Laughter is food for the soul.....

Men are like parking spots, the good ones are taken and the free ones are handicapped.

A Little Humor

When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

Providing Excellent Customer Service

I was looking at a stream of communication among some Etsians to discuss what is good customer service. Is it important to quickly respond when a buyer makes a purchase from your shop? How much follow up? When? To be honest I was a bit alarmed by some of the responses. Some said "Well customers on Etsy understand that most Etsians work full time jobs and do this on a part time basis so its ok to not send a quick follow up to say. "Got your order and will get it shipped by xxx date" NOT!

Communication is a major KEY to excellent customer service! It really bothers me when I get no communication acknowledging my order and then a week later I get my item in the mail and no follow up whatsoever afterward. All I want to say on the feed back is "Thanks" or "Item as described". I state very specifically in my shop policies my standards for Customer service and my goal to the customer. Below is the process I follow when someone buys from me.

1. When someone orders from me, I respond with the below standard statement within 48 hours of the order (usually it is the same day) My subject is "Your Order" I am not specific in stating the item ordered. Use the customers real first name! It is more personal and shows your customer you have taken time to at least review the details of their Invoice/order:

**************Order Received Acknowledgment and statement of process!**************

Hi ______,

Your item will be shipped within 5 days. Once you receive your item, please leave positive feed back. I pride myself in having great customer service and a feedback rating that shows it! If for some reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact me before leaving neutral or negative feedback so I may rectify the problem. And hey–thanks for choosing to shop with Uniquecommodities! :)

****When I ship the item I put "Tracking number - 9101 XX XX XXXXX in the subject line****

Hi______

Your item has been shipped! Once you receive your item, please leave positive feed back. I pride myself in having great customer service and a feedback rating that shows it! If for some reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact me before leaving neutral or negative feedback so I may rectify the problem. And hey–thanks again for choosing to shop with Uniquecommodities! :)

**********Follow up if no feed back is left within 7 days of verified receipt of item**********

Hi ____I see that you received your item on _____! I hope it was to your satisfaction. If so, please leave positive feed back. If for some reason you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact me before leaving neutral or negative feedback so I may rectify the problem. Take care!

After this I leave it alone and Notice that I have feed back for almost EVERY item I have sold (about 98%)..because I follow up and not in a nagging way. I have never had a complaint and I believe it is because I state my focus and intent from the start and follow through accordingly!

REMEMBER...EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE BREEDS REPEAT CUSTOMERS AND REFERRALS!

Blog Carnival - Party Cheese Wreath Recipe

1. Ingredients

2 (8 ounce) packages PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) package KRAFT Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 tablespoon finely chopped onions
1 tablespoon chopped red bell peppers
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 dash ground red pepper (cayenne)

2. Cooking Directions
Beat cream cheese and Cheddar cheese in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Cover. Refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Place drinking glass in center of serving platter. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of cheese mixture around glass, just touching outer edge of glass to form ring; smooth with spatula. Remove glass. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and additional red bell pepper, if desired. Serve with assorted NABISCO Crackers and breadsticks.
Yield: 24 servings

Nutrition Info
Per Serving
Calories: 105 kcal
Carbohydrates: 1 g
Dietary Fiber: 0 g
Fat: 9 g
Protein: 3 g
Sugars: 0 g

3. Still Hungry?
Notes:
Substitute
Prepare as directed, using PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese, 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese and KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Cheddar Cheese.
Mini Cheeseballs
Shape cream cheese mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll in soft, light rye or dark pumpernickel bread

RELAX, Relate and Rejoice

Relax! Relate! Rejoice!

They say laughter is the best medicine and helps to relieve stress! There is nothing that makes me smile and laugh more than my beautiful grandbaby Zionna! She is hilarious! I come home from a stressful day at work and she greets me at the door with a hug and blows me a kiss. Looking at her reminds me there is not much more important in life than spending quality time with those you love! Relaxing, Relating and Rejoicing that I have been blessed by my daughter with such a beautiful gift! I love you Zionna!

Look at her hard at work!

And after all of that fun! Time to go beddy by! What a way to end the night! Smiling and relaxing