Is it a distraction? Is it a way to divide and separate
people
from important discourse and meaningful discussion?

Or when someone blurts out a statement that is innocent
enough,
and then is twisted and pigeon-holed into race and gender
stereotypes,  I have to wonder–are these statements
bringing
controversies out of the proverbial closet and making
people
look carefully at themselves?

Or instead of looking at themselves, allow buttons to be
pushed,
become angry and take to making self-righteous commentary,
as
Keith Olbermann did the other night in response to
Geraldine
Farraro’s remarks that started by saying that if her name
was Gerald
instead of Geraldine, she never would have been chosen to
be Walter
Mondale’s running mate in the 1980′s.

Why does Keith Olbermann, who denies making an endorsement
of
either candidate, seem to be endorsing Barak Obama?

Olbermann didn’t make a commentary when a woman on Obama’s
campaign staff
called Hillary a monster.

And why? Because he wasn’t angry enough. He is siding with
the
obvious media favoring of Barak over Hillary.

I was also guilty of not liking Hillary.

Again, this dislike was key for me to look more deeply
into who I
am as a woman.

Why wouldn’t I support a thoroughly capable, brilliant and
experienced woman
to be our next President?

She’s a woman with years and years of political experience
that spans prior
to her marriage to Bill Clinton.

Is the reason I wouldn’t support her BECAUSE she is
thoroughly capable and
brilliant, and I am afraid I am not?

When I disliked Hillary, I projected these insecurities on
to her.

Now that I love Hillary, I project my own capabilities and
brilliance
outside of my self, to her.

Funny how love works.

Frank Marafiote, in the Hillary Clinton Quarterly, wrote a
great piece called:
“Women Who Hate Hillary Clinton.”

Marafiote says that professional women hate Hillary
because no matter what
they’ve accomplished, Hillary is smarter, has earned more,
and has “mashed
more men” than they have.

Professional women feel that their accomplishments pale
beside the likes
of Mrs. Clinton.

Marafiote says that feminists hate Hillary because she is
living proof
that for women to get ahead in the world, they must
subjugate themselves to
the white male power structure, use their married name,
change their hair,
clothes and values to make it in a male dominated world.

Why do country club Republican wives hate Hillary?

According to Marafiote, these are the women with expensive
degrees from Vassar,
Smith, Mount Holyoke and Wellesley who for years coasted
on their
inheritance or the support from their wealthy husbands.

And who are the people who love Hillary?

White, middle aged, middle class men. These men love
Hillary’s
competence, as compared to the incompetence that surrounds
them and all of
us in the work place all day long.

Hillary’s the one they thought they married 20 years ago.

And she’s far less threatening than their own wives who
are statistically
more than likely to leave with their children, their homes
and their bank
accounts.

So why do I love Hillary?

Because she is gutzy, beautiful, brilliant and resilient.

She will bring out those qualities for all women, if she
is our next President.

Kate Loving Shenk
Nursing Career Transformation

http://www.fortuneinthefollowup.com/MainSitePages/secrets_of_the_second_fortune.htm

This book is about Customer Service in the Internet business world
and explains that when we nurture our customers, we are perhaps doing the
greatest service of all.

MInfinity: You said recently that you were interested in the spiritual
aspects of Customer Service and that would be your next project.

MBecky: Not sure where I was going with that but am still up for going forward!!

MInfinity: So for the sake of the interview we can say that you are planning to
go in that direction.

MBecky: It may even shake a cobweb or two loose!!

MInfinity: We are all customer SERVANTS. What are your thoughts about that?
Have you ever heard of A Course In Miracle Prayer?

MBecky: I have heard of A Course in Miracles, yes.

MInfinity: This prayer–if used with reverence in the workplace
would cause all disharmony in our relationships with people to disappear.

Here’s the Prayer:

I am here only to be truly helpful
I am here to represent Him Who sent me–
I do not have to worry about what to say or what to do
Because He who sent me will direct me–
I will go wherever He sends me knowing He goes there with me–
I will be healed as He teaches me how to heal.

MBecky: Very nice!

MInfinity: Service to others is the highest form of service!!
And if we serve with a humble spirit, our motives will be pure.

MBecky: In that way anytime we have a customer, it is important to
remember that they are the reason we are in business.

MInfinity: All people will appear precious in our vision of them.
They are the most important people-how may we serve them?

MBecky: Yes, I think when dealing with people and customers  we look
at them through our own filters.
I think to rise above that we need to remove the filters.
That is how we get to the ideal that you are talking about.

MInfinity: This takes a tremendous dedication to self growth and self-discovery.

MBecky: Yes it does

MInfinity: As a nurse, my patients are my customers.

MBecky: It is all about the journey and we are the ones who create that.

MInfinity: But then again, I am the customer of the hospital, as an employee.

MBecky: Yes, that makes sense

MInfinity: In other words, the Customer Service Model must be upheld all the way across the board.

MBecky: And the patient is also a customer of the hospital.

MInfinity: The CS model being that we are all someone’s customer!!!

MBecky: Customer Service and dedication to service begins at the top and trickles down.
What the top thinks of customers is what you will find most of the others
who work there think.

MInfinity: Ideally, yes.

MBecky: That goes for lack of service too. And that isn’t ideal.

MInfinity: We have one of the best CS ratings in the country where I work, at my hospital.

MBecky: If there is an issue in how patients or customers are being treated,
I submit that if you go to the top, that’s where you will find your problem and solution.
How do the people at the top feel about their customers?

MInfinity: I believe the people at the top are so totally removed from the patient
that in reality, this CS excellence has started from the dedicated
nurses who work at the patient’s bedside.

MBecky: That is unusual in my experience. Let me ask you this:
Who hires the nurses that are providing the excellent care?

MInfinity: Nurse managers who are still somewhat remotely involved with the patients.

MBecky: The reason I ask is that usually when people are hired in a company or
corporation, there are certain similarities that are looked for.
Those who are in service to their customers or patients even at the top
levels will be looking for others who display the same skills.

MInfinity: I believe they are looking for that kind of excellence, yes.

MBecky: Which is how the trickle down effect usually works.

So it must be important to them on some level, other wise they
wouldn’t recognize it when they see it.

You see what is reflected from the inner.

MInfinity: And that is how it becomes a spiritual issue.

MBecky: Yes.

MInfinity: However, I can’t say that the hospital is conscious of this. But
on some level, higher forces are at play to make this a reality.

MBecky: That’s like if we are having a particularly challenging morning, rushing around,
you get stuck behind the slowest cars, you spill your coffee or worse forget
the coffee entirely.
Then you get to work and the first customer or patient is a challenge,
and you wonder why this is happening to you.

It all comes from the thoughts you think and the feelings you feel.
As to the higher forces, it’s all from within. So it’s the higher selves
involved with the upper echelon’s of the hospital.

MInfinity: Since I have started working at the hospital, I am now a strong
believer in the angels. I remember to pray for their assistance, and
the flavor of all interactions are deeper and kinder and have a flow to them
than if I forget to do this.
The higher echelons also respond to the angelic intervention.

MBecky: Of course, it is your higher self that is connecting to the forces
and power of the angels.

MInfinity: Angelic forces are especially strong in places like a hospital or
ANY place where we remember to call them in.

MBecky: That is very true.
Customer Service Angels
I like that.
I am a Customer Service Angel.
Are you?

MInfinity: We become the angels whom we call upon. I believe that.

MBecky: Of course, there is a part of us that feels pulled to be
in service to people- you in your way as a healer,
and me in my way as a teacher, in showing people ways that they can make
their own customers feel important.

And that is in any walk of life.

MInfinity: Burn out occurs when we think we have to do it all by ourselves.

MBecky: Think about the other everyday heroes: police, fireman, doctors, mothers!
Many allow ego to convince them that it is all about them.

MInfinity: Which is the cause of all human suffering.

MBecky: They become attached to what they do and get lost to the illusion.

My friend/teacher/mentor said something very powerful.
I keep it on my profile so I can remember it.

“All definitions of self are poor attempts of the ego to justify
our existence in the world. These poor definitions are ultimately
responsible for forming our attachments in the world.

“These attachments are then empowered within the illusion of having power
over us. They are the source of all human suffering. Thus attachments
serve to validate our egos position as victims of our experiences
of reality.”

-Virginia Levy

There is more but that is the part that means the most to me.

MInfinity: We become attached through prejudice and filters.

MBecky: I believe we create the prejudice and filters
as proof to convince ourselves of the truth of the illusion.

We set up the illusion and then go about finding proof that we are correct.

And the illusion is that we are all separate from The Source, from God/ess.
and that what and who we are aside from source is what is important.

MInfinity: When we think we are alone and separate, all hell breaks out.

MBecky: God/ess source (whatever one wants to call it) is always there.
When we feel separate, who moved?
There are many theories and systems and ideas out there- but they all come down
to:
1.We are responsible for everything we create in our lives (including the
customer experiences that show up)
2. we are all spiritual beings creating a human experience
3. the experience we create is meant for each of us to further us along on our own journey.
We tend to forget those things and I think that’s when we begin to get lost on our journey.

MInfinity: I think that as we carry on to developing out Portable Empires, we must
keep these thoughts in mind.

MBecky: Yes, because that will determine the sort of empire we create.

MInfinity: That we are One With Spirit, and that we are never alone–and that we are
Servants to Our Customers!!!

And to everyone else,
And to ourselves,
A balance to be sure.

Kate Loving Shenk

Nursing Career Transformation

Here is Becky Rhone Nowlan’s new e-book I thought everyone here should know about!!

Here is the letter I received in the email about it!!

PS Yours truly has a bonus included in it just for you!!!

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

The following is Part 2 of the interview:

MagicBecky Messmer:  May I take it from an on-line
perspective?

Mooie Infinity: Yes indeed.

MagicBecky Messmer:  I talk about this in my book,
“Secrets of the Second
Fortune.” When you begin the process of creating your
on-line business you
look for a problem to solve right?

Mooie Infinity: Right.

MagicBecky Messmer:  So you start researching and getting
into your
prospects head, thinking how they think, figuring out how
they feel.
Your next step is to create your product and start
communicating with them.

So you expend all this energy and time making a connection
with them.
Are you not at this point working on *serving* your
customers needs?

Mooie Infinity: Yes.

MagicBecky Messmer:  At this point you are doing customer
service.
That’s the very interesting distinction that people don’t
seem to get.

Mooie Infinity: Customer Service is a genuine attention to
the needs of the customer.

Mooie Infinity: Customer Service is a genuine attention to
the needs of the customer.

MagicBecky Messmer:  Problem resolution on the other hand-
is solving
(or resolving) a very specific problem they are having.

MagicBecky Messmer:  Yes, Mooie! I love that statement,
Genuine attention to the needs of your customer.

Mooie Infinity: Yes you can use that somehow–it has a
certain ring to it.

MagicBecky Messmer:  Sounds like the title to an article.

Mooie Infinity: I want to address the lack of
communication skills.

MagicBecky Messmer:  So, back to what I was saying.

Mooie Infinity: People need to altruistically learn how to
communicate.

MagicBecky Messmer:  After someone plunks down there
money, most people on-line
want to automate the rest of it.
So they are basically automating their customers right out
of their
business which does one thing. It alienates the customer
which ruins
all the time and energy the business owner has spent in
connecting
with them in the first place.

Mooie Infinity: Yes.

MagicBecky Messmer:  I agree about the communication.

Mooie Infinity: Communication is key, and largely
overlooked.

MagicBecky Messmer:  Yes it is but then that goes back to
the whole
taking responsibility issue.

Have you listened to how we as adults communicate with
each other
and our children?

Mooie Infinity: Yes, we all can fall prey to negative
communication.

Also–people tend to allow their emotional hot buttons to
be pushed
as opposed to learning the art of detachment in talking to
others.

MagicBecky Messmer: Glad you brought that up Mooie.
This is one of my favorite parts of service.

Mooie Infinity: As I said in Ho’oponopono and Stellar CS
(a bonus to your
forthcoming electronic book). Love is all you need.

MagicBecky Messmer:  We are emotional creatures.  We have
2 sides of our brain,
the emotional side and the thinking side.

Mooie Infinity: Yes–creative and rational, spiritual and
practical.

MagicBecky Messmer:  When you are upset, the emotional
side takes over.
That is why its so important for someone doing problem
resolution (or CS)
to learn how to let a customer rant while supporting them
in their right to be upset.

Once they get done ranting their brain equalizes itself
out and they
can then *hear* what I or any CS person has to say.

When a customer is really angry, you could say, I am going
to give you a million
dollars and they wouldn’t hear you.

Mooie Infinity: Are CS people trained in communication?

MagicBecky Messmer:  Whether they are trained in
communication, depends on the company.

Where I worked we took CS classes all the time- including
one called Communication 101.

Mooie Infinity: You could write an ebook about that very
problem: Lack of
communication skills and the solution for CS workers.

MagicBecky Messmer:  I did want to speak on one more issue
if that’s ok.

Mooie Infinity: oh please, do.

MagicBecky Messmer:  The idea that customer service is not
a revenue producing activity.

Mooie Infinity: Ah, yes.

MagicBecky Messmer:  Many believe that because it doesn’t
immediately put
a check in your bank account that it doesn’t make you
money and therefore
not such an important part of business.

Mooie Infinity: How wrong “they” are.

Everyone in an organization needs to be CS minded

MagicBecky Messmer:  My thoughts on the matter are if you
don’t take care
of your customer they won’t stick around.

Mooie Infinity: Every one must be a CS person in any
organization.

MagicBecky Messmer:   Everyone in an organization should
be treated like a customer,
whether they are internal customer or an external customer.

Mooie Infinity: Now there’s a good point! As an employee,
I recently wrote
to the Vice President of my hospital about a very serious
problem–and got absolutely no response.

A few weeks later I sent the letter back, saying I
expected the nursing staff
to be empowered and not blown off.

MagicBecky Messmer:  Are you not HIS customer?

Mooie Infinity: I am. And that’s why I sent it back, and
got an answer then.

MagicBecky Messmer:  But see that’s another reason why CS
is not done
correctly in many cases. Everything trickles down from the
top.
If the people at the top don’t value service, then who is
teaching the employees?

Mooie Infinity: Good point.

MagicBecky Messmer:  It all works together. If a marketer
on-line doesn’t
think customer service is important, how well do you think
his or her staff
is going to take care of the customer?

Mooie Infinity: I believe whole organizations could learn
from this, from several
hundred or more to the lone marketer, like us.

MagicBecky Messmer:  I agree, because it is such an
integral part of business.

Mooie Infinity: Respect, cooperation, compassion,
kindness, humanity.

MagicBecky Messmer:  Whether it be a huge corporation or a
small online business,
the one thing everyone seems to forget is the reason we
are *in* business is
for the customer. Is that not who we create products and
services for?

Mooie Infinity: Yes.

MagicBecky Messmer:  So let’s not forget them in the
equation.

Mooie Infinity: Building relationships and trust, loyalty–
Fans!!!

MagicBecky Messmer:  Trust me they will remember it and
thank you for it
by spending with you again and again. As I like to say,
A customer will never remember what you do for them but
They will ALWAYS
remember how you made them feel.

Mooie Infinity: True. That’s what I always remember, as a
customer.

MagicBecky Messmer:  Me too!

Mooie Infinity: Thank you Becky! This has been enlightening.

MagicBecky Messmer:  And of course that goes right back to
your idea about love your customers.

Mooie Infinity: Love is all you need.
MagicBecky Messmer:  My pleasure Mooie. You got me to talk
a lot.

Shhh– It’s a secret.

It’s the Secret of the Second Fortune!

Mooie Infinity: Yes it is.

MagicBecky Messmer:  Definitely. How to tap into your customer’s heart.

Mooie Infinity: Our conversation today will help people
see the mportance of nurturing Customer Service in their
businesses.

Thank you for coming!!

-=-=-=-=-=-=–=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Kate Loving Shenk is a writer, healer, musician and the creator
of the e-book called “Transform Your Nursing Career and Discover
Your Calling and Destiny.” The book is designed to stimulate
nurses to love their work and to prevent on-the-job-burnout.
Click here to find out how to order the e-book:
http://www.nursingcareertransformation.com
Check out Kate’s Blog: http://nursehealers.typepad.com
http://mukunda22.powerfulintentions.com
http://secretsofthenursehealers.wordpress.com
And the Lenses: http://www.squidoo.com/katelovingshenk
http://www.squidoo.com/thinkriches
http://www.mukunda22.powerfulintentions.com/forum/thinkandgrowrich
http://progressives4pennsylvania.blogspot.com
http://doganddolphin.ning.com
http://nursehealers.typepad.com/dog_lovers_unite
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Sign Up HERE For Your *FREE* Newsletter For Nurses And Healers
Your e-mail address is safe with me–see privacy notice on my website!
http://www.nursingcareertransformation.com/simplenewslettersignup.html

Becky’s first e-book, “Secrets of the Second Fortune” will
be released
in the next several weeks.

Mooie Infinity: Great place to do an interview, (sitting
by the
beautiful lavender fountain, overlooking Portable Empire
Island).

MagicBecky Messmer: I agree

Mooie Infinity: So I would start out by saying: that
Customer
Service is one of the most overlooked treasures business
could
be engaging in. But they sadly shirk it.

Since you have been in the CS (Customer Service) field and
have
great reverence for it, I think you are one of the best
people
to ask some serious Customer Service questions to.

Why do you think businesses shirk intelligent Customer
Service?

MagicBecky Messmer: In many cases I think it’s because
most people
perceive it as difficult.

It means they have to actually take the time to
communicate with the customer.

How many people today really know how to listen?

Mooie Infinity: Do you think the problem is that
communication skills are lacking?
Listening being a big one there?

MagicBecky Messmer: In many cases, yes. I think we have become a me/me
society and that plays a lot into it.
For whatever reason, we have stopped taking responsibility-
and taking responsibility seriously.
I had an issue with a well known marketer and his CS guys
whole communication was about how it wasn’t his fault I had this problem.

At that point I didn’t care. I just wanted it solved.

He finally said he was done with me because i was
uncooperative and sent it to the marketer.

Mooie Infinity: So when businesses refuse to take
responsibility and blame the
customer, then that’s when the whole thing falls apart?

MagicBecky Messmer: Of course. It takes so little to
really make
your customers your fan.

With the guy I was having a problem with, up until he said
he was done
with me, he still could have won me over.
All he would have had to do was say, I understand why you
are
angry and this is what i am going to do.

In fact, I had a customer call today because she hadn’t
received her records
and one of the other reps said that I was going to have to
do a little
song and dance when explaining why we hadn’t shipped them.

I got on the phone and said Pat, I am very sorry. For some
reason
the records haven’t shipped. Let me send an email and see
what I can
do to get you an answer and get them shipped to you asap.

My number is (and i gave her my number). I will personally
make sure this
gets taken care of. If you don’t have them by Monday at
noon call me.
She was ecstatic! No muss no fuss.

The other rep said, Wow! Just straight forward truth! Cool!

Mooie Infinity: That is going the extra mile–the buck
stops here sort of
philosophy–and we need more of that.

MagicBecky Messmer: It’s all about intention, which goes
back to responsibility.

As long as you tell them “what you are going to do to
solve the problem”
and then make sure you do it, of course.

I think it’s because you are showing trust in them.

Most people will pick up on that

Mooie Infinity: Yes–so CS service is outsourced routinely
these days.
Why is this such a trend?

MagicBecky Messmer: Real quick point and then to your
question.
The CEO I learned service from, had a real liberal return
policy
and we paid for return freight.

Someone asked him once, Aren’t you worried that the
customers will abuse the policy?

His answer was, Yes, some will.

Mooie Infinity: Most won’t

MagicBecky Messmer: But more will appreciate that we are
taking care
of them and those are the customers that are important to
me.

Mooie Infinity: Creating friends and relationships, not
enemies.

MagicBecky Messmer: Exactly! And it works.

Mooie Infinity: Fans as you say.

MagicBecky Messmer: As for the outsourcing? That’s an
easy answer with multiple layers.

It’s about money, the almighty dollar.

Mooie Infinity: When you outsource, you barely pay them
anything to do the job?

MagicBecky Messmer: Companies here in the US don’t have to
pay them much,
a few dollars an hour- you don’t have to pay benefits and
you don’t
have workman’s comp insurance.

In addition you don’t have a building to pay upkeep and
monthly bills on.

Mooie Infinity: I have had experience talking to these
outsourced CS
people and it’s been a nightmare–communication at its
worst. And I got the feeling that the language barrier was
at the heart of the problem.

MagicBecky Messmer: The sad thing is, the people who lose
out is the customer,
and of course ultimately the company when customers stop
doing business cause they are angry.

Mooie Infinity: Yes–in the end you go out of business.

MagicBecky Messmer: The company I work for has a group of
people we
“affectionately” call the I team.

Can you guess what the I stands for?

Mooie Infinity: Intelligent?

MagicBecky Messmer: Yeah. It’s a constant struggle trying
to read the notes.
And then the things they interpret as what I have asked
gets ludicrous.

I had one location that had never
returned a call
and this was after months of our I team leaving messages.
So I called and left a message and got a return call the
next day. She
said the reason she called me back is she could understand
me.

She said she would rewind the message over and over and
just had no clue
what was being said.

You are right. It’s a quick fix that will come back to
bite them.
I think what you said earlier is really right on.

People are getting sick and tired of trying to communicate
with people who
don’t speak the language fluently or even well.

Mooie Infinity: Computer services routinely outsource
their customer
service. Apple does not and they have wonderful CS.

Comcast has good customer service. Credit card companies
make it
almost impossible to get any help.

We had a computer system
at our
hospital called Iprob.

One of the major reasons we had to abandon the system was
very poor customer service. Again, a language slash communication
barrier.

All the CS people were in Israel were very difficult to
understand. Also
were not always available.

MagicBecky Messmer: When a customer is irritated because
something has
gone wrong, the last thing they want to do is to try to
explain it
to someone who flat doesn’t understand.

The whole point of problem resolution is to calm the
customer down so
they can hear what you have to say.

Which by the way brings up the difference between customer
service and
problem resolution.

Mooie Infinity: Customer service and problem resolution?
Explain.

To be continued…..

-=-=-=-=-=-=–=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Kate Loving Shenk is a writer, healer, musician and the creator
of the e-book called “Transform Your Nursing Career and Discover
Your Calling and Destiny.” The book is designed to stimulate
nurses to love their work and to prevent on-the-job-burnout.
Click here to find out how to order the e-book:
http://www.nursingcareertransformation.com
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

Sign Up HERE For Your *FREE* Newsletter For Nurses And Healers
Your e-mail address is safe with me–see privacy notice on my website!
http://www.nursingcareertransformation.com/simplenewslettersignup.html