Downtown Disney Designed to Roast Tourists

Downtown Disney was designed to scorch its daytime visitors. On this sunny afternoon in June, I was just as hot as all the other tourists walking on this hard surface pathway. Disney knows how to do greenscaping, but I guess the greenscape design person was on vacation when they drew up the plans for this "downtown."

This could be a beautiful shaded walk zone where people could enjoy a stroll in the park along the water, but instead, it's more like a frying pan. And designs like this in Florida trigger people to say things like, "it's hotter than hell here," and "let's go get ice cream." Downtown Disney was designed to get people to go into the air conditioned stores to shop and into the restaurants for overpriced cold drinks.

On the Environment and Conservation page of their website, Disney states that they're taking action to protect the planet. I sure hope that they add Downtown Disney to their list of initiatives soon! They really need to tear up some of the stone walkway and add some trees for shade! It's nice that they make statements about how they're helping the planet, but it's even more important for them to first act local and set an example by greening their own properties.

One thing that they did do right here at Downtown Disney was to include a ferryboat where you can go to and from four different resorts. This helps reduce the use of cars and buses and it's also safer as vacationers go out for dinner and a few drinks--at least they have a safe way to get back to their resort. In the future, it would be great if Disney could connect more of its waterways so visitors could go between and among more of the properties via water taxis.

Because I'm staying at the Dolphin Hotel, I didn't have the option to travel to Downtown Disney by ferry. I need to fess up that I drove my own vehicle to get to Downtown Disney because the bellhop told me that it would take much longer if I took a Disney bus to get there. Not only would I have to wait on both ends for the bus, but the ride itself would take longer because of the frequent stops at various resorts.

One of the main issues with public transportation in the U.S. is that it generally takes longer to ride a bus than use your own car. Until we plan for the opposite, people will continue to choose to pay a higher price with their own transportation to save the time.

Got any other suggestions to help make Downtown Disney a bit more sustainable? Please leave a comment. I'd love to hear your ideas!

Go for Green Hair in a Sunlit Chair

How can you tell if your hair salon is green and the staff cares about the health of their employees, their customers and their community?

Here are just a few things you can look for next time you head to the salon:

Management Commitment

The owner is committed to creating a sustainable and healthful business. Lisa Thomas, Owner of Verde Eco-Salon, believes in providing a safe, nontoxic, environment for her customers.


From the time you step in the door, you can see that she has designed her salon using repurposed furnishings. Check out the beautiful antique wood pieces that she uses for storage near the reception desk. And this is just the beginning!

Safe Products

If you have your hair colored every four to six weeks, it's important to know what your body might be absorbing through your skin and lungs. Next time you're at the salon, ask about the products that are being massaged into your scalp. Ask for the brand names and then look them up on the Environmental Working Group (EWG) website to check on their safety rating. You might be surprised at what you discover.

At Verde Eco-Salon, they're using Organic Colour Systems, a paraben-free, ammonia-free, formaldehyde-free, thioglycolate-free, cruelty-free, organic, environmentally friendly, fair trade product. I'm very pleased to do business with a company like this, even if it's indirectly.

In case you aren't familiar with the effects of ingredients that may be in your hair products, check out some of the recent and potentially fatal health concerns linked to formaldehyde.

When a business chooses to use or sell a product from another company, they're supporting their supplier's principles and ingredients. They're partnering with the beliefs and values of their suppliers. That's why health-conscious customers who have their hair done here at Verde Eco-Salon are more likely to head to Whole Foods or Native Sun instead of Food Lion on their way home. They want to do business with companies who screen their suppliers.

Media, Music & More

Over the years, I've been to a lot of salons that had TVs, but you won't find this distraction at Verde Eco-Salon. It's just one more thing I like about the atmosphere. TVs discourage conversation and it's impossible to find shows that all your employees and customers will like.

Verde plays nice music and it's at just the right volume for holding a conversation with your stylist. To me, it's most important that my stylist gives me the right cut & color, but after that, conversation is equally important. I like my stylist here at Verde. We never run out of things to talk about.

Several years ago, I stopped going to a very experienced professional who did a great job on my hair. I didn't stop going because of what he did to my hair. I stopped going because of what he did to my ears! He did all the talking and never cared to ask about what was going on in my life. He was too concerned about telling me stories about how great he was to his family and friends. But based on how he treated me, I wasn't so convinced about his mercies toward people when he was off the clock.

At Verde, they offer some basic hair magazines, which makes good sense for a salon. The magazines are displayed on a beautiful ShabbyChic-like magazine side table between two chairs with hair dryers. I noticed other magazines appropriate for a sustainable business like Renovation Style. On this particular day at the salon, I also noticed that they had magazines that don't necessarily support healthful living. It's a small detail perhaps, but something they might want to think about as subscription renewals come up or as they're cleaning up at the end of each day.

Sustainable Local Art

MacTruque pieces have been displayed in Verde Eco-Salon ever since I started going there. I thoroughly enjoy seeing his art when I'm there. The mix of color, texture and sheen pops off the sky blue-grey walls in the salon.

But today I learned even one more good thing about these round pieces. They're painted on old tabletops that might otherwise have ended up in a dumpster! What a great way to repurpose these rounds that were formally used in a restaurant!

You can find more of MacTruque's fantastic pieces at Avondale Artworks or Stellars Gallery.

MacTruque says his dad used to let him draw on the walls in their house. And now his art can hang on the walls of homes and businesses anywhere in the world!

It's especially nice that Verde has chosen to support a local artist. Selling local art at a salon is a win-win-win partnership. Artists get more local exposure; stylists get to see some variety in the art on the wall, and customers have the opportunity to browse as if they're in a gallery and the option to buy if they just can resist.

Interior Design

In Verde, all the stylists have doors to their stations, but the doors are always wide open. Doors re-purposed from a prior life are just part of the chic uniqueness of this one-of-a-kind salon in Jacksonville. The doors serve as separators between the stations.

Open carts on wheels display the tools of the trade: hair dryers, brushes and clips. It's all out in the open, and I like this. I never did like seeing a stylist pull a brush from a drawer that also stored their lunch container or a water-stained hair magazine dated several years back.

But what I like best about this salon is the fact that it smells fresh and clean, unlike many salons where the odor of strong products gives me a headache.

Because they planned well and installed a washer and dryer in the back, they wash their towels and capes on-site. This helps reduce the cost and save energy they would otherwise incur if they sent their stuff out to be washed at some off-site location. It's a good business practice since the stylists have time to manage loads between customers.

Natural Light

So few businesses take advantage of natural light, but it's especially advantageous in a salon where customers might want to check on hair color or highlights under natural light--our beloved Florida sunshine!

Verde Eco-Salon has taken advantage of their large windows draping them with light translucent window treatments. They invite the sunshine to come inside to cheer up everyone inside.

Here I am with Jessica Gould, a great stylist from New York. She loves sunshine and butterflies. Verde offers up the sunshine, but they don't have a butterfly garden yet.

The further back you go in the salon, the more you'll notice that they also have other electric-dependent lighting. But don't look up for too long. It's a dated drop-down ceiling that would probably look better if it were removed to reveal whatever might be above it. Lots of businesses achieve a great industrial look by exposing and painting all the stuff that's up on their ceiling.

Customer Experience

Next door to Verde Eco-Salon there's a cafe with tables on the sidewalk. I sure would like to go to a salon that offered outdoor seating. If you know of a licensed outdoor salon, or one that at has a courtyard or some type of outdoor space, please leave a comment with the name and location. I'd love to check it out!

For more ideas on how to help your salon go green, check out GoGreenSalon, a Toronto-based association dedicated to helping salons & spas join the green movement.

The next time you go to your salon, look around and pay attention to what's really going on. Give it the sniff test. If it doesn't pass, then start asking questions about what they're doing to continuously improve their services. If they aren't sure what you're talking about, you might want to start shopping around for another salon.

But do me a favor on your way out: encourage them to contact me at www.DrLorraine.net so I can help them begin their journey toward a safer, more eco-friendly salon.

A few small changes each week or month add up to big improvements over time! I'm committed to green hair, are you?

Starbucks and Target Are Good Places "To Go"

Ever get frustrated in a public restroom? You aren't the only one. Starbucks and Target are good places to go because they have in place excellent restroom policies and cleaning procedures. Despite their good intentions, however, you will LOL with these customer experiences.

Check out this "Gotta Go" video presented by Dr Lorraine Haataia at the Toastmasters International District 84 Division A Area 11 Humorous Speech Contest on September 24, 2009.

If you'd like to book Dr Lorraine for your next event, please contact her at www.DrLorraine.net. She's not always so funny. She's serious about helping businesses establish good policies and procedures that keep customers coming and going.

If you have other humorous public restroom stories you'd like to share, please leave a comment.

Caterpillar Plows By Cayman Beach Resort

If a man drives a Caterpillar on a beach in front of a Caribbean resort and no one is around, does anyone hear it? The answer is quite likely a "yes." Even if no one is on the beach, people in their rooms notice the sound and sight of a big machine not typically captured in Caribbean vacation advertisements.

On our second day at Morritt's in the Grand Cayman, my husband and I witnessed a Caterpillar dodge through tourists on the beach on a beautiful Sunday. The driver clearly had some business to do on the property, but seemed more concerned about his construction assignment than the people on the beach. And when he finished his work, much to the surprise of the tourists, he rumbled out down the beach instead of the parking lot.

The Caterpillar scattered sand a few feet away from people soaking up the sun, interrupting their peaceful afternoon, and causing some of them to flee their chaise lounges for safer ground.

If Morritt's Resort were ISO 9001 certified, something like this shouldn't have happened. Managers committed to customer satisfaction have provisions in place to monitor customer experiences taking place on their property. They also have established processes to help ensure customers concerns are taken care of promptly and appropriately.

Not only did the hotel have a disconnect between management and the maintenance crew, they also had a disconnect between the front desk and housekeeping staff. My husband and I discovered this through our pillow request. The first few days of our stay at Morritt's, we made numerous calls to the front desk requesting more pillows, but never received them.

Finally we decided that we'd try talking directly with someone in housekeeping and we got some extra pillows within the hour. Most travelers expect to call the front desk if they need some toothpaste or extra blankets. It's an unwritten "standard" in the hotel industry. After we made repeated calls and nothing happened, we began to wonder if they cared about their customers.

When a customer expectation is not met, this is, in ISO language, a "nonconformity." I don't believe Morritt's has a record of the pillow or Caterpillar nonconformities we experienced here. Although there are numerous wonderful things about this resort, I wouldn't come back a second time, and I wouldn't go out of my way to refer anyone. From the evidence I witnessed during my stay, they're not fully committed to continuous improvement or customer satisfaction and this is a deal-breaker in my book.

Ibis, an ISO 9001 certified hotel, is serious about customer satisfaction. Check out their 15 minute problem resolution policy. This type of policy fosters employee commitment to excellence which is key to building customer loyalty. It also provides a means for sharing common issues and documented best practices among their hotels throughout the world.

If you're interested in learning more about the benefits of ISO 9001 certification for your hotel, contact Dr Lorraine. Once you establish a culture of continuous improvement, your hotel will flourish in unexpected ways.

If you'd like to share a hotel story, I encourage you to post your rating and review on Expedia or Hotels.com.

Shop and Go is a Clean Experience at Target

If you're out shopping and you need a restroom break, Target is a good place to stop.

Target's outstanding clean restroom policy and procedure is clearly posted for both employees and customers to see.  They really hit the bulls eye on this one. The policy sign posted for customers includes a literal "call to action," to call the team leader if the restroom is unacceptable. I wonder if this means I can call them about the little boy who looked up at me from under the next stall while his mother was busy talking on her cell phone? Nevermind, I was just kidding. Talking on cell phones probably makes shopping a more pleasant experience for moms.

The employee checklist entitled, "Restrooms are Clean," includes subheadings of "spotless, stocked and shiny." The form also provides two simple steps for employees to perform every hour: 1) check when the task is performed, and 2) press the call button when done to alert the manager that cleaning is complete. It's obvious that Target is serious about keeping their restrooms clean all day long.

At the Target in St. John's Town Center in Jacksonville, FL, on June 20, 2009, the restroom was clean and stocked. In no way does this guarantee that all Target restrooms on all days are as clean as this one, but you probably have a better shot at a clean restroom at a Target than at a nearby gas station.

So I'll give Target 7  points on a 10 point scale for their restroom policy and procedures. Here's how they could earn the extra three points in my book:

1. one more point if the restrooms had windows and/or more fresh air circulation and live plants.
2. one additional point if it included natural aromatherapy for clean nontoxic air.
3. one more point if they played pleasant jazz or instrumental music not only in the restroom, but throughout the store.

The red all over the store is a bit much and I think they can learn a few things from Walmart's newer energy-efficient stores with natural lighting in the ceiling. But this is just one customer's opinion.

It's Good to Go Behind Swisher Hygiene

If you step into a restroom right after the Swisher guys have been there, you're probably going to have a pleasant visit.

Swisher's stickers are in many public restrooms that are cleaner than most. Not only are they good at swishing,  they're also good at driving. I don't know much about this company, but the more I notice the brand, the more I'm impressed I become.

This truck alone says a lot. They post an 800 number on the back  to keep their drivers accountable. If the employee really was driving crazy or speeding, it would probably make it hard to read the number to call it, but I just might call the number to let them know that the driver was responsible. Not many people take the time to report good news. I'm sure I could make someone's day and give them a story that they'd repeat for some time.

"Let me tell you a story about a happy lady who called," they'd say.

The logo is eye-catching and clever. You can tell this is a company that does something with lightning, curvy mountain roads or toilet flushing, but if you keep reading you get an extra hint through the website, www.SwisherHygiene.com. Those two words say a lot. It's smart.

Swisher offers customers a green hygiene option for customers who understand the value of using safer and more sustainable products. If they could figure out how to install aromatherapeutic ventilation systems in restrooms, I'd want to invest in them.

Mercedes-Benz C-230 Back In the Shop Again!

This evening I had a scary experience with my little red Mercedes. I was driving on A1A in North Miami when I noticed a smokey smell, but I ignored it thinking it was just something in the air.

Then I come to a red light and stalled out. I was able to restart the car, but then a red light began flashing on my dash telling me that my alternator and battery needed to be checked. I realized that the smokey smell could be coming from my car. I was in the middle lane of a 3-lane highway, so I decided to make the first right to turn around and go back to the Trump Hotel. This is when I realized that my power steering was gone.  I used all my strength to make the turn.

While sitting at another red light, I got a message to turn off as much as possible in the car to conserve the battery, so I turned off my CD player and my air conditioning, and closed my sun roof. I couldn't think of anything else I could turn off or close up. Next I got a message that the car was overheating and I realized that the burning smell was indeed coming from my car. I wasn't far from my hotel so I began praying that I would make it back without being stranded on the roadside. On the way I looked for gas stations, but found none. I made it back to the hotel and let the valet know that I was going to call Mercedes. When I got out, I saw steam coming from the hood.

Although I should have checked for the roadside assistance number in the owner's manual, I thought I had it programmed into my cell phone. But after getting back to my room, I realized that I didn't. So then I did a web search for the number for several minutes. It didn't come up right away, so I did a search for Mercedes-Benz Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. I decided to call the Ft. Lauderdale Benz on Federal Way since the location is north of my hotel, toward Jacksonville, rather than south of it in the direction of Miami.

So I called the Ft. Lauderdale number and pressed 5 for roadside assistant, as the instructions directed me to do. After pressing 5, I got a message that this wasn't a valid extension! Ugh! NCR* on Mercedes Ft. Lauderdale for an extension that leads to a dead end! My customer satisfaction was dropping fast. 

Then I went back to web surfing for the USA roadside number and finally found a generic contact number for Mercedes-Benz USA. I called that number and, after just a ring or two, got a nice young lady, Angela, on the line. She was friendly and sincere. It helped to calm me.  Since I was back at the hotel, she advised me to call the Ft. Lauderdale service center at 7 AM in the morning before having it towed there. I appreciated her advice and that's just what I'll do tomorrow morning.

I drove from Jacksonville down to Miami on Sunday for a Hammer seminar and the car was fine until today. I've had the care for less than 3 years and this will be the 13th fairly major repair! Something's up with this car!

*NOTE: An NCR is a nonconformance.

Hipocrits in the Aisles

This evening I stopped by Office Depot to pick up some supplies. I arrived around 8:40 PM. Knowing the store was closing at 9 PM, I walked straight towards to my top priority—filing boxes for a storage project.

When I got back to the file boxes and starting comparing prices, about eight feet away from me I noticed a teen girl popping the plastic seal off a container of candy. It was rather noisy in a squeaky way as she was struggling to get it open, so it was hard not to notice what she was doing. I was sort of trying not to notice, but it was very obvious. This is exactly why they put these annoying plastic seals on packages, I thought.

She seemed to be moving rather slowly as if it might make it less noticeable to someone who worked in the store. After she finally popped the plastic seal and threw it on the floor, she opened the container and reached inside for one of the little packaged candies. By the time she proceeded to opening the wrapper, I couldn't stop myself from asking.

“Are you stealing that candy?” 

I thought I might be doing a good deed by deterring a teen from making a bad decision. She was a sleek 80-pounds with an MP3 player in her hand and the ear phones stuck in her ears, but I’m fairly certain she heard me loud and clear because she looked straight at me, continuing to open the candy wrapper, as if in slow motion. The teen stared at me, completing her task, by now fully aware that I knew what she was doing.

About that time, a large woman about 6' tall stepped around the aisle. She looked me straight in the eye and said, “What do you say to my daughter?” She was much taller and wider than me.

“I asked her if she was stealing that candy.”

“She is NOT stealing anything. Why do you say that to her?”

“I just watched her.” I said, now beginning to wish that I had said nothing.

“I told my daughter she could pick out whatever candy she wanted. But that’s none of your business, is it lady?

I steered my cart in another direction, deciding that this probably wouldn’t turn into a pleasant conversation, but she followed after me.

“I told my daughter that she could get any candy she wanted, but that’s none of your f%)&!$^ business, is it? She’s my daughter and I tell her what she can do.”

I turned away from her, hoping she would go away.

“Just look away lady. Look at me! My daughter is none of your %&#@*&( business, is she?” Although her volume was going down, her rage was going up.

I didn’t have dinner yet, so my adrenaline triggered a low blood sugar moment and I started to feel shaky. I felt uncomfortable with her growing anger, so I decided I better wheel away quickly, and I did.

I suddenly started to feel terribly guilty about the times I’ve tasted grapes or cherries in a grocery store. I felt like I had done something very wrong—I judged someone else, when I was just as guilty. I thought that I had never shoplifted, but if everyone who went into a store did just a little bit of grazing, it ends up in quite a bit of shrinkage for retailers over time.

I thought I escaped from her and that the whole scene was over, but I was wrong. She found me and continued her verbal attack:

“Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t give a little b%*&) like you much notice. I told my daughter that she could get any candy she wanted, but I didn’t clear that with you because you aren’t her f%*#@^) mother.” She continued to mouth derogatory comments and threats. I turned away again, pushing my cart to another section of the store.

Wherever I went, she followed me, staring at me from the end of each aisle, mouthing to me with an angry eyes, “I’ll be waiting for you outside.”

Then in another aisle, “I’ll be waiting for you outside.”

I couldn’t find an item I was looking for and I could hardly think straight, so I found a sales clerk and asked for help.

The mother was standing at a distance with her daughter, both of them watching everything I was doing. She might have thought that I was asking for protection, but I simply couldn’t find the letter openers. I’ve been in this store before, so I knew that I was being assisted by the store manager. He walked me to the letter openers, and then asked me a question that I’ve always considered to be somewhat annoying, but today found it to be a magical retail question, “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Yes, I’ll need someone to walk out with me after I check out. There’s a woman in the store who threatened me and said she would be waiting for me in the parking lot.”

He squinted his eyebrows together as if questioning what I just said, but then he replied, “yes ma’am, we’ll be sure that one of the men walk you to your car.”

“Thank you,” I said. I picked out a letter opener and then headed for the register.

She was still watching me as the cashier rang up my purchase. I turned away, again trying to ignore her.

The manager was near the exit talking with another employee, waiting to walk me out, and he did. As the automatic doors opened into the dark parking lot, I worried what might happen next. Did she have a big husband waiting in a truck outside? Would she watch me get into my car and follow me?

Kudos to the manager who walked me out. I didn't see the mother or the young girl in the parking lot, but I won't forget this experience anytime soon. And I won't be tasting cherries or grapes in grocery stores anymore.

Harry's Broken Process Eats Up Time

Last night my husband and I drove to St. Augustine to enjoy an evening walk on the the beach and dinner. The walk on the beach was great, but the dinner experience wasn't as pleasant.
We strolled around St. Augustine checking out our restaurant choices. We passed by several for various reasons: we weren't  in the mood for Mexican, the music was too loud, the outdoor chairs didn't look comfortable, we didn't care for the musician, the wait for outdoor seating was too long, or whatever. And so we kept walking, until we came to Harry's of course, my husband's favorite restaurant in the ancient city.

Harry's has a quaint courtyard and they usually have a mellow live music on weekend evenings. My husband had Harry's on his mind before we even arrived, so I knew that he'd be disappointed if I chose another restaurant. But next time I probably will. 
 
We arrived at Harry's about 9:30 PM and we were told that we'd have about a 30 minute wait. So we got a drink and sat down on chairs in the outdoor waiting area. We sat down hoping to relax. About five or ten minutes later, two other couples with British accents joined us in the outdoor waiting area. Immediately, they started commenting about all the empty tables that we were looking at--some clean and some not so clean. They grew impatient quickly and the two men sat down at an empty table for two. A few minutes later, a waitress asked them to leave the table.
"We've been standing around staring at this empty table while our wives are holding their drinks on their knees," he said with his British accent. "What's the hold up?"
The waitress informed him that the kitchen was "backed up" and that they would be seating customers at this table soon. They had too many orders in the kitchen and they couldn't keep up.

In the meantime, we all joked critically about the empty tables, commenting about their slow service. The employees were all wearing black pants and black shirts so it was easy to identify three of them standing in a corner chatting.  If you know Harry, please let him know that it's not a good idea for customers to stand around waiting for service, while they watch three employees stand around talking. It gives us the impression that the customers here are a low priority.
The next time someone in black walked by the British customer, he asked, "Can you please let me know why we're standing in this waiting area when there are so many empty tables?"
"Our computer went down and our tech guy got in a fight with his girlfriend, so he left." The guys turned to us and brought us up to date with the latest report.
The next time I saw someone walk by in black, I asked if she could request the manager to come talk to us. A manager came out right away. She had black spiked hair and lips pursed with frustration. As soon as she came out to the courtyard, the people in black started looking busy. They walked over to the dirty tables, started wiping and pushing dirty dishes around. They ought to get some of these people back in the kitchen to lend a hand, I thought, to learn to make a salad or something!
"We've been looking at empty tables for almost half an hour. Is there a reason why we can't wait more comfortably at a table?"
"You've been waiting for 18 minutes on pager #152," she snapped. "We can't seat any more people or our kitchen will go down." I wondered how she knew our pager number. After getting home and downloading my pictures, my camera time showed 25 minutes between the time we arrived and the time I took a photo just after talking with the manager. I was irritated enough to check the time the next day!
When our pager finally went off and we went to the hostess station, I asked a young lady how long we had been waiting. "The pager time just cleared out," she said with a smirk. "Follow me please," she said as she grabbed two menus. I wasn't surprised that she wasn't tracking the promised time against the actual wait time. Their lack of appropriate measures was evident. If the restaurant had some better process measures in place, the manager could have improved customer service this evening. They obviously didn't have a goal of getting tables cleaned quickly or getting customers seated as quickly as possible.
We eventually got seated and had a good hot meal, but we certainly didn't have a romantic evening of conversation on Harry's patio as we had expected. Instead, we got caught up in conversation with other frustrated customers as we witnessed their broken process. We all agreed that we'd rather be waiting at a table conversing with our companions than standing on the sidelines. There weren't enough "waiting" seats for everyone who was waiting, even though there were plenty of chairs in the courtyard.
I shot a photo of my dinner plate when it arrived at 11:12 PM. If I had known we were going to wait more than an hour and a half for our dinner, I wouldn't have chosen Harry's.
If you're a hungry tourist in St. Augustine tonight, I don't recommend Harry's, but if you don't mind sitting or standing around in a nice courtyard for an hour or more, you might enjoy it.
We have visitors coming into town next week and we were planning on bringing about a dozen people to Harry's. Now we're working on Plan B. We've been going to Harry's occasionally for several years and this is the worst service we've ever experienced.
Does anyone know what's up with Harry? Is he doing OK? Even if a business is going down hill, it can survive by taking advantage of tourists who don't know any better. Tourists beware!
Harry could do any of the following to begin the journey of improving his customer satisfaction:

• put customer feedback cards on every table
• train the busboys and busgirls to help make salads when the kitchen gets backed up
• hire managers who have more empathy with customers
• redesign the measure that's forcing the hostess not to seat people at empty tables until the kitchen is ready

If you own or work for a business where you believe you can be doing a better job and would like help improving your processes, contact Dr. Lorraine today. Better now than later.

LOL at the Old Yellow Pages

“I need to make some copies to be ready for my class tomorrow morning. Do you know where I can make some copies?” Page asked, as she tugged down her tight purple top which barely covered her midriff.

“Office Depot,” her manager answered.

“Do you know the phone number?” Page demanded as she tagged another shirt.

“I’m not sure,” the manager began walking further away from the register area.

“I need to find out when they close, but I don’t want to run up my phone bill for the number,” Page pleaded, flicking her nose ring forward and backward.

“There’s a phonebook under the register, help yourself,” her manager responded shaking his head.

Page lifted the thick dusty book off the lower shelf. She plopped it on the countertop--the thump added an extra loud drum beat to the store’s contemporary rock music. She started pushing the pages forward and backward with great frustration.

The old yellow pages have little significance to a younger generation. I was recently in a clothing store around 7 PM when I overheard this conversation between a young college student and the store manager.

“How do I find Office Depot? What do I look up?” she asked. With these questions, she captured my full attention, and at the same time, lost the attention of her agitated manager who walked yet further away.

“Look up FedEx Kinko’s,” I suggested. “I think they’re open later than nine.”

“OK” she said, as she continued flipping pages randomly without any effort of finding any particular letter of the alphabet. She dropped her head back, adjusted her pony tail and rolled her eyes.

“It would take forever to find anything in here,” she pushed a few buttons on her cell phone and asked for FedEx Kinko’s. A few moments later, she announced, “I'm screwed! Kinko’s closes at nine.”

“Office Depot, OfficeMax and Staples all close at nine too,” I told her, hoping to save her some time and money in making the extra calls.

“Can I finish up here and leave early? I have to do my homework,” she begged without looking up, while at the same time responding to a text message on her phone.

I’m not sure how this story ended because I left. The rock music annoyed me and I was turned off by employees who were more concerned about clothing and classes than they were about their customers. Neither one said 'hello' or asked if I wanted help.

Although I didn’t purchase anything, I did leave with a free treasure. I learned something about the younger generation. Page and the older manager definitely weren’t on the same page! Page had very little patience for a thick heavy phonebook--to her it was nothing but inefficient. She grew up with the expectation of instant answers after typing a few letters or numbers into a cell phone or into an online phone directory.

Some people in older generations may be baffled by a text message written in foreign acronyms, LOL, while the younger generation is equally puzzled why anyone would value a thick book full of hard-to-find numbers that gets updated only once a year!

If the success of your business is in the hands of a younger generation and you'd like to be sure to accommodate their ideas and their needs, while maintaining overall employee satisfaction, contact Dr. Lorraine for a consultation. If you didn't know that LOL stands for laugh out loud, use a tool like AcronymSearch.com, or Slang, Chat and Pop Culture acronyms on AcronymFinder.com. Your answer will pop right up!

BBL

Dr. Lorraine

Write Down Your Processes for Goodness' Sake

"Last time I was here, I had no problem swapping mashed potatoes for the French fries. So why is it a problem today?" a customer retorts with frustration.

"When I bought the car, I was told your service policy was to wash my car every time it comes in for service, but half the time, you tell me my car is ready, but I'll have to wait longer if I want it washed."

Sound familiar? Ever had the rules changed on you?

Are you familiar with the Telephone game in which one person whispers a message into the ear of the next person? The way this game goes is that a group of individuals form a circle and one person starts with the original news. The information is transferred from one person to the next until it goes all the way around the circle. As the message comes back around, the last person communicates out loud to the whole group--and laughter breaks out as everyone comments on what they thought they heard.

This is a favorite party game around the world because it illustrates how much each person distorts the message to the extent that the final message is often completely unrelated to the original. The larger the group, the more erroneous the message becomes. It's downright funny how unreliable verbal communication can be. In a game the result is laughter, but in business, the result is leakage!

Now imagine relying on verbal communication in a company with dozens of employees? How about hundreds of employees, or even thousands. People are talking--you can count on it!It's management's responsibility to ensure they're all sending the same message. If top managers want to allow substitutions, do all of your employees permit customers to swap mashed potatoes for French fries? If it's your policy to wash all cars after servicing them, are you counting how many actually get washed? If these things aren't happening consistently, what impression do you think you're giving your customers?

So what does this mean to business owners and managers? It can be very expensive to count on verbal communication as the primary means of running your business. Verbal communication differs tremendously from person to person. Variability is the opposite of stability or standardization.

If every employee does things his or her own way, the customer ends up having a different experience each time he does business with you. Not only does your business success depend on putting standard practices into place, it also depends on being sure that they're getting carried out every day.

Variability means less predictability and more chaos for your employees and customers. If service or problem resolution is handled a different way each time it happens, customers become frustrated and typically even inform employees how things were done around here the last time. Erratic processes increase employee stress and lower customer satisfaction.

IBM Manager Bob Haataia suggests a good idea. Imagine the same circle game but with a new rule--the first person has to write the message on a piece of paper and read it quietly to their neighbor, then pass it on to the next person and so on, until it goes all the way around the circle. This game wouldn't be anywhere near as comical as the first because if everyone followed the rules, the first message would be exactly the same as the last.  You can count on it. You can predict it. No game!

If you had 10, 100, or even 1000 people standing in a circle, they could discuss other matters amongst themselves until the written message got around to the last person because they would already know how the game will end. It will end with everyone getting the same message.  There's no confusion and no stress. If a company has well-written procedures and work instructions and employees are properly trained in carrying out these good practices, then the organization has a much better chance at promoting their brand by giving their customers a consistent experience.

God delivered us a message through his son, but he made sure that there were people around to write down the stories. He didn't leave it to chance. If God thinks it's a good idea, I choose to agree.

Some people may interpret the written words a bit differently, and if they do, you have the opportunity to discuss the instructions or procedures to make it more clear to everyone.

Do you have a company mission statement? Are your core business processes written down? Do they support your mission? Is everyone marching in the same direction without tripping over one another?

If you said 'no' to any of these questions and would like help in standardizing best practices in your company, contact Dr. Lorraine for a consultation. Together, we can put together plan for you to standardize and continuously improve your processes and your profitability.

Hair's a Good Story About Eyes

This evening, I had a hair appointment. Everything started out fairly normal, except that they were out of clean smocks, so I had to keep my shirt on. It was an off-white shirt that I like, but I wasn't too worried about it. I was enjoying my typical entertaining conversation with my stylist, Shelly, while she added color and foiled my hair. My long hair, held up with purple foil, was sticking up everywhere.

Shelly then looked me in the eyes and asked me if I wanted to have my eyebrows done. Right about then, the whole salon went black. No kidding! This was a first for me. All the ladies in the salon began gabbing loudly:

"Where are the candles?"

"Who has a lighter?"

"How am I going to go to work tomorrow with half a haircut?"

"The whole street is blacked out!"

"Let's get outta here before the ghosts start acting up."

"Ghosts?"

"Yeah, strange things happen in this place."

"Huh?"

"Who has a key to lock up?"

"Turn off the water. Don't shampoo! Our water pump doesn't work without electricity."

"These candles are great!"

"Can you come to my house to finish my color & cut?"

"Where's a candle? I need to find my scissors."

"I can't find my purse."

While all of this commotion was going on, I found my blinking cell phone in my purse and confirmed with my husband that we had power at home. My husband joked, "tell them to pay their electric bill." No one else thought it was funny. I asked Shelly if she would follow me to my house to finish my color and cut. She agreed.

"Where are my keys?" someone said.

"Don't worry about paying."

"Let me put a cap on your hair. Don't let your head touch your car seat."

"Blow out all the candles."

"I can't find my cell phone."

"Can I borrow your phone?"

And so it went until we all finally huddled around the door and walked out together into the darkness. As I walked out the door, I was glad that I had my shirt on and not one of those loose doctor's-office-like polyester smocks. Headlights from passing cars provided moments of light as we all found our way to our cars. The clock was ticking for me or who knows what color my hair might turn. She followed me home, even though her gas tank was on empty. She wanted to get gas first, but the gas stations were down too. No power, no gas.

Shelly said that she hoped that this was the end of time, because she'd rather be in heaven anyway. At times like this, I'm reminded of the story that Stephen King tells in his book, The Stand. It's an eerie time when people are dying of of plagues and every modern convenience is shut down. No electricity, no running water, no phones, no roads. People are so ill that they're dying along the roads, so the roads become impassable. It's miserable for the people left behind.

And that reminds me of the Left Behind series telling the story of Revelations to come:

...on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.

On this night, Shelly and I both made it to my house. She disassembled the foil in the laundry room. I shampooed my own hair in the tub. Then she did my cut on our back porch, while I coaxed my husband into trying a new, more spiked style. So then he got a great cut.

Shelly didn't know what to charge. She left it completely up to me. She said that she wasn't sure which one of us should pay the other tonight. She's great! She's customer focused because she looks straight into the eyes of all her customers. That's the nature of her business. I gave her a hug and walked her to the door. Many people are too far removed from their customers and may never look into their eyes.

Who are your customers?

Do you have the advantage of looking into their eyes?

If your lights went out, would you leave them behind?