Yearly Archive: 2009

How good is your customer service?

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September 12, 2009

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September 12, 2009

As a Marketing Manager, I think customer feedback is vital. Over the years, I have called, emailed or sent letters to numerous companies, including Pizza Hut, Campbells Soup,  McDonald’s and many others. Sometimes the feedback is great (I once sent a letter to Red Lobster to praise a server who brought something for the girls to much after an hour wait to be seated. Need less to say – he got a huge tip too) and sometimes the feedback is not so good….

About two weeks ago, my husband had to run some errands during the lunch hour, and offered to pick up some lunch for us while he was out. There are several local deli’s that we enjoy, but this particular day we decided on Schlotzsky’s. BIG mistake. HUGE. This particular location, located on Memorial Road in Oklahoma City, has the type of drive-thru that once you are in line, you are stuck.

Below is a copy of the transcript from the messages I received via Google Talk (note the time):

12:36 PM GFB: Schlotzskys – what u want?
me: original
with chips
small size
bbq chips please
GFB: Any special stuff?
me: nope
GFB: K
me: I think it comes with mustard
12:37 PM GFB: Will ask

Since our office is approximately 10 minutes away, I am expecting him to arrive with my sandwich somewhere around 1pm. (10-15 minutes of waiting in line, plus another 10 minutes of driving seemed reasonable, right?)

At 1:04 pm, I get this:

1:04 PM GFB: Omg this drive thru is terrible…and the type that locks u in
me: it is taking forever
worse than chick-fil-a (NOTE HERE: I LOVE CHICK-FIL-A and they have SIGNIFICANTLY improved their drive through lines during lunch)
GFB: Yes it is
1:05 PM Been in drive thru for over 20 mins
1:06 PM me: ARE YOU STILL THERE?
GFB: Yep
me: HOLY CRAP
1:07 PM you should get something for free for this shit
GFB: Yea…this is a letter to corporate
GFB: Two more cars in front of me b4 I pay
me: OMG
I would be ballistic

At this point, I have logged onto their website and found the “Customer Feedback” form to fill out. Although I wasn’t actually in the line, I am the starving wife wondering where the HELL my food is. Poor Husband.

1:08 PM
GFB: But still…u are hungry…this is silly
me: I am STARVING
was thinking, man he should be here any moment
GFB: The oil change is now officially faster
me: nice
1:09 PM GFB: Stuff like this is why the gun carry law might not be a good idea
me: yup
1:10 PM
me: if there is a cusotmer service # on teh drive through window
GET IT
GFB: 30 mins in 2 mins
1:11 PM me: how many cars were in front of you when you pulled in?
1:14 PM GFB: No number its a frachise
3 visible
At 1:15 PM, my husband pulls out of the drive-thru to head back to our office. Ladies and Gentlemen, it was a 40 MINUTE drive-thru experience.  I could have had a pedicure faster (and as the husband mentioned, the OIL CHANGE was faster!)

So, being the conscientious marketing manager I am, I filled out the Schlotzsky’s online customer complaint form and listed my grievances regarding the experience. When my husband returned home from our Labor Day vacation, we received a letter from their Corporate Offices apologizing for the unsatisfactory experience and sent us a $10 gift card. I am very please with the card, but what I really wanted was to hear from the franchisee (each location is a franchise, and the letter said we should be hearing from someone. As of this date – no word from the franchisee…. )

Have you ever had an experience (good or bad) with a product or service that you contacted the company about? If so – were you satisfied with the outcome?

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Slow… Children Ahead.

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August 18, 2009

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August 18, 2009

So the “Spice Girls” (aka the Bice Girls) started school last week – early in my opinion. August 13th – seriously? What happened to starting AFTER Labor Day?

I am excited and a bit sad. The oldest will be in 3rd Grade – but the baby – well, has grown up. She put on her size 4 jumper and pressed peter-pan collared shirt and headed off to Kindergarten. Bittersweet to say the least.

The good part is the teacher is the bomb. I don’t know too many people that would look forward to spending eight straight hours with 20 five- & six-year-olds, but she does. One of her well-known character traits is to sing. She sings in the morning, she sings before lunch, she sings just about anytime the mood  hits her. Funny enough, now my 5-year old is beginning to do it. Yesterday in the car – we were driving home from school and I hear this sweet, soft voice coming from the back seat. I can’t remember exactly what she was singing about (I think it might have been about bunnies – but it is really irrelevant..)  Teachers (good ones) can have such an influence….

My sister-in-law is also a teacher. A great one. I have never seen her teach, but I hear her stories and see all the effort and work she puts into it, and I know there are some lucky kids out there benefiting. I only hope she realizes how good she is.

Here’s to all the great teachers out there.

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A day in the life of….

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April 27, 2009

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April 27, 2009

the busy mother. Comparable to a symphony director, but replace the experienced cellist, and world-renowned pianist with two children, four and eight respectively, and you’ll be close. Bathroom breaks, Goldfish snacks (because answering with “We’ll be having dinner in less than an hour…” when the four-year-old is hungry may get you burned at the stake.) and clothes that “don’t feel right” are part of daily life.

I am blessed with two beauties. The oldest is eight, going on eighteen, and the youngest reminds me what it is like to still be a child. However, I’m still amazed – to this day- that two children from the same gene pool can be so completely different. I recently read “The Birth Order” by Dr. Kevin Leman and honestly, thought he wrote the book just for me. Our oldest daughter is the epitome of the “Oldest Child”. Smart, Adult-like, and a by-the-book kind of girl. In her mind, rules are NOT made to be broken – they are to be followed, to a T. Then the youngest came along and the universe turned upside down. The youngest is, let’s say, easy-going. The “I want to wear pajamas in the car to the donut shop” kind of gal. Of course, this is not right in the eyes of the eight-year old. Pajamas are to be worn to bed, not to the donut shop.

Of course, I bear a great deal of responsibility for this character trait the oldest exhibits. I, too, am an oldest. And if that wasn’t bad enough, so is her father. I am trying to be more flexible, hoping it might rub off on her. Hope is the key word there…

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