Friday Peeve: The Black Elephant in the Room

Thanks to Guy #1 and Guy #2, you get this post. It's not a discourse, just an observation but stay tuned when we will have an awesome guest post from one of these gentlemen (you will just have to wait to see which one) about this phenomenon.

So last night I had the privilege at being at a very swanky function (which I almost never made it to but that story is from my lips to God's ears). Decor was gorgeous. Food, fantastic. The general ambience was amazing. Beautiful people, beautiful setting. Great performances. Great friends. Great moments. Except...

For the guy in front of me with the Blackberry who insisted on snapping everything that moved and those things that did  not move as well. I mean....REALLY???

And Lord help me, I was really close to taking out my own Blackberry and taking a photo of how stupid he looked but it seemed too stupid to even be ironic.

As with most of these types of events, the onus was on mingling and networking, in addition to being sold the creativity of talented people. So I would have expected this dude, like others, to be meeting people, commenting on how amazing the place looked, perhaps exchanging business cards, making some contacts. Nope. His aim in life was to take photos with this phone of his. It was as though noone else in the room existed unless you were the subject of the photo. What was most annoying was when the performance started and by this time, people had started to get loose and were having fun and shaking a little rump. Not my buddy, BlackBerry Avenger. He was snapping away. When his hand and his 6th finger aka the BB blocked my view of the great performance in front of me, that's when it became extremely personal.

I mean...why? I know I touched on this earlier this week - this phenomenon with technology, to the point that we lose sight of the things happening around us - but this guy was the poster child. He even took photos of the REAL photographers doing REAL photography. I am sure today his friends have in their Facebook feeds "Jack's night out - 100 new photos".

Pyscho!

I would hate to be a boss who sends my people to an event to network and instead of doing that they get lost in their BBs and miss the big picture. And there it is - missing the bigger picture. Relationships are under threat if these people attached to their smartphones are set to take over the world. Be it personal relationships - because the Avenger came with a significant other, who was forced to dance alone - or professional relationships. So while the technology strengthen social networks, it seems to, in some cases, adversely impact and denigrate relationships.

I also have a problem with the intrusiveness of camera phones. I  once caught a weird, pervy man trying to take a photo of me with his phone. He insisted he was not, that he was sending a text but one does not normally hold a phone like this...

to send a text message, do you?  He needed to read this.

It seems many people do not realise that their actions, besides being acutely annoying, also often can leave them on the periphery of human interaction. And while photography is an art I admire and wish I were more passionate about, it is now being cannibalised by people like BB Avenger. Mobile phone photography is not always, but can become a menace depending on the person yielding the weapon of choice - be it Blackberry, iPhone, Nokia etc. And while you may share a deep initmacy and a strong, unbreakable bond with your device, it should not affect my enjoyment or impact on my comfort level. This is an awesome statement that describes the beast:

"Public places are commonly “colonized” by the private lives of mobile individuals"

I will further revise and say "public places are being terrorised by mobile individuals". And while mobile technology has brought communications to a state of "anywhere, anytime", please, let's not take it that literally. It should NOT be anywhere everytime. I think we all have a personal responsibility when it comes to mobile phones and the accompanying tools. Let's use discretion and let's take a load off and get a grip when it comes to brandishing these devices in the public domain where other people are trying to have fun. Silly us for wanting that.

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Friday Peeves: When a Drop Box Trumps Technology

I received a letter from a government authority last week. They were updating their records and wanted me to review my info and make any updates where necessary.

Here is where I had some issues. My "account" so to speak was created online, using their online platform. I updated it at the end of January 2010. Shouldn't your system show that I updated my info? Why are you sending me this letter?

Okay, so clearly I had no changes to the document they sent me. But they did not indicate whether I still had to send the form back. The letter states if you have changes, then send back updates, but what if you didn't? What happens then?

And more annoying than anything else is the fact that in this day and age, they want me to walk to their office and drop the form in a box in person. Now while I enjoy a good stroll,

1. I am very busy
2. Have you all been experiencing the same heat I have been experiencing? If I do decide I want to make this infernal walk, it would be at noon, on my lunchbreak, when the sun is dancing high in the sky! Are you serious?
3. The walk is not some leisurely stroll either. It's a good long trod!
4. And saving the best for last - what's wrong with email????

Okay, forgetting the fact that the records are all on their system somewhere because some people applied online, why can't we update the form, scan it and email it to a designated email account?

Or if we really try to be accomodating, why can't we FAX it to a designated number??? Why in 2010, must I walk all the way there, to not even be given face to face customer service, but to drop the form IN A BOX!???

Seriously???

Wow. It's sadder that this came from a Communications Department. If it came from a department that maybe does not know better I would not be so gobsmacked but c'mon, man. How is this good customer service?

And as we talk about technology and the lack of adapting to same, I think when a certain newspaper launched its new design earlier this week, a lot of people were unhappy with it. I had no real opinion on the design itself but I would have thought that with a new look, there would have been new additions. In its previous manifestation, the articles had an Email this Article link, and a Print This Article link. But no Share This Article link. So if I wanted to share a really great article with my Facebook friends for example, I would have to copy and paste the link myself. How is this progressive, and for a media house?? C'mon. So with the new design, I was baffled to see that there was still no social bookmarking links in an age of social media and mass sharing, mass retweeting etc. And to add insult to injury, the email and print options were casualties of the new design as well.

So this morning I go to see if anyone has been monitoring the socialmediasphere and gauging customer feedback, thus making some changes to the look and feel. Not only were there zero changes, but there was also this. I mean as if the grief was not enough. You do see what I am talking about though?

Have a great day, friends.

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Pet Peeve Friday: The Limp Fish

First impressions are everything. How you present yourself to someone you're meeting for the very first time can often "make or break" a relationship. Your mode of dress, your facial expressions, body language etc. Yesterday I met someone for the first time, and I put my hand out in greeting, cause that's what we do in English speaking countries - we shake hands. What I got back was a "limp fish" otherwise known as the weak handshake.

I admit it. I confess. I am offended by a weak handshake. I am not talking about a weak grip or a weak wag cause not everyone wants to cut off circulation to my fingers. I am not asking you to go all bone crusher on my hand. I am talking about those people whose fingertips are screaming "Don't touch me! Don't touch me!"  and they lightly graze your hand as if you just made manure patties. The smile that went with the half dead handshake did not convince me that she was just shy. Now, I know some people are germophobes, but c'mon...seriously. If you're in business and you're meeting people and interacting then you probably need to walk with a bottle of hand sanitiser in your purse or in your glove compartment. It is a peeve of mine and since it is Peeve Friday, I thought I would just raise it. I found these observations on weak handshakes on Yahoo! Answers. Heavens. The first one was....interesting.

- He is probably a homosexual and that is their secret handshake to identify themselves. (THIS was voted the best answer. Heavens, people are ridiculous!)

 To me, a weak handshake shows lack of confidence or someone who just doesn't want to shake your hand. Either way, weak handshakes always stand out to me and say something about a person.

- Most likely he is not into handshakes, for whatever reason. Its just something he does, because he was taught. Sorta like "good morning" no one really means it, but they say it anyway.

- Methodist Church "limp fish" handshakes are interpreted as being given by somebody who is not sincere.

- The person could be tired, not interested in making your acquaintance, shy, having a slight disability, not sure whether to trust you or not, lacking self-confidence

I mean, I will not write someone off for a weak handshake. I just notice it, that's all. It may just be that person's thing but it's not my thing. Note: I wash my hands regularly and I do indeed have a bottle of hand sanitiser in my purse and antibacterial wipes in my glove compartment, so feel free to shake my hand!

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PR people have peeves too

Leaving an empty roll on the TP rolly thing is a peeve as well.

So it's Friday, or as we would say today here in Port of Spain, "the day after Beyonce". Now the world does not revolve around Miss B. In fact, the world has been revolving around my desk but sitting at your desk all day is unhealthy. My peeves today then are:

• Isn't it something that individuals - customers, clients, what have you,  can lash you, prattle about their grouses, but when you go to their assistance and their issues are resolved, there is silence, almost as if you were WRONG to help them. How odd. I mean, the aim is not to get public kudos but to hear some of the rants and then the sudden case of tongue-tied-itis is amazing. Some of them are negative, it seems, just to be negative and to fuel a fan base of negativity suckers. As a customer of many places myself, I understand customer grouses and appreciate when a customer has an issue, but sometimes I sense that some people just enjoy being difficult. I could be wrong, but hey. Counting to 10 is an essential skill in people relations. One run the risks of being snarky if you don't take a moment. People tend to forget we are all human and not autobots.

• I also don't appreciate when organisations place "Contact Us" links with an e-form where you can leave a question and then guess what? Noone gets back to you. Then what's the point of the e-form? My boss went through 24 e-form questions on Monday and responded to every single one of them. I go through FB and Twitter every day and respond to people's concerns, so it's not impossible. I used a contact form 3 weeks ago and have yet to receive a response or even an acknowledgement. So clearly the form is window dressing! I called today, since clearly, noone is interested in my e-form question. Then noone answers for 38 minutes, and it reminds me why I used the form in the first place.

• I hate spam. I especially hate FB spam. I am part of a few groups on FB, some professional groups, and God help me, they are spam artists! How many times does one need to send a message about an event in one week? While I am happy for the reminders and updates, there must be a better way to engage me without being annoying. As the admin on both personally and professionally created groups, I am always mindful of being THAT girl...who spams others. Note to marketers - amateur or otherwise - spam is not sexy and what you may think is super important or interesting, may not be to your audience. Please be cognisant of what you send and how often you send it, because if it is not urgent, then it becomes a bit of a nuisance. If you send me an email that starts with "Last Chance to..." over 5 times in a 3 day period, then clearly, it is not my last chance.

So, what are your peeves?

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Telephone Love - But where is the Customer Love?

I hate business-related calls where the caller just starts prattling about what he wants, without taking a breath and worse, without identifying himself. So you want the key to the mansion and I should just give it to you despite the fact that I do not know who on earth you are or where you're calling from. It's a peeve - right up there with bad spelling and grammar.

Is it really that difficult to start a phone call the proper way?

"Hello. This is Barack Obama, calling from the White House. I am trying to reach Ms Trini Darlin."

Isn't that a whole lot better than...

"Hello. I want to get some information on blah blah blah blah blappity blah blah blah blah prattle prattle prattle."

Cause that is what I hear when you start going a mile a minute without introducing yourself. And then I have to take a breath and try my best not to sound annoyed and instead to sound sickeningly sweet and accomodating.

And to whom am I speaking?

I swear, we have come such a long way with technology but the simplest things we overlook. Simple courtesies. There are some people who call who can really test your sanity though and can go on and on while you sit and bear it. I once sat through a 32minute phone call (yes, I timed it) while the gentleman voiced his frustration with an issue, that had nothing to do with me. Sometimes we have to play the role of priest and let customers or clients give confession. It takes patience, it takes tolerance, it takes a strong spirit.

And with all the new gadgets available now though, it can often be a come-to-Jesus type experience when dealing with some businesses. Service industries (my special favourite) are notorious for their horror stories. I went to a store once, picked up what I needed and made my way to the cashier. There she was - on the phone. She could not be bothered that I, the customer, was standing there waiting patiently for her to ring up my items. She looked at me, and without batting a false eyelash, continued yapping it up on the phone. If it were a call related to business, I may have been a bit more tolerant, but it was clear she was talking to a girlfriend and she did not even make an attempt to end the call. I finally placed everything I had picked up on the counter in front of her and walked out. She then tells her friend to hold and has the audacity to ask me if I am going to come back. She had to have been joking to think I would come back after she clearly sent me a loud and clear message that her personal phone call about some party or some man was more important than running a business and building a customer base. And most importantly, her personal telephone call was just ridiculously more important than I was.

And I have seen staff doing the following when dealing with or ignoring a customer as the case may be

- Texting
- Playing games on the phone
- Browsing the internet
- Downloading ringtones using Bluetooth and a friend's phone
--Listening to music

Really?

It is sadly understood that customer service in Trinidad is horrendous and though this has been described as a "cultural" thing, I don't believe we are a rude people. We are friendly and hospitable everywhere else, so why can't we tranlsate this to business? There is clearly a market for trainers to host seminars for employers to properly train their employees about the power of the smile and etiquette. Looking for a job, anyone? lol.

Unless it is a life or death call or email, when dealing with a client or customer, ideally the phone should remain unanswered. What ever happened to the customer comes first? Yes, the technology makes us accessible and brings information to our fingertips, but is it worth it to ruin a business? Basically that is what improper use of these devices do - when used improperly and at the most inappropriate times, they are like cannonballs in the fabric of prosperity and good reputation. Just watch those dollar bills burn to a crisp.

At my very first job after university, in the financial services industry, we were forbidden from keeping our cellphones on during the 8am - 4.30pm period. And there was hardly ever a person whose phone rang during the work day because the culture of the organisation was strongly grounded in good customer service and it was just understood - no cellphones. I don't think all employers should have to go the route of banning personal devices at the office, but it says something about how important they view their brand and how they view their employees as brand ambassadors. If they don't bring their staff into the game, chances are they will lose it.

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