Invictus: A Poem by William Earnest Henley

A poem of inspiration for anyone going through hard times.

Read Invictus



Until the next time

John Strain

News or Gossip?

I foolishly turn on the television to see the news. I watch FOX most of the time, but not exclusively. Most of what is trotted out as news is the same whether you are watching FOX, MSNBC, or CNN. We choose the package it comes in, but it is the same stuff. All of the reporters are at the same place listening to the same guy delivering the same canned uninformative statement. After that, they all rehash what they just showed you, in case you are a moron, in which case a rehash would be pointless.



I think I understand why the news is the way it is, but I will gripe a little anyway. My main complaint today is the news content. Personally, I am tired of hearing about Scott Peterson and Kobe Bryant. Are these news stories? Yes. Should they be reported? Yes. BUT, should these stories be the number 2 and 3 story every day even when nothing new has happened? No. Yet, it happens anyway. Somehow, a different fat lawyer or pundit saying what the fat guy said yesterday equates to "different" on the cable news channels.



In their own defense, the cable networks say that they have more time to fill, therefore, they have plenty of room for gossip stories. Furthermore, they believe people only watch about 15 minutes of their channel at a time, so the stories are repeated frequently in case someone just tuned in.



OK OK, whatever. I know advertisers pay money to get their product in front of the most people. The shows with the highest ratings make the most money. So, people must like what they see, right? Lord, I hope not. I watch, but the same stuff is on all the news channels. I may help ratings, but that does not mean I like what I watch.



I suppose there are some alternatives. C-Span for example goes into more depth than the major news channels. Am I nuts or should news outlets in an election year examine issues in depth? I suppose I just posed two questions, but try to focus on the second one.



Here is what I would suggest. Do some educating on the issue first. Let's take healthcare for example. Stories could be aired about the problem of healthcare. Update the viewers on the main concerns. Quality of care, accessibility, cost, etc. Put the problem into context. How do other countries do healthcare? What do healthcare workers say? What do consumers say? What do experts suggest. I want to know what healthcare experts are thinking. Throw in a few statistics and some human interest and we are ready to see what the politicians are saying, but now better informed and better able to spot the BS.



Let the politicians speak - preferably in a debate on the issues. Make sure the rules of the debate do not protect them from spontaneity. All of the rehearsed crap is a waste of time. After the debate, I would like to see what a panel of healthcare experts thought about what the candidates said. This process would make the task of voting less a crap shoot or ideological confirmation and more about choosing the candidate who best represents your views.



Get rid of the political spokesmen who twist their words like pretzels, who always disagree with the other side to the point of ridiculum. (I hereby proclaim "ridiculum" a word.) Let's make the process more academic and factual. I for one have grown weary of the emotion. We should elect our leaders more with our head than with our fickle emotions.



Well, that's my blueprint for news reform. I really don't need to hear about Michael Jackson on a daily business. Britney Spears is from Louisiana, but she is a far better dancer than she is a political analyst and singer for that matter. Scott Peterson is going to get off, just tell us when it happens. Kobe will get off too. In the meantime, lets learn something useful.



I believe a more informed content as I have suggested would still capture good ratings. There I go being naive and idealistic again.



What do you think?



Until the next time

John Strain

Customer Service and Customer Disservice

Our blogs are overflowing with complaints about one thing or another. Customer service stories hover near the top of the list and for good reason. My story today is not about a bad experience, but about a surprisingly good one.



I have posted twice about the demise of my Canon digital camera and my Canon scanner at my own hand. Before I realized it was my fault, I had called Canon tech support and was eventually contacted by Canon Customer Relations. My purpose in calling was simply to find out where to send the two items. Both devices were out of warranty so I did not expect Canon to do anything.



The first thing I noticed was how Canon was breaking the well established customer service rules I had grown so accustomed to in recent years. Let me list just a few of them.

The Rules of Customer Disservice

• Never agree with the customer about what he/she thinks is the problem. To do so is admitting guilt and makes it difficult for our attorneys in later court cases.

• Do not act in a human manner when speaking with customers. They are essentially our enemy. They are calling for something and we want to keep what we have. Small talk and laughter with a customer is grounds for immediate termination.

• If at all possible, attempt to instill doubt in the mind of the customer by making him / her feel stupid. Condescension is a great technique.

• If you are not successful in getting the customer to hang up on his / her own, transfer the caller to someone else. "Phone Hell" is a great technique for discouraging someone on a mission.

• Avoid giving out your name and direct telephone number to a customer. They may want a relationship with you and call you each time they have a problem. It is much more effective keeping them at bay if each call to our company is like the first time.

• It is company policy to have a customer tell his story in detail to at least 27 agents and wait on hold a minimum of 30 minutes before he / she is given a remedy. Granted, the remedy should be false hope.

• The object of our customer service department is to help the customer see it is far easier to purchase a new item than it is to have it fixed through our warranty program.

Now back to the tale of the camera / scanner repair. I was given instructions to send the camera to the factory in Illinois. I did that last week and am waiting for a response. I anticipate an estimate of repair costs. This result would be totally appropriate for a camera out of warranty that I ruined. If you remember my recent post. The cause of the melt down was me hooking up a 9 volt power supply to my 5 volt USB hub.



My customer care guy was Mike Shumult (sp) in the Chesapeake, Virginia office. Mike was very professional. My incidents were being handled as if Canon did something wrong. I was apologized to by several people. Mike was my case manager to put it in healthcare terms. When I learned the problem was my fault, I notified Mike to fess up, but also to solve the mystery. He did not make me feel like an idiot and he did not launch into the "oh, well, if you screwed it up, there is nothing we can / have to do about it" speech. He just said, "let me see what I can do." This was last Friday. On Monday, a package awaited me on my porch. It was a gratis brand new scanner.



I bought my scanner from Canon's eStore in November of 2001 for $125. I used the hell out of it for the better part of three years. I broke it. Canon's response was to send me a brand new one free. I was filled with gratitude and now a sense of loyalty to Canon. I called Mike to thank him for his generosity and to ask where I could send a letter to thank them for their outstanding service. He gave me the name of his supervisor and I penned a letter right then. I hope he does not get in trouble for being too generous.



Hopefully the camera repair won't be too bad, but I am $125 ahead as it is now. The money and getting my stuff fixed is one thing, I am also happy to have some faith restored in big companies. It is possible to treat customers like human beings. It is possible to resolve problems without hassle and red tape. Thank you Canon. I will be a loyal customer from now on and one of your goodwill ambassadors. If any other companies are listening, look what marketing benefits $125 buys you. Instead of wasting money on BS TV ads, why not provide exceptional service to your customers.



One company who could learn from Canon is Cingular. Their customer service reps adhere to the rules I listed above. If I can persevere long enough to talk to a human, it has been about 30 minutes and I am angry. I am often met with a flat sounding moron who uses dead air hoping I will give up. You may be familiar with the scenario. Customer asks a question, customer service rep. says nothing. Customer rephrases question. Customer service rep. says huh? I don't understand what you are asking. And so on and so on. If you get angry with them, they read from a script. "Sir, if you are going to be abusive, I will terminate this call and phone the police to have you publically executed for trying to get us to do what we have been advertising." I could go on about how bad Cingular's service is, but I want to make this more about how great Canon's service is instead.



So there you have it. Customer service exists over at Canon. Buy their products. They are great products and I can attest to their exceptional support.



Until the next time

John Strain

You May Need A Coach

If you read this blog regularly, you have not escaped reading about my passion for running. I run for several reasons. (1) To stay in shape, (2) To manage weight, and (3) Spiritual reasons. I like to work toward difficult but attainable goals. I like to compete against myself, and I like the discipline of it all.



About three months ago, I retained the services of an online coach, Dr. "Mad Dog" Mike Schreiber. I hired Mike for a couple of reasons. (1) I wanted someone to tell me what to do and (2) I wanted some accountability.



I am very pleased with the results. I have lost weight from 195 to 175. My running pace has gone from about 8:10 per mile to 7:30 per mile. I am well on my way to qualifying for the Boston Marathon in December when I run the Baton Rouge Beach Marathon. If all goes according to plan, I will be in Boston April 18, 2005 for the race every marathoner dreams about.



I was not sure how the coach thing would go. I have always poo pooed personal trainers. I said, "folks who get personal trainers are lazy, they should learn what to do and do it instead of wasting their money on a cheer leader." Well, I take it all back. If you have a personal trainer or a coach telling you what to do, you can focus on doing it. I have enjoyed putting all of my effort into the running and not spending a lot of time reading and getting confused.



A coach fits with my personality. I am a pleaser. I wanted my teachers in school to like me and respect me. I vied for their affection by doing the work they gave me. I want approval, which I equate with respect. I want to be acknowledged for giving good effort.



There are all kinds of coaches out there. What do you want to do? What is it you want to learn? How about learning a foreign language or learning to play a musical instrument? Whatever you choose, you will do better if you have a coach.



Whatever you call them, coach, teacher, or mentor, they will increase your chances of success. So go on, get yourself a coach.



Do you have a coach of have you considered getting a coach to help you achieve a goal?



Until the next time

John Strain

A Change Is Gonna Come

Each day features less daylight. The brilliant green is draining from the vegetation leaving pale green or brown. The shadows are a bit different - longer maybe. The sky is bluer. Fall is coming. Back to school sale papers weigh down the Sunday paper. Teachers are gathering supplies and attending workshops. Football camps are bringing the high school campuses back to life after a summer of hibernation. In a week maybe two, the marching bands will be heard. Their strains drift in at first only recognized as something different. "What's that sound," one will think, but as the marching musicians near, the music is louder. The memories are stirred and another brick is laid in our life. Another year is marked. We are going to experience another autumn.



I love this time of year. The Louisiana heat broke this past weekend for a rare cool morning or two. Rare indeed, the heat often persists until October with the first hint of fall coming in September. However, when the first respite comes, it stirs the hope and enlivens the spirit. Even if it remains hot, it still looks like fall. I have still not quite adjusted to the difference between Kansas and Louisiana where weather is concerned. In Kansas when it looks as I described above, the air is cool and crisp. The mornings are quite nippy. In Louisiana though, the mornings remain humid and afternoons hot. Eventually the heat subsides and the autumn weather has its time.



I am ready for football. The NFL teams are in their training camps. I am ready for the cooler weather. It will help my running. This year, in about two weeks, my son will be going away for college. He has transferred to LSU - only an hour and fifteen minutes away, but it will be different with him living away from the house.



Change is a constant in life. We cannot stop it if we tried. Those who do try appear foolish or even sad. I draw comfort from the fact that though things do change, they are at the same time familiar. As a new autumn is ushered in it is fresh and new, but ancient in its appearance and the way it caresses our senses. Life is a procession of hellos and goodbyes, whether it be people, activities, or even the seasons. These changes are sometimes difficult but often welcome and comforting.



Until the next time

John Strain