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For 2023 (and 2024 ...) - we are now fully retired from IT training.
We have made many, many friends over 25 years of teaching about Python, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Lua, Java, C and C++ - and MySQL, Linux and Solaris/SunOS too. Our training notes are now very much out of date, but due to upward compatability most of our examples remain operational and even relevant ad you are welcome to make us if them "as seen" and at your own risk.

Lisa and I (Graham) now live in what was our training centre in Melksham - happy to meet with former delegates here - but do check ahead before coming round. We are far from inactive - rather, enjoying the times that we are retired but still healthy enough in mind and body to be active!

I am also active in many other area and still look after a lot of web sites - you can find an index ((here))
Eventful evening - a lesson in looking after contacts

Yesterday evening, we went out for a drive ... a glorious evening at the end of a long day. Late afternoon over the Marlbrough Downs; glorious Wiltshire. Then down to Calne for a quick pub meal to round off the brief break. In the car park there, this guy we didn't know ran his car into ours.

D'you know - I would NOT use that pub again, and yet I would very cheerfully welcome the chap who pranged us into my home. Odd, but it all come down to interaction and attitude - and it's a good reminder for us in a customer facing industy that presentation, willingness, helpfulness are so vital; reaching a conclusion without keeping people waiting and good, reliable results are also important, but they're not everything.

It's only a smallish dent on the car - we're perfectly OK. We were stopped, he reversed out and his nose swung into our front wing as he turned. He moves a yard forward so that I can get out; we both leave our cars "are you alright?". "Yes, are you". Good - no need to apply yesterday's First Aid lessons. Easy exchange of details. profuse apology (from him) to the extend that I was reasuuring him that these things happen. And he even came back a few minutes later after he had spoken with his insurers to check that I had ALL the details that I would require. Seen those "Direct Line" adverts where someone smiles because he's been hit by a Direct Line driver and they clear it up for everyone? Well - we'll be testing that out in practise.

The pub (it's a hotel as well). We walk in to reception from the very limited car park. "You checking in" asks a chap seated eating a steak and chips at an awkward table in the public area of reception. "No - just looking for a meal - can we eat. Are you the proprietor?". "I'm the owner" he confirms, and I end up chatting about our business customers and his internet access which I've seen widely advertised around. "Oh- there's something wrong with it at the moment - has been for a while - it just cuts out... but if anyone needs it they can use our computer behind reception ...". I'm not sure I would be happy about that if I was there on business; the room prices looked too good to be true and, yes, they were too good to be true.

In a quiet pub, it took over half an hour to serve two meals, and both came out wrong - one the wrong dish, and a rare steak came out well done. "Probably the worst steak I've ever eaten" I'm thinking to myself and it's very VERY unsual for me to think in such terms. The staff never came round to 'check service' and see that everything was OK with us (I suspect they knew they had served a dreadful meal), and the barman came over to claim an extra 10 quid that he had given us in excess change (I told him of his mistake at the time, but he had assured me that I had given him 2 x 20 not 20 + 10!). As we were about to leave, "mine host" offered me a compliment slip so that we have their details on file. But then he couldn't find one anywhere around and just told us his URL instead. I do know it anyway, but I'm not inclined to post it here.
(written 2006-09-02, updated 2006-09-04)

 
Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles
G501 - Well House Consultants - Customer Service
  [72] On Customer Service - (2004-10-03)
  [91] On line every 24 hours - (2004-10-17)
  [126] Feedback shows the tip of an iceberg - (2004-11-22)
  [150] Confession - (2004-12-13)
  [189] Tuesdays and Fridays - (2005-01-25)
  [195] Customer service - examples to warn us - (2005-01-30)
  [233] Giving customers best value - (2005-03-02)
  [265] Business practise, 2005 style - (2005-04-03)
  [327] How far should our support go - (2005-05-28)
  [350] Want to be one better - (2005-06-17)
  [393] Trainer answers phone - (2005-07-28)
  [440] Upgrade! - (2005-09-09)
  [482] Different ways of selling - (2005-11-01)
  [552] Keeping Customers Informed - (2006-01-02)
  [566] May all your screw-ups be big ones - (2006-01-16)
  [569] Instructions for bright people - (2006-01-19)
  [609] Been on a course, but still not got it? - (2006-02-16)
  [621] And the staff put the icing on the cake - (2006-02-23)
  [628] Active Learning - (2006-02-28)
  [650] A person of few words - (2006-03-18)
  [717] A customer service company - (2006-05-11)
  [725] Better communication - (2006-05-19)
  [841] Forum help - a push in the right direction - (2006-08-21)
  [944] Just ******* Google it - (2006-11-25)
  [961] Products that our customers want more of - (2006-12-03)
  [966] CSL, KISS and RTFM - (2006-12-05)
  [1007] Friends and family - (2006-12-25)
  [1046] Bounce, bounce, bounce - (2007-01-20)
  [1262] Keep in touch with PHP, Perl, Python and old friends too - (2007-07-09)
  [1319] Customer feedback - lifeblood of a business - (2007-08-25)
  [1434] Market survey - to learn, to prove a point, or to sell your product? - (2007-11-17)
  [1446] An answer to a student asking 'Help' - (2007-11-27)
  [1516] Pictures you can use - for free - from our library - (2008-01-23)
  [1606] Sheep Shearers, Marathon Runners and Ocean Sailors - (2008-04-09)
  [1637] Providing exceptional service - and carrying on doing so. - (2008-05-09)
  [1835] 23:30 bookings and midnight checkins - (2008-10-12)
  [1985] Learning to program as a part of your job - (2009-01-10)
  [1991] Rules for a King - (2009-01-13)
  [2015] Service Excellence Awards - (2009-01-30)
  [2049] Why Choose Well House Consultants for your course? - (2009-02-20)
  [2102] What do people think of our Apache httpd / Tomcat course? - (2009-03-24)
  [2124] Building down expectations - (2009-04-09)
  [2236] Alumni - revisiting and supporting the old University - (2009-06-13)
  [2258] Questions I have been asked on answering the phone - (2009-06-26)
  [2530] Taking a knock over Santa - (2009-12-08)
  [2650] Getting a phone line changed ... - (2010-02-25)
  [2880] Getting in touch - Please allow me to see you when you are online - (2010-07-21)
  [2961] Initial handling of phone calls and walk in visitors - (2010-09-19)
  [3073] Customer Service - the boundary - (2010-11-27)
  [3103] Thank you - and Happy Christmas - (2010-12-24)
  [3271] The importance of feedback - (2011-04-30)
  [3294] It's not just about the jam in the sandwich - (2011-05-19)
  [3378] New product - ensuring that supply matches demand - (2011-08-03)
  [3808] Can you put names to faces? - (2012-07-19)
  [3835] The Information age - not yet truly with us? - (2012-08-12)
  [4077] Palty or Parliamentary? - (2013-04-30)
  [4078] Train works for me! - (2013-05-02)
  [4232] Not wanted here - hotel guests who will not be happy - (2013-12-30)


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The train returns for a few weeks
Fitting our bathrooms
Morgans Hill
To list a directory under httpd on a web server, or not?
Eventful evening - a lesson in looking after contacts
Emergency First Aid Training
Lighter moments
Staff Meeting
Bath - a tourist city on our doorstep
Image maps for navigation - a straightforward example
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This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at http://www.wellho.net/horse/ - the diary and writings of Graham Ellis. Every attempt was made to provide current information at the time the page was written, but things do move forward in our business - new software releases, price changes, new techniques. Please check back via our main site for current courses, prices, versions, etc - any mention of a price in "The Horse's Mouth" cannot be taken as an offer to supply at that price.

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