Getting Around in Niagara

I was driving to a client's location the other day and happened to pass through the Thorold tunnel under the Welland Canal. I saw an elderly gentleman riding a bicycle through the tunnel on the sidewalk. A common sight in many European and Asian countries (elderly folks riding bicycles, that is), but having ridden through the tunnel a few times myself, I know that's not a ride most people would look forward to.

I started thinking about my years in Toronto, where I was "spoiled" by good public transit. The bus route near my house is hopping with Brock students during the school year, but then we wait an hour or more between buses when Brock's not in session. I had an employee who had to quit because the bus from Welland to Brock was cancelled in the summer due to lack of ridership (read: students).

How important do you think public transit is for Niagara? In Thorold, there have been many debates about trying to keep Thorold South better connected with a bus that runs into the later evening so students and kids out shopping at the Pen Centre can get home more easily.

Is there a way we can provide public transit in Niagara or are we just too spread out to make it work? Would better public transit be a benefit to local businesses? What are your suggestions?

In these times of higher gas prices, these are questions I think should be asked a little more frequently.

Just hoping you're all out there thinking and enjoying the day!

Customer Service

How hard is it to provide quality customer service?

That depends on what industry you're in.

Online, a fast response to an e-mail, with a friendly tone, with the ANSWERS people are looking for is usually a good sign the company you're dealing with cares. If you can convey that through an e-mail, that's good, since often, you don't meet your clients as often when you deal with them online.

When it's a face to face interaction, it should be pretty easy to provide decent quality service. Smile. Ask questions. Decide how much interaction your client wants from you. Give them the answers they need and fade away unobtrusively when they're able to get what they want on their own. Smile again when they need your help.

Actually, I think smiling and giving them the answers they need will be enough for basic customer service.

Of course, if you're having a bad day, how hard is it to smile?

Very.

However, if you're in retail, you should be smiling that someone's in the store wanting to buy something. Your attitude may make the difference in whether they buy something at all, or how much they decide to buy.

Bad customer experiences spread like viruses, and that's not what you want to have happening with your business.

These are just my random musings on the topic. If you have any thoughts to share, please post a comment. Thanks!

Enjoy the day!