Vermont Shortbread Company

Update to My Appalling Customer Service Story: You Get What You Pay For

As I re-read what I wrote about the horrible "customer service" I recently received, I wondered, "If these people are this nasty to a new customer, how would they treat a returning customer with a problem?" 

My guess is that they'd not be particularly responsive, pleasant, or professional.  Or maybe they'd be fine, who knows?  But the bad taste left in my mouth after my conversation with the customer service rep on steroids made me remember the old saying, "You get what you pay for."  Even at the greatly reduced price this company was offering, I was still spending quite a bit of money.  It occurred to me that I'd rather spend a little more with a company I know and trust for good customer service. 

So I called and canceled my camera order and promptly ordered from a better known company.  Yes, I paid a little more, but I feel better about my purchase now. 

I am reminded of customers in the mall who would pick up a gift box shortbread and practically throw it back on the rack when they saw the $17 price tag.  I even heard one lady exclaim, "Seventeen dollars for a big cookie?!? That's outrageous!" 

Outrageous?  I guess that depends on the point of view.   If you want a quality, gourmet product, handcrafted with no artificial ingredients and impeccable, bend-over-backwards-to-please-you customer service if for any reason you are not happy with your purchase, then $17 is a small sum.  If you want to pay less, go buy some machine-made shortbread for $4.99 (and good luck getting through to a real human being when you call customer service). 

Just today, I express mailed shortbread for a faithful customer who needed it to arrive by tomorrow.  I hand wrote a beautiful card to the recipient and included a couple extra shorties because this customer is one of my faves.  I shipped the order within an hour of receiving it (and heck, I wasn't even in my office when the order came in, but my smartphone notified me).   My customer was grateful to know I was there to help in an instant when he was having a particularly challenging day.  All he had to do was place a call and we took care of the rest.  He didn't even have to pay for the purchase up front!  I trust my customers to treat me as I treat them - no worries. 

Yep, I'm patting myself on the back and it feels good. That's GOOD customer service.  My company, Vermont Shortbread Company, helped ease someone's chaotic day.  It will come back around to me; I'm sure of it. 

You get what you pay for. 

What a great lesson and reminder for me!

Ann, Vermont Shortbread Company...we truly love our customers.

Customer Service on Steroids: No Thanks!

Steroids build bulk and strength, but can have some pretty nasty side effects.  Likewise, customer service run amok can be equally nasty. 

I recently bought myself a digital SLR camera to replace my wonderful 22 year old 35 mm film camera.  I found the camera, accessories, and price I wanted online and having done thorough research, knew exactly what I needed and I knew who the best dealers were.  I ordered what I needed online with my credit card.  Easy. 

The fun started when I received an email from the company saying that I needed to call a customer service number to confirm the order (I now realize this was simply a ploy for them to have me on the line so they could try to upsell.) 

After the customer service rep located my order he tried to sell me a high speed memory card for $149.  I said, "No thanks, I'm not interested at this time."  He pushed and I responded, "No thanks, I need to do more research.  I am not prepared to spend more money on something on which I don't have all the information."  When he saw that he was getting nowhere he lowered the price to $129.  Fair enough, but then it got worse.  He began goading me with comments about how was I going to use my nice new camera without this "essential" memory card.  I might as well buy a cheaper, less sophisticated camera (in this rep's opinion) if I wasn't willing to spend the money to buy the right high speed memory card for this very high tech wonderful purchase I was making.  Whether or not he was right is not the issue here.  The fact that this clerk in New Jersey was putting me and my selection down to try to pressure me into buying more stuff was insulting and rude.  He went on and on like this for awhile, challenging me to tell him how I planned to use the camera so that he could continue show me how "stupid" I was by not buying the card he was trying to sell.  I couldn't believe I was even thinking of "explaining" myself and my rationale to this intrusive stranger.  He finally lowered the price to $99.  Seems like a good deal to me, but I said no, because by this time I was so appalled that any customer service rep would bully a customer as I felt I was being bullied.  I wouldn't have bought it if he offered it for $1! 

I maintained my composure throughout, never raising my voice, never taking the bait, never responding with sarcasm or insults, by saying, "No thanks, I'm not interested" over and over.  This seemed to piss him off more and each time I said it he escalated his raging bull technique.  I realized this guy was getting very angry with me and had he been physically closer, I would have been scared. 

Hey, anger is a valid human emotion.  It's not the emotion that is wrong or right, it's the delivery.  Uncensored explosive behavior is abuse.  I felt abused by the end of this phone call.  Abused by a customer service rep whose PAID job it was to thank me for my business and make me feel good about buying from this company.   

Good old fashioned customer service built on regular workouts, healthy diet, fixing mistakes, humility, and commitment.  Good. 

Customer service on steroids and uncontrolled anger in guise of trying to enlighten me...no thanks.

Ann, Vermont Shortbread Company...where customer service is built on creating enduring relationships! 

Question: How Many Corporate Drones Does It Take To Change A Password?

Answer: at least 3. 

I often get up in the wee hours of the morning to be a tech writer for IBM before I start my day as Vermont Shortbread Company's owner and president.  This morning I arose at 4 a.m. with the intention of putting in about 2-3 hours of technical writing work before the ongoing holiday shortbread rush began.  Great idea, huh? 

So, I attemtped to log on to the IBM network from my laptop.  I tried 3 times...unsuccessfully.  The system locked me out.  "No problem,"  I thought as I picked up the phone and dialed the digits of the help desk call center for IBM employees, "I'll just get my password reset and I'll be on my merry way to technical userguideland in no time!"   

Seventeen minutes later I was connected to "Tom" in India who agreed to reset my password.  Now in the past when this has happened, the representative in India has called my IBM office to leave my new password on my voicemail.  I'd retrieve the password, reset it, and everyone would be happy without wasting time or energy.  Simple, right? 

That wasn't to be the case today.  Nosiree.

Tom informed me that the new procedure was to have the password sent to my IBM email with my manager CC'd.  Well, that's all well and good, but how am I supposed to retrieve my IBM email if I can't log on to the IBM network?  And what if my manager just might not be in front of her computer at 4 a.m. and what if I didn't feel comfortable calling her at 4 a.m. to retrieve the new password for me?  And what if (just to make matters more complicated), I knew my manager was going to be 35,000 feet above the earth on a flight to California today?  Then what am I supposed to do? 

Tom suggested I drive into IBM so I could log on directly.  Well, there's a stellar idea...but what if it takes me 1/2 hour to get there, 15 minutes to walk from the parking lot to my office, another 15 minutes to log on, check my email, activate the new password, 15 more minutes to get back to my car, and another 1/2 hour to get home and I have to drive a kid to school at 7:30 and walk the dog because, believe it or not,  I am the only one in a household of 5 people who knows how to care for the family dog?  THEN WHAT?!! 

Ain't technology grand?

The silver lining?  I am provided with yet more evidence for why I prefer solopreneurship over corporate dronedom:

• I solve problems.
• I make life easy for my shortbread customers.
• My opinion matters.
• I don't commute.
• I am in control.
• My actions have an immediate impact on my business...and ultimately on MY pocketbook! 

Ann Zuccardy, Vermont Shortbread Company...where it only takes one person to change a password.

Ever Notice...?

Ever notice how when you have a business of your own, everyone in the world has a "great idea" for you? 

People often say to me, "Why don't you call so-and-so in the little town of East Cupcake who owns a cute little gift shop and likes shortbread?"  Then they come back to me a week later and say, "Did you call so-and-so yet?" 

Well, let's see here (this is what my sarcastic alter-ego wants to say)..."I've put in a 40 hour week at my full time IBM job, an additional 30 hours at Vermont Shortbread, served on 3 volunteer boards of directors, I've taken care of a house with 3 kids,  3 pets, and a spouse, made 7 dinners, grocery shopped, haven't had a shower in 3 days, and gee whiz...nope, I haven't called so-and-so." 

This is what I actually say, "Thank you so much for your idea.  I'll put it in the idea file."  And I do.  I have an idea file.  It's humongous.  I will never personally get to each idea in the file.  It's physically impossible.  This doesn't mean I don't want to grow my business.  This doesn't mean I don't like the idea.  It doesn't mean I don't want to work with the person who volunteered the idea.  It simply means that I've learned I've got to sift through a lot of stuff every day and decide what is top priority and what's going to have to wait. 

As a business owner, part of my job is to continue sifting and re-sifting every day.  And it may mean I irritate people along the way when I don't jumpto act on every little "opportunity" that comes my way.  It's not my job to please everyone. My ONLY job to make wise decisions to keep the business running and please my current customers.  I think part of the moving from being a clerk versus being a CEO in your business is learning the fine art of sifting and prioritizing and not taking it personally when the idea-givers get irritated. (I think it's called developing a "thick skin" in the biz world and mine is thickening ever so slowly; much too slowly for my liking.) 

Here's what I've learned as an entrepreneur dealing with other entrepreneurs:

• Give advice only when asked for it.
• If you have a truly great idea for another entrepreneur, share it.  I always preclude my "great" ideas with, "Use it or toss it as you see fit."  If you're putting the idea up for grabs, then just let it go.
• Recognize that you don't know the entire story about other people's businesses and lives.  Resist the urge to be judgmental about others' decisions regarding their businesses. 
• Develop a thicker skin, but never lose compassion.  The world needs more responsible, authentic, honest entrepreneurs who aren't afraid to reveal their weaknesses, mistakes, and humanity.   

Yep, I may be a sensitive sap, who goes into serious sensory overload and upset when there's too much input (like when Chopin is playing as background music at my favorite restaurant), and I get less than 6 hours of sleep but that isn't going to change AND I'm developing a thicker skin.   I can and will continue to do both.  It's what my favorite people and customers like about me.  It's part of my brand. 

Today I just needed to rant.  Thanks for reading. 

Today top priority is getting holiday orders in the mail to my amazing, wonderful, coming-out-of-the-woodwork customers.  I love the folks who are helping to make it happen: customers and people I pay to help me.  I get weepy just thinking about what we've created together.  Really. 

That's it.  Pure and simple.  Off I go to the bakery...

From the Vermont Shortbread Company bakery (where it smells wonderful today),

Ann

Ever Watched an Adult Temper Tantrum?

It makes for good dark comedy. 

Who needs sitcoms? 

'Nuff said. 

A Foodie's Rant

Okay, I just can't take it anymore: people who insist on loudly analyzing their meal, snack, or whatever they're dining on and sharing their information with people who didn't ask to hear it.  It's tacky. 

I think Americans as a culture have a hard time with the concepts of balance and variety in food.  And I see a lot more extremes in my culture (anorexia and obesity) than I've ever seen in Europe, for example.  Why is that?  I don't pretend to know the answer, but I have some guesses. 

I recently heard a kid analyzing the protein content of a snack and proclaiming it a "bad" snack.  Now, it's great to eat with health in mind, but do we need to talk about it incessantly?   And what ever happened to letting kids be kids?  Is it really healthy to be teaching young kids to analyze everything like a science project and to place absolute judgments on certain types of food? There's no such thing as bad food or good food.  It's just food. 

I refuse to eat meals with people who analyze every bite's nutritional value.  More so, I refuse to eat meals with people who say things like, "I shouldn't...", "I feel so guilty" or "I'll be good tomorrow."  There are plenty of times in my own life when eat more than I I know is comfortable for me and think, "Okay, I'll take it easy tomorrow," or I look in the mirror at my aging body and think, "Gee, my metabolism sure as heck ain't what it used to be."  But, I keep my mouth shut.  No one but me cares how I feel about what I ate.   

I'm not endorsing a steady diet of foods proven to cause health problems.  I simply believe that good health is not just about our physical bodies; it's also in the words we speak and harsh judgments we make about how we feel about what we put in our bodies.  Just as in many areas of our lives, our culture has completely lost touch with trusting the inner wisdom of the individual. 

I aspire to raise a child who does not make absolute judgments about food, a child who reads nutritional labels but does not let them dictate her diet, a child who listens to her intuition and gut feelings about what feels nurturing and nourishing to put in her own body.  Everything from gourmet meals in fancy restaurants to Twinkies with a Coke, it's all wonderful in balanced doses. 

I recently took a food writing class with a bunch of women.  There I was in a room of 8 articulate women in their thirties and forties and not once did I hear the words bad, guilty, fat, protein, or carbs uttered.  What a relief!  Also interesting, not one person in the class was overweight or underweight.  They were all  passionate about the wide variety of experiences and stories around enjoying all kinds of food and drink.   I love hanging out with uninhibited foodies.  It's a normal and refreshing change from the ridiculous carb, protein, and fat babble I find myself surrounded by in my personal life. 

Guilt-free shortbread, anyone? Order yours online today at http://vermontshortbread.com

Vacations...Destinations...Resolutions

I'm thinking about a vacation next year.  First one in 3 years.  Someone suggested to me an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic and it was all I could do not to muster up a hearty, "Ewwwwwwww, yuck!"  I can't imagine anything more unappealing to this traveler.

I am not a resort gal.  I like reality.  Real people, real food, figuring out how to communicate in a non-English language, and real life in places where people don't have as much money as I do.  If I go to a foreign country, I don't want to be with a bunch of Americans in a protected enclave.   

One thing that really got me thinking about all this in 2005 was Hurricane Katrina and hearing the news reports about how it "uncovered" the reality of poverty in our country.  Hello?!  It's ALWAYS been this way in New Orleans and it took a hurricane for people to notice.  People choose to ignore it because it's uncomfortable for them.  New Orleans isn't just the French Quarter where all the tourists go.  It's so much more.  And parts of it aren't pretty.  That's life. I remember working as a teacher there in inner city schools 20 years ago.  I got mugged several times.  The children had nothing.  Drugs, violence, and even murder were on my classroom doorstep daily.  As I watched the news footage of the hurricane this summer, I wondered how many of my former students were the ones left behind in the convention center during Katrina.  That's the real New Orleans that I know and love in all its beauty and distress. 

Of course, my feelings about vacation are mine and many people do not share them.  Wherever you vacation, I would like to urge you think about the following. Please consider what real life might be like in your destination spot.  Consider checking out the world outside the confines of the resort if you choose the resort route.  Think about what you can do to directly support people who have less than you do in the area you're visiting.  Think about the messages you want to give your kids. Think about what responsible tourism might mean for you.

I resolve to take a vacation in the new year.  I resolve to observe the not-so-pretty with as much wonder and compassion as I observe that which pleases me.  I resolve to step out of my comfort zone in all my 2006 (literally and in my mind) destinations. 

Rant for the day

People who call my house after 10. 

Perhaps I should return their calls at 5 a.m.?