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Okay. I had to test this: if this works, it will be my first post via cell phone. Posting will be easy to do, but painful for my thumb! :)

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There is one word right now that is striking terror and panic in our hearts right now.

It is a name, and that name is Gustav.

We have too many bad memories of what happened three years ago during Katrina. We were spared major disaster, although she was a Category 1 when she got to us. Our neighbors to the South were not so lucky. And, if Gustav stays on his current path, they may be hit again. The gaping wounds haven't healed from Katrina, and now they will be ripped open all over again.

The lines have already started forming for supplies, even here. As of now, we will get some heavy rain, but that is all. The local stores are running out of canned foods. Gas lines are extremely long. Walgreens proudly displays on their electric sign that they have batteries, flashlights and water. One of our local outdoor malls, recently built and extremely popular, is empty. These are signs that something, somewhere, is going horribly wrong. And that something, that ominous, disturbing SOMETHING, could be headed towards you.

Pray for us. Pray for all of these people who will be in Gustav's path. I pray that no lives are lost during this storm. Property can be replaced. The ones you love can't. If you're reading this, and are in any possible path, get out if you are asked to leave. We can't prevent the weather, but we can prevent more senseless tragedy.

Deus, dona mihi serenitatem accipere res quae non possum mutare, fortitudinem mutare res quae possum, atque sapientiam differentiam cognoscere.

(God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change: courage to change the things I can: and the wisdom to know the difference.)

Can't Stop Stupid Calls

We went to Pizza Hut Friday night for dinner. The young lady was taking our order while her manager was yelling at her in the background. She wasn't yelling across the room, like, "Could you pick that up for me, please?" This was about as condescending as you can get.

Whatever happened to the PIP rule? For those not in the know, the PIP rule is, Praise In Public: Punishment In Private. Imagine if someone had been in that line, waiting to ask for a job application. Do you think that person would have wanted to work there? I wouldn't. As a customer, it was appalling to see an employee treated so horribly in front of customers.

This Pizza Hut has received a complaint, and we will no longer support it. How do you expect to keep good people if you yell at them?

Wow. I just found out that there is hope for the employees that don't care. This is pretty cool. Enjoy a chuckle or two from this one...

Pending Legislation - AWNAA Act

Washington, DC - Congress is considering sweeping legislation that will provide new benefits for many Americans. The Americans With No Abilities Act (AWNAA) is being hailed as a major legislative goal by advocates of the millions of Americans who lack any real skills or ambition. "Studies indicate that roughly 50 percent of Americans do not possess the competence and drive necessary to carve out a meaningful role for themselves in Society," said California Senator Barbara Boxer, "We can no longer stand by and allow People of Inability to be ridiculed and passed over. With this legislation, employers will no longer be able to grant special favors to a small group of workers, simply because they have some idea of what they are doing, let alone the ability to actually do it."

In a Capitol Hill press conference, House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pointed to the success of the U.S. Postal Service, which has a long-standing policy of providing opportunity without regard to performance. The Government Accounting Office (that public watchdog of extraneous and irrelevant facts) estimates that approximately 74 percent of postal employees lack any job skills, making this agency the single largest U.S employer of Persons of Inability. Private-sector industries with good records of non-discrimination against the Inept include retail sales (72%), the airline industry (68%), and home improvement "warehouse" stores (65%). At the state government level, virtually all Departments of Motor Vehicles have demonstrated excellent records of hiring Persons of Inability (63%).

Under the new Americans With No Abilities Act, more than 25 million 'middle man' positions will be created, all with important-sounding titles but little real responsibility, thus providing an illusory sense of purpose and performance to nearly 10 percent of the population. Mandatory non-performance-based raises and promotions will be given so as to guarantee upward mobility for even the most unremarkable employees, and true (not feigned) incompetence will, at last, get the recognition it so richly deserves.

The legislation provides substantial tax breaks to corporations that promote a significant number of Persons of Inability into middle-management positions, and gives a tax credit to small and medium-sized businesses that agree to hire one clueless worker for every two talented hires.

Finally, the AWNAA contains tough new measures to make it more difficult to discriminate against the Non-abled, banning, for example, discriminatory interview questions such as, "Do you have any skills or experience that relate to this job?" or "What day is it?"

"As a Non-abled person, one can't be expected to keep up with people who have something going for them," said Mary Lou Gertz who lost her position as a lug-nut twister at the GM plant in Flint, Michigan due to her inability to remember "rightey tightey, lefty loosey". "This new law should be real well for peoples like me", Gertz added. With the passage of this bill, Gertz and millions of other untalented citizens will finally see a light at the end of the tunnel. Said Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL): "As a Senator with no abilities, I believe the same privileges that elected officials enjoy ought to be extended to every American with no abilities. It is our duty as lawmakers to provide each and every American citizen, regardless of his or her inadequacy, with some sort of space to take up in this great nation and a good salary for doing so."

Watch your mail for the registration forms, due to be mailed out as soon as the bill is signed. Early approval by the White House is expected since the bill doubles the current Presidential Retirement Stipend.

After so many years of being the QA Queen, there is still one thing that bothers me. And it's something I can't do a darn thing about.

You can't help someone who just doesn't care.

The hardest thing for me to understand is someone who just goes through the day and goes through the motions. They provide the absolute minimum customer service they can and no more. I've spent all of my working years in some kind of customer service position or another, and I've been the recipient of some horrible customer service. I know these people must have experienced some horrible customer service as well. Why would they want to inflict that on our customers and then think that they have done nothing wrong?

And I have to listen to it all. Just as I rejoice when a call goes right, I cringe when a call goes wrong. I do take it personally: probably way too personally. I find myself having to go outside and calm down so I can continue to be objective.

Why can't people see that the QA system is there to help? Why don't they take the opportunity to listen to their calls? If they did, and maybe put themselves in our customer's shoes, maybe they'd see what they did wrong and what they could do better. They've been asked to do that any number of times.

But for some, there seems to be no hope. If they don't care, they can't improve. If they don't improve, then they have to move. A call center can provide a good career if you take advantage of the opportunities to learn and grow. If they can't, or won't, maybe it's time to move on.

And every time someone is lost, a part of me hurts.

QA Word of the Day!

 

(drumroll)

 

Lozengers.

 

*cymbal crash!*

 

Last I checked, there was no R in lozenge.  It sounds like a lounger that you suck.  Or a lounger where you can stash lozenges.  I dunno.

Happy August! It's amazing, how time flies: especially at the end of the month. Are there any other QA reps who feel my pain? End of month is a whole different animal: it's when I worry most about my numbers. Did I get enough for everybody? Will I have enough before the end of the month? Usually, everybody leaves me alone: that way, I can make sure everything gets done.

The beginning of the month is the roughest for our care center. I get to sit back and let the calls record for a while, then go back and find ones to evaluate. It's niiiiice. :)