...more recent posts
Saturday, Dec 18, 2004
Aha, I finally caught the bastards with Google
I get phone calls from people trying to reach some sort of customer service hotline. I finally tracked them down.
Hi,
Sorry for the attention grabbing subject line. My phone number, as you see above is ABC-DEFG. You have a hotline at ABC-DEF-Gxxx. See the problem?
I get phone calls each and every day clogging up my answering machine from your customers with questions about passwords and email addresses and such.
Here's my suggestion: In this day and age, what with station-to-station long distance and all that, it's customary to give the *entire* phone number.
My business card is in the format +1 408 ......, because that's the proper format. The "+" indicates that the country code (the numeral "1" in Canada and the US) is the next thing that follows. Your listings would look like:
+1 408 xxx xxxx - Main Number
+1 408 xxx xxxx - Fax Number
+1 800 xxx xxxx - Toll-free Number
+1 ABC DEF Gxxx - Customer Service
But that might seem too European and "moderne" for your business. So how about something traditional:
1-408-xxx-xxxx - Main Number
1-408-xxx-xxxx - Fax Number
1-800-xxx-xxxx - Toll-free Number
1-ABC-DEF-Gxxx - Customer Service
Whatever you do, just tell your customers to dial "1". They'll be happy, you'll be happy, and I'll be happy too.
-Mark
Intelligent Design
I tried to talk to my brother, who probably hates the Church more than me, about the evils of Bushianite theocratic policies. He said "Doesn't matter."
Dude, two of your favorite hobbies are illegal in this state, and they'ed like to outlaw your very favorite hobby. Doesn't matter. To have Christians unclear on the concept of "free will" in control of morality enforcement, science, medicine and education doesn't matter? Okay, cool. Cause tell you what, I was gettin a bit unsettled by the whole concept..
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On another note, I'm working up to some sort of "ownership society"/"Ice floe" visual. I'm not sure I have the skills to create what I can visualize, but I should give it a try. Because it's a good way to frame the issue. I think the line drawing would be the right way to go. Traditional cartooning. Well, it would have to be composed of characters from Wizard of Id, because that's the extent of my 'tooning skills.
"Fighting to Send Old People Out to Sea on Ice Floes for Seventy Years" Was Too Wordy
Digby made me do it.