Risk the Interception

For those of you who follow professional football, you know that Brett Favre, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, broke a long-standing record already this young season. No, I'm not referring to most wins ever by a quarterback, although he did break that record this season.
No, I'm not referring to most touchdowns ever thrown, although he did break that record this season. No, I'm not referring to consecutive games ever started by an offensive player, although he did break that record this season.
No, the record I'm referring to is most interceptions ever thrown by a quarterback. Keep in mind that an interception is when you throw the football to the OTHER team, something Favre has done over 270 times in his career. I'm referring to that because here's a man who's still employed even though he's made the ultimate mistake for someone in his job over 270 times. Here's a man who's revered in many parts of the football world and who's still playing the game at a high level despite being at an age considered near ancient by today's football standards (he's all of 38 years old). Here's a man who's been successful despite mistakes, and is respected because he is constantly trying to do his best, to win - and because of that effort - sometimes throws the errant pass.
Now in customer service, we should all want to do what's right for the customer, but sometimes we're forced to balance that against company policies and regulations. We're in the middle between what are sometimes these competing interests. What we need to avoid in these situations is the fear of doing anything wrong. We need to not be so concerned with failing and - instead - try to figure out how to succeed, how to win.
If you feel passionate about the customer, their position, and their need, fight to help them win. If you feel you and your co-workers need more support or training or recognition or tools to be successful, fight to get what you need. At some point, you've got to take a risk and try to win as opposed to being passive and trying not to lose.
Remember, Favre is the winningest quarterback in history. Sure, he's thrown a lot of interceptions, but he's thrown more touchdown passes than anyone in history. Maybe you'll have a career as long and successful in your chosen field as Favre has had in his.
Find those opportunities to take a risk to go for the win.

Pumpkin Carving Contest Entries Due Oct. 30

Entries for the IST Pumpkin Carving Contest are due on Tuesday, Oct. 30.

Getting to Know: Tammy Dixon

Tammy Dixon, CRM Director

16 Years With Mecklenburg County

Some of Tammy's Favorite Things:

Movies:
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Meet the Parents
The Nutty Professor
Christmas Vacation

TV Shows:
Big Brother
The Bachelor
Divine Design
Designers’ Challenge

Actors:
Ben Stiller
Will Ferrell
Matt Damon
Chevy Chase

Actresses:
Sandra Bullock
Michelle Pfeiffer
Queen Latifah
Tea Leoni

Hobbies:
Weightlifting
Traveling
Ping Pong
Pinball

Sports Teams:
Atlanta Braves
Charlotte Bobcats
Carolina Panthers

Sports to Play:
Basketball
Softball
Bowling

Outdoor Activities:
Cycling
Riding Roller Coasters
Cruising in the Convertible
Swimming

Bands/Musicians:
Celine Dion
Kelly Clarkson
Green Day
Fountains of Wayne

Songs/CDs:
Because You Loved Me – Celine Dion
Evergreen (Love Theme From A Star Is Born) – Barbra Streisand
Wind Beneath My Wings – Bette Midler
A New Day Has Come – Celine Dion

Food:
Lasagna
Pizza
Chocolate Cake With Chocolate Icing
Chocolate Ice Cream

New Voicemail System Coming Soon

The County's new voicemail system, CallXpress, will be available to all employees on Monday, November 12. Here's what employees need to know about this new system:

-The system migration will begin after 6 p.m. on Friday, November 9. Voicemail will not be available during that weekend.

-No existing phone numbers will change.

-The remote access number for voicemail, (704) 336-2802, will not change.

-Department Voicemail Champions are already using the new voicemail system and will be training with the new system during the week of October 23

.-Limited training seats are available for other employees. To register for this one-hour training session, please contact Dorothy Morrow at Dorothy.Morrow@MecklenburgCountyNC.gov

-Training materials, including a quick reference card and voicemail coach, will soon be available in MeckWeb.

We will provide more updates as we get closer to implementing the new system. Thank you!

Information Services & Technology

Margaret Legge Promoted

Margaret Legge has been selected to be a part of the Project Management Division. Margaret has been with Mecklenburg County for about five years as part of the Development Support Team. Margaret will be working in the Project Management Apps area.

Congratulations, Margaret!

When "Next Day" Isn't

There was a computer emergency. The power cord was sparking - not what Jeanie likes to see. Her lap top was starting to give the low battery signal, and it didn't take much for her to put 2 and 2 together - she needed a new cord.


With it being late on a Thursday afternoon, she realized that ordering online might not work in time, so she called around locally, but no store had the manufacturer's version of her cord. There were a couple companies that made cords with adapters, but none of those specifically referenced her make and model of her lap top, primarily because it was too old.


So this was the plan - buy a temporary replacement cord with an adapter and hope it worked temporarily, and then overnight a manufacturer's version of her cord.


The temporary replacement seemed to work okay. It made some awkward noises, and the battery didn't seem to charge fully, but it appeared to be a sufficient interim step for one day.
Friday came and went, and even though the manufacturer's version was (according to the shipper's website) shipped from the distribution center in the Midwest to her hometown by early Friday morning, it wasn't delivered to her office that day. When she called to ask why, they didn't know.


Did I mention she paid $20 for next day delivery?


On Monday, she received e-mail notification that the cord had been delivered. There was only one problem - it hadn't been delivered. So she called the shipping company, and they said that that e-mail just meant it had been delivered to the local distribution center on the previous Friday. Jeanie asked if she could just pick it up at the distribution center, but the shipper said that that's not allowed by the manufacturer until at least one delivery attempt has been made.
The next day - Tuesday - another e-mail delivery notification was received, again in error. When Jeanie called the shipper, they apologized for the error, and said that the cord was scheduled for delivery between 2p-3p that day. It wasn't delivered.


On Wednesday, the cord was delivered. No e-mail confirmation was sent.


Next day delivery - which cost $20 - turned into 4-business day delivery.


It's amazing how some companies can ship items hundreds of miles in a few hours and then have them sit in a warehouse for days just a few miles from their destination.


It's amazing how companies can spend millions on auto-notifications of customers about product/service status, and the notifications are wrong.
Make sure your company doesn't just implement processes and systems and think that, because they're implemented, they work. Test them, monitor them, and continuously check with customers on their satisfaction with them.

Steven Smith Promoted

Steven Smith has been promoted to a Technical Analyst II.

Steven was promoted as a result of several factors:

-Exemplary performance in leading the SMS team towards enterprise service delivery

-Expanded job function from departmental to enterprise focus
-Advanced technical expertise and leadership within the current SMS organization
-Visionary approach for future objectives (Ex: MS Vista, Office 2007)
-Demonstrated ability to work across defined functional and technical areas within IST

Congratulations, Steven!