Posted by Ted Hopton on January 31, 2008
Can I keep this pace up? Do I want to? Better yet, should I? Just looked at how many times I have posted since I began on January 7: 133 times, counting this entry. That’s 5.8 posts per day on average.
I’m going across the street to the pub. Time to get out more!
Posted in Blogs | Tagged: Blogs | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 31, 2008
I’m happy to link to my friend (and popular speaker at ICMI conferences), Bob Furniss‘s article that’s pertinent to an earlier post of mine, related to an ongoing discussion thread (“Value Proposition“) in ICMI’s QueueTips Forums: “What Does Your Contact Center Annual Report Look Like?“
An annual report is more than just a report on a set of metrics or measurements. In the call center we often get wrapped up in reporting only the metrics “that the executive asked for.” Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, ICMI, ICMI Conferences, ICMI's QueueTips, Strategy | Tagged: Call Centers, ICMI's QueueTips, Strategy, value proposition | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 31, 2008
My ribs hurt from laughing so hard — maybe it’s the combination of being a former English teacher plus a call center person, but this website, “The Chronicles of George,” that displays and ridicules the help desk tickets of “George,” the worst help desk agent ever, made tears come to my eyes. The humor may not be for everyone, I suppose, but it sure tickled my funnybone.
I’ll copy just one image from it to give you the idea, but you really have to read several pages of these cryptic tickets *written* by George, juxtaposed with the acerbic comments of his teammate, to get the full flavor and have the comedic effect build up. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Call Centers, Humor | Tagged: Call Centers, Humor | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 31, 2008
Check out this funny, perhaps-apocryphal story recounted on a clever blog called QAQnA: “Our System Isn’t Set Up for Death.” Here’s the end of it, but you should read the whole thing (it’s short):
Citibank: “Well, the late fees and charges do still apply.” (What is wrong with these people?!?)
Family Member: “Would you like her new billing address?”
Citibank: “That might help.”
Family Member: “Odessa Memorial Cemetery , Highway 129, Plot Number 69.”
Citibank: “Sir, that’s a cemetery!”
Family Member: “What do you do with dead people on your planet?”
Posted in Call Centers, Humor | Tagged: Call Centers, Humor | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 31, 2008
Check this website out if you want to see what your customers think of your customer service: http://www.measuredup.com/ They’re making a business out of letting consumers easily rate their customer service experiences, and by consolidating these responses they have the potential to have more influence than isolated complaints (and those already have potency in blogs, YouTube and “I_Hate_Your_Company” websites).Posted in Customer Sat, Customer Service, Web 2.0 | Tagged: customer satisfaction, Customer Service, Web 2.0 | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 31, 2008
Here’s an interesting commentary on contemporary society: “For the mature woman who has everything: a boy toy.”
Wanted: rich older women interested in hot younger guys. Applicants must be over 35, earn at least $500,000 a year or have a minimum of $4 million in liquid assets, entrusted assets or divorce settlement. That’s the basis of a speed-dating event organized by a New York entrepreneur bringing together 20 “sugar mamas” and 20 “boy toys” vetted by an elite New York matchmaker.
The guys have to be 35 or younger (I know, I don’t look over 35, do I? 
, so I was out of the running even if I’d known about it in time — rats! Lucky for those 20 who made it that I couldn’t enter the competition:
More than 5,000 men applied for a place in this year’s event. Twenty finalists were selected.
Posted in Human Interest | Tagged: dating | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 31, 2008
David Pogue of the NYT is one of my favorite technology columnists, along with Walter Mossberg of the WSJ. And his weekly emails, with stuff that didn’t fit in the print edition of “All the new that’s fit to print,” are less formal and often more fun.
Here’s some amazingly insightful and succinct advice about buying an HDTV (I’m wishing, wishing, wishing . . .) in this week’s email, titled “Clearing Up Some Confusion Over HDTV “– and his source, of all places, is a Best Buy salesperson selected at random — go figure!
In my weekly CNBC/Times video today, I pulled what I thought would be a brilliant stunt: I’d interview a TV salesman at Best Buy, firing a lot of typical confused-consumer questions at him. Then, during playback of that interview, I’d keep pausing the tape to correct him or interject little asides.
Well, the “correcting him” bit didn’t work at all. Steve at the Best Buy in Norwalk, Conn., was amazing, easily one of the most fluent HDTV experts I’d ever met. He was unstumpable.
Bookmark the column if you ever think you’ll be shopping for an HDTV (wishing, wishing, wishing …).
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Posted by Ted Hopton on January 31, 2008
I won’t try to sum up Roger Cohen’s NYT column here. To do so would do it injustice. Read “America’s Riveting Democracy” for yourself.As this election campaign is demonstrating, the United States remains the most vital, open, self-renewing and democratic society on earth. In December 2007, there were 1,059,793 naturalization applications pending: one million people are not clamoring to join a nation in eclipse.
Posted in Politics, Trends | Tagged: democracy, Politics, Trends | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 31, 2008
Here’s yet another angle to consider regarding Hillary’s candidacy, in this NYT column, “The Dynastic Question,” by Nicolas Kristof.
Does it diminish American democracy if we keep the presidency in the same two families that have held it since 1989?
Posted in Trends | Leave a Comment »
Posted by Ted Hopton on January 31, 2008
I guess that would be everyone, then? So, check out this NYT article, “Staying a Step Ahead of Aging.”
You know what is supposed to happen when you grow old. You will slow down, you will grow weak, your steps will become short and mincing, and you will lose your sense of balance. That’s what aging researchers consistently find, and it’s no surprise to most of us.
As the article explains, however, those assumptions no longer need to be true. You’ll have to read the article to get the details, but here’s one point it makes about new research that offers hope: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Health, Research, Science | Tagged: exercise, Health, Research, Science | Leave a Comment »
