I am thankful for…

Jeremy We have been learning so much about how essential gratitude and appreciation are in customer service.  I (Jeremy) actually sat down to start this discussion and then I hit a complete tangent which turned into “Pausing to Give Thanks”.  Anyway, Jenny and I thought it would be cool to talk about what we’re thankful for and as always, I’m sure we’ll put a customer service spin on things.  I’m gonna kick this sucker off.  Jenny, what are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions?

Jenny Well, besides eating a lot of delicious food, when I was younger, my sister and I would keep track of who spent the most time in the bathroom on Thanksgiving. Usually, it ended up  being her. Sorry if this is TMI but it definitely stands out as one of the best/funniest Thanksgiving traditions with my family when I was a kid. These days, I’m trying to settle into “new” traditions since I’m 3,000 miles away from my family. What are some of your favorite Thanksgiving traditions? What food can you absolutely not wait to eat on Thursday?

Jeremy I’m not sure it’s TMI but it begs the question of why you guys spent so much time in the bathroom.  New topic!  I think some of my favorite traditions revolve around playing some sport with my brothers as we waited for the food to be ready or sharing what we’re thankful for as a family.  My wife has a lot of guitar players in her family so at Thanksgiving we have a big group of us play some variation of bluegrass.  I am excited to try out my new banjo skills this year.  As far as food goes, I absolutely love yams and pecan pie.  I can take or leave the rest.  Of course I’ll eat it all anyway!

Ok, next question.  What would Thanksgiving be without football?  There are three NFL games on Thursday.  The matchups are Texans vs Lions, Redskins vs Cowboys and Patriots vs Jets.  Who is going to win each of these games?

Jenny You have such a musical family! That sounds like so much fun! Let us know how it goes with the banjo playing. And, I hate to admit it but I know absolutely nothing about football so I am steering clear of that question. Who do YOU think will win each of those games?

And, to the next question–what is one work related thing that you are thankful for happening this year? For me, this would be us creating and developing a mission statement and vision for the company. I truly think that having this will allow us to feel more of a purpose on a daily basis!

Jeremy I was hoping you would pick the Lions because you like animals.  I’m going to pick the Texans, Patriots and most importantly the Redskins because that is the official team of the McGovernators, our Relay for Life team.   We are fighting for our friend Todd who lost his battle with cancer earlier this year.  We will talk more about that later though.

In all honesty, I am really thankful for this blog.  I know it was my idea but it’s been a blast collaborating with you on this.  In some ways it’s accountability to be the best customer service professionals we can be and commit ourselves to continuous improvement.  In other ways, it’s an opportunity to contribute something to the customer service community and hopefully make a difference in this world in some small way.  Alright Jenny, last question.  What are you thankful for?

 Jenny Then I think I’m going to absolutely go with the Redskins! The blog was such a great idea, Jeremy, and I am honored to collaborate with you. Writing this blog and learning from other customer service professionals has truly expanded my mind and given more passion to my daily work. I hope we are making a little difference in the world!

In a general sense, and I know it sounds cheesy, but I am SO thankful for my friends and family. They are always there for me and, after moving far away, it opened my eyes to just how much they care about me and how much I care about them. Being across the country is tough to maintain friendships with everyone back home, but thank goodness for technology and making it easy to communicate! Are there any last things that you are thankful for that you want to share with everyone?

Jeremy Well said Jenny!  We do have so much to be thankful for.  I too am thankful for family and friends.  I’m grateful to have a wonderful wife and a front row seat to watch my two boys grow up.  I have other family but those are the three highlights.  I am truly blessed beyond measure.  It’s been great collaborating with you Jenny.  Have a terrific Thanksgiving.