interactions with the customer service reps, all scream, YOU, the CUSTOMER, are the most important thing. But you don’t have to be big like Zappos to offer great customer service.. As a matter of fact, smile at your co-worker, offer to get something done for them and you have just provided great service. It really is pretty simple. But until most companies learn this, hats off to you, Morgan Davis and team and the few other companies that really get how important customer service really is.
Butternut Squash Barley Risotto
I love to try new recipes. You will often find me tearing out recipes in the latest magazines. Of course, lots of people do that but I actually make the recipe. Tonight I made Rachel Ray’s Butternut Squash Barley Risotto that was in her latest issue. Check out the recipe here. This was an easy recipe to make and the kids actually ate it (squash and all).
I also made Madelines. Again, a super simple and delicious cookie that is easy to make. You will undoubtedly have all the ingredients in your pantry. They look so impressive and when you serve them, the recipients know they are getting something extra special!
10K
Yesterday I ran my first 10k race. Even though I have been running 10k practice runs for a while, there is something heart-pumping about running during a race. First of all, the conditions are not usually ideal given that you are up at the crack of dawn and running immediately. Although, that is what I do during the work week, on Saturdays, I like to be a little more relaxed about when I run. I usually have my coffee, cull through my emails, dilly dally a little bit and then run.
Also, race day almost always guarantees I will be running a faster pace–which is a good thing! My competitive spirit jumps to the forefront when I am surrounded by other runners suffering just like me! I like to end my runs with a sprint, but with the faster overall pace, it makes sprinting much more challenging.
I always know I have had a good race when at the end, I want to sign up for another race. That is exactly what I felt after yesterday’s race. I felt really strong during the race and knew that my consistent training had paid off. Of course, runs in the winter in the Pacific Northwest almost always guarantee wet running and I am not sure I am up for that. So, I think I will keep training and sign up for a 15k in the spring. Any takers?
Beautiful Ruins
Jess Walter’s “Beautiful Ruins” will pull you right in. The year is 1962 and Cleopatra is being filmed in Rome with Liz Taylor, Richard Burton and supporting actress, Dee Moray. Richard has a wandering eye and gets involved with Dee. The producer, Michael Deane, is quick to rid the set of Dee by sending her several hours away to an almost- deserted, fishing town in Cinque Terre. Pasquale, the innkeeper of Hotel Adequate View, readily accepts the young starlet into his hotel. Pasquale is a twenty-year old man who just moved home to take care of his mother after his father’s death. Pasquale instantly falls in love with Dee. The actress is taken away almost as quickly as she showed up and Pasquale and Dee wonder if the entire time was a figment of their imagination.
The story introduces you to a cast of characters all with their own stories and challenges. The book’s chapters go from 1962 to present day and Walter’s is adept at making this work in this book. If you have ever struggled with doing what you want versus what is right, this book will pose some interesting perspectives for you. You will be entertained by 1960’s and present day Hollywood, small village life in Italy and characters that grapple with secrets, desires and ambitions. This is a must read!
Popovers
My friend, Melissa, is always touting the merits of popovers. I have never made them but decided tonight to give it a try. I made homemade vegetable soup and wanted to pair it with something special–something to elevate the status of mundane vegetable soup. So, I decided popovers would definitely make the meal special. I used The Joy of Cooking’s recipe, even though there are tons of other recipes out there. I wanted a good basic recipe. Now that I mastered the basics, I definitely will add other ingredients such as herbs and cheese next time. They really were delicious and what was most amazing is that when you look at the popover from the bottom, you will see it has a huge, airy hole in it…amazing!
The New College Reality
A co-worker loaned me her book, “The New College Reality” by Bonnie Kerrigan Snyder. Although I have seven years before my older daughter goes to college, the book looked intriguing. There has been lots of press in the media lately about the true value and benefit of a college education. I do believe in college. I think the college experience is valuable for any young adult since they will be faced with lots of “grown up” situations such as learning to live on a budget, managing their time and being strategic about what classes to take. I worked all through undergrad and managed to finish school without any debt. If you have watched the nightly news, you will see many stories of students saddled with thousands of dollars of debt, with no meaningful job in sight to pay that debt down.
So, yes, I have seven years until the college drama happens, but according to Snyder, this is the best time to start thinking about college and how you will pay for it. Snyder offers many intriguing ideas and examples. This really is a great book to help you distinguish the dream of college versus the reality–especially if you need to figure out how to pay for it. She starts off with ways to minimize your time in college by taking AP courses, CLEP credits and dual enrollment options. These three things can reduce your time in college which obviously reduces your tuition bill.
The second insightful thing the book focuses on is to think about the career first, college second. She gives the example of how kids visit the career center right before they are about to graduate (me included). But, instead, the career center should be your first stop when visiting a college campus or when your college life begins. In other words, know where you want to end up and plan accordingly. Kids need job skills that are in demand…save the art class for an extracurricular activity.
The third idea that I gravitated towards was how financial aid works. Wow, what an eye-opener! Parents that are thrifty and conscious of saving and spending really get dinged with the way the financial aid process works–especially if you are middle class. Snyder suggests some proactive, legal measures to look better on paper. Having a college degree is no longer enough and thinking you can wait until the last-minute to figure out financial aid is going to leave you with our pants down and a very disappointed child, too. Buy this book! I read it in two hours!
seniyegroff 