Buying shoes online or buying a car – which is the better customer experience?

There are a finite number of significant purchases we will make during our adult lives. By ‘significant’, I mean a purchase that has a minimum of four figures in it, with the first figure likely to be greater than 2. The first of these purchases will probably be the acquisition of our first vehicle – either car or motorcycle – a pivotal point in our development from teenager to ‘young adult’. We may then move on to purchasing a property – something that is proving more difficult to do for younger adults in the current economic climate, but something we aspire to do all the same. We will at regular intervals purchase a holiday – the older we get, the more expensive this particular purchase becomes as one adult turns in to two, and then potentially starts adding in children.

There are of course other ‘significant’ purchases along the way depending on your interests. Some may buy a boat (if they can afford it). Others will buy expensive and elaborate entertainment systems for their homes. Buying a house is only just the start. Once you have purchased it, you may want a new kitchen or bathroom. It is very possible you will spend a significant sum of money on tradespeople to get the house up to the standard you require.

One purchase that I am a long way from making is related to retirement. It is perhaps the most significant purchasing decision we are likely to make in our lives. What do we do with the funds we have saved in our pension? Explaining annuities is most certainly not a subject for this blog post (or any I am likely to write for that matter), but please take my word for it that deciding on what to do with your hard-earned money for the rest of your life post retirement is rather important.

So why am I going on about these ‘significant purchases’? Let me stick to the big two to explain. If you think about the ‘customer experience’ of buying a car or a house, what immediately comes to mind? Do you ‘well up’ with emotion remembering how wonderful the company was who sold you your last car? Do you think back with admiration to the support and empathic service provided by your estate agent? Are you thinking ‘I cannot wait to have to go through these experiences all over again’?

Speaking from my own experience (although I would love to hear about yours), I sadly do not look back fondly on the experiences I have had spending vast sums of money relative to what I do every day. I have often wondered why the experience of buying a pair of new running shoes online or in a shop is so much easier, convenient and downright nicer than buying a car or a house. The level of service or attention I tend to receive on purchases of approximately £100 is far superior to the purchases I have made of £10,000 or more.

Think about it – why is it that estate agents have in general such a bad reputation? Of course they are not all bad (my brother is one!) – some are excellent – but a profession does not earn a negative perception overnight. Surely when we are considering parting with huge sums of money, the experience should be exceptional, and superior to what we expect day-to-day.

Regular readers of my blog know that I encourage people to feature as a guest. This post is no exception. I used to work with Miles Tilley. I did not know him personally, but he became a firm advocate of customer experience when he became engaged in the work I was doing. Miles has kindly shared his recent experience of buying a car – it is a great story (expertly written) that brings to life the points that I have been making in this post:

It’s quite simple really – when buying a car, you want to be able to believe and trust the salesperson to sell you the best car at the best price. But what if you don’t even get as far as seeing that salesperson? Coming from Malvern – a small town where little ever happens, becoming 18 and being able to visit the local bars was very exciting for my friends. I was more concerned with turning 17 and finally being able to have my own independence in the form of a car. It meant that I could easily work and socialise out-of-town and 3 months later my driver’s licence changed from green to pink.

Fast forward 6 years, 5 clapped out cars, some savings and a redundancy cheque and I’m now at a point where I want to buy a brand new car. This is exciting for me. None of my previous cars have ever been particularly “nice”, but this was all about to change. Like a child looking through a toy catalogue for Christmas presents, I spent months of flicking through websites and had finally decided that I would like to take my search for a new car to the next level. I wanted to test drive a Fiat 500 S edition.

Sunday morning came and Fiat’s website pointed me in the direction of “Bristol Street Motors” an authorised car dealership in Worcester which comes under the Vertu Motors PLC umbrella. On arrival I browsed the cars for around 5 minutes or so, peering in windows, kicking tyres and wondering how long it would take for someone to approach me and ask if I needed any help. A few more minutes and a little impatience later, I decided to venture inside the dealership – something I always felt should be reserved for the people who wanted to sit down, discuss figures and drive their hardest bargain.

Inside, sat at a large desk, was a receptionist who I approached and asked if they had any demonstration Fiat 500’s in the “S” edition.  Politely she said she’d have to find out for me – Fair enough, it seemed that she wasn’t based in sales and therefore may not know all of the specific models of the car. She then popped round the corner and asked what I assumed to be a salesman who was sat alone at his desk absent-mindedly clicking away. His response was simple – “No, we don’t sorry”

Taken aback slightly at the short and unhelpful response, I asked the lady if they had another dealership that I could visit and was told that the nearest one was in Cheltenham. The conversation ended there, I politely thanked them for their (little) time and left. A few stunned seconds later and I was back in the car. The more I thought about it, the worse the whole experience seemed to be. I wasn’t once approached and offered any help, guidance or even recognition.

Frustratingly, later in the day, I found out that each dealership had been sent a special edition Fiat 500 GQ which had been designed by the men’s magazine under the same name – based on the Fiat 500 S. My experience of working in a sales environment is limited to managing a team of temporary Christmas Sales Advisors for a home shopping company, but even I knew that I had practically handed the salesperson a lead to sell me a car, with the possibility of up-selling me the new more expensive special edition model!

I did actually end up visiting Bristol Street Motor’s sister dealership in Cheltenham, where unfortunately the experience wasn’t much better. This time I waited for 15 minutes before I was acknowledged by a rushed salesperson with “Give me 2 minutes and I’ll be with you”. Eventually I did get to test drive a car similar to the one I wanted, but again this was delayed further by having to stop for fuel. (Why wasn’t this done before?) Post-test drive, I was told that unfortunately, the salesperson had another appointment with another customer, but he (so kindly) offered to email me a quote which would “probably be tomorrow now”.

As frustrating as this whole situation was, I don’t feel that it wasn’t entirely the salesperson’s fault. He admitted that he was rushed off his feet due to having “skeleton” staff in on Sundays and that he had worked 5 Sunday’s in a row. I’m not a service delivery expert but you would assume that Saturdays and Sundays are going to be the busiest days for buying cars (especially during the summer months where people get out and about more). If you know Sundays are going to be busy, why not manage a rota to include more staff on this day?

Annoyed and frustrated, I headed for my local Nissan dealer to look at a second car which took my interest and I’m happy to let you know that not all car dealerships are the same. Within 30 seconds of looking at the car I liked, I was greeted by a young sales person who shook my hand, introduced himself as Jamie and asked if it was that particular model I was interested in. 3 minutes later I was inside being shown around the model in more detail and 10 minutes later I was test driving one. I left the garage with a detailed quote of the model I wanted with all the extra specifications that I liked, and Jamie’s business card to give him a call if I wanted further information.

The whole experience reminded me of a speech Ian Golding once gave where he said that customers will go back to the places (or companies) where good memories are made. Now I may not necessarily buy the car from Jamie, (I’m quite hard to please and I wasn’t particularly blown away by the drive of the car); but I would however consider Nissan for future purchases and even recommend them to other potential buyers. The whole experience was quick, easy, non-pressured and not once did he start a sentence with “My boss would kill me if he knew I was telling you about this incredibly good but top-secret deal that we have…”

A couple of years ago, Fiat launched a trial initiative where you could actually purchase a Fiat 500 wholly online which was supported by a small number of pop up stores in shopping centres which contained an example model. Although this may have been a PR stunt, I’m amazed that Fiat – one of the largest and demonstrably forward thinking car manufacturers in Europe does not have more involvement in the way its cars are sold in franchised dealerships.

In an industry where competition is rife and potential Car Buyers are looking to spend thousands of pounds on a product that is so integral to daily routine, Car Dealerships should try not to get ahead of themselves. Maybe Vertu Motors’ mission statement about providing “an outstanding customer motoring experience through honesty and trust” is a bit too low-level and requires them to step back and review their strategy. As we all know, you can provide the best sales and aftercare process, but if you can’t acknowledge your customers and get them through the door, it’s unlikely that they will hang around for the latter stages of the customer journey.

An alternative title for this blog post is ‘bigger does not always equal better’ – a reference to the fact that the bigger the purchase, the better the experience does not necessarily become. The ’emotional experience’, or in other words ‘what we remember about the experiences we have’ is a key factor in determining loyalty and future buying behaviour. Miles experience clearly shows how a poor experience will inevitably damage the credibility of the brand, and drive a valuable customer to a competitor. The fact that a significant purchase is more likely to be remembered than normal day-to-day interactions, means that it is even more important to ensure that your customers remember the experience for the right reasons.

I must re-iterate, there are exceptions to the rule in every industry. Fords of Winsford (http://www.fow.co.uk/), a used car specialist in the North West are famed for their customer experience. We purchased our last car with them – it is by far the best experience I have ever had buying a car. However, they seem to be the exception rather than the rule. I can only hope that the automotive dealers and estate agencies start/continue to build customer led strategies, rather than purely sales driven ones that out the customer at the bottom of the list of priorities.

Many thanks to Miles for sharing his story. You can follow him on Twitter at @lezjc

I would also be delighted to hear of any examples of great experiences related to significant purchases.

We won the argument….but lost the customer!

In a break from convention (a change is as good as a rest), I have decided this morning to write a ‘blogette’ – a short blog post (story) about customer loyalty. The story is inspired by one of my social media gurus – the only problem, is that I am not sure which one! It is likely that it was one of the people featured in this article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/vala-afshar/the-top-100-most-social-c_b_3652508.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000003&utm_content=buffer98404&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer. Whoever it was, I thank you for the inspiration!

The inspiration came from a quote. The quote sounded something like this:

There is no point winning an argument if as a result you lose a customer

It is (in my opinion) a very thought provoking quote. It makes me think of all the times I have interacted with organisations who have either argued with me, or disbelieved my point of view. One such event happened yesterday. My parents were visiting the Golding clan for the weekend. Before they returned to London, they very kindly wanted to treat us all to dinner. We decided to visit a lovely pub local to Chester. As there were seven of us, and because we know the seating area in the pub is small, we decided to book a table – we did not want to risk turning up, only to find out there was no space available.

On phoning the pub, we were told (politely I might add), that ‘we do not accept table bookings’. A relatively long conversation followed. We explained that we were a large group. We explained that my parents had a long drive back to London and that we could not risk not getting  a table. Even when they advised that they were not that busy ‘at the moment’, there was still no budging. WE DO NOT TAKE TABLE BOOKINGS was the stance, and there was absolutely no chance they were going to change their mind.

So can you guess what happened? I reckon most of you will have guessed correctly. Yesterday evening, this particular pub lost out on 7 meals and a couple of rounds of drinks. They can obviously afford to lose that kind of custom. It is very likely the next time we decide to go out for a meal, we will not even consider that establishment as a possible location. They won their argument, but very much list an customer! Was it worth it? You decide.

I completely acknowledge the need for rules and policies. However, the best organisations – and when I mean best I mean the ones that are the most customer centric – the ones who genuinely put customers before anything else – are the ones who are willing to break the rules to do what is right for the customer. I am reminded by a famous quote from Sir Richard Branson:

“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling  over, and it’s because you fall over that you learn to save yourself from  falling over.”

So think about that quote the next time you are either having an argument with a customer, or when you are the customer being argued with – is it really worth it?

Normal service (i.e. a normal length blog post) will be resumed later this week.

Maravilloso!! A Spanish lesson in customer retention

Cambio de Tercio is a Spanish restaurant in London. To be precise, it is a Spanish restaurant on the Old Brompton Road in South Kensington. I must make it clear that I am not a restaurant critic (although I would dearly love to be!!), and as such, this blog is not intended to be a ‘review’ of Cambio de Tercio. What I do intend is to use this amazing eatery as an example of how to deliver a customer experience that will ensure customer retention for many years.

Like many British nationals, I first visited Spain in my early youth. The Canary Islands and the Costas have always been popular holiday destinations for British families looking for good value fun in the sun. When I was younger, I never really appreciated the wonders of Spanish food. I remember the hotels I went to, and the swimming pools, but do not have much recollection of the food. That all changed when I met my wife, Naomi, 19 years ago. Naomi loves Spain – in fact she positively adores the country. From the people, to the language, to the varieties of culture and landscape, Naomi has always wanted to move there permanently – she will undoubtedly get her way eventually!

It is Naomi who opened my eyes to the culinary delights Spain has to offer. You just have to visit a Spanish supermarket to get an idea of what I am talking about. Fresh fruit and vegetables in Spain make our British offerings look pitiful by comparison. Spanish markets are array with colours and smells that we just do not seem able to replicate. I will never forget the first time Naomi took me to Barcelona. La Boqueria is perhaps one of the most famous markets in Spain, located on Las Ramblas. What amazing sights, sounds and smells we experienced.

So it is no surprise that when making a decision as to where to eat on a night out in Britain, we always tend to look for restaurants that specialise in our favourite cuisine. We have eaten in many Spanish restaurants in England. We spent many years visiting a restaurant called Meson Bilbao in Maida Vale. With rather brusque service and an old fashioned setting, Meson Bilbao would not be to everyones taste. However, what you could guarantee was that Jose, the owner of the restaurant, would serve up authentic Spanish dishes with ingredients sourced from Spanish suppliers. The food was wonderful, and we built up a great relationship with Jose. The ‘experience’ though was always slightly flawed by very ‘hit and miss’ service. Online reviews of the restaurant suggest we were not alone in forming this view. Here is one example:

Very disappointing restaurant unfortunately. I had high hopes for this place after reading the reviews but it really is not very good. We order 5 tapas dishes to start with, they arrived at different stages which was annoying as I wanted to combine what I had ordered together, not one by one. The Prawns in garlic were brilliant but everything else wasn�t. My husband wanted T bone steak but that�s was off, then he ordered the Cod but that was off too, so we settled for a chicken and sea food paella for 2.  Big mistake, Paella is my favourite Spanish dish and what arrived was defiantly not Paella, firstly it was long grain rice, secondly, no smoked paprika or red peppers had ever been introduced to this poor soulless dish. The prawns looked ill and the chicken was pointless. We took one bit and decided we had to say something. We called the lady over and said we were not happy with the dish, she understood and we paid for our tapas and wine and left, she charged me for an extra tapas dish ( the bread they bought over to us at the start of our meal) but I just wanted to get out of there so I did not question it. If your not someone who goes by reviews please believe we when I say I have NEVER written one before about anywhere but I  feel strongly about this place enough to do one now.

When anyone chooses to visit a restaurant, it is obviously the product that is primary in the decision making process. Shall we eat Indian, Chinese, Pizza, Pasta is always the first thing to be discussed. Once that decision has been made, other factors come in to play. If the food is brilliant, but the service is flawed, the fact the food is so good will potentially become an irrelevance. About ten years ago, Naomi and I decided that we wanted to eat Spanish – but we wanted to eat somewhere other than Meson Bilbao. It was then that we were fortunate to find Cambio de Tercio.

Cambio de Tercio is quite simply a gem (described in my best food critic language!). As soon as you walk through the door you are in literally in Spain. I was always told that you can tell a good restaurant by the people that are eating in it. If you are in a Chinese restaurant, and most of the customers are from China, that is a good sign. On our first visit to Cambio de Tercio, you could not help but notice how many Spanish nationals were in there. From the engaging welcome to the warm décor, it felt like a place that you wanted to be in. The service was incredible – friendly, helpful, and wonderfully Spanish. The food also did not disappoint – it was amazing. Cambio de Tercio was destined to become a regular destination for us – it enabled us to indulge in a little bit of Spain whenever we wanted (or could afford!!).

In 2005, we relocated from London to Chester. Undeniably a beautiful part of the country, Chester has one big problem – its restaurants. There are a small number of excellent places to eat, but we had not thought about how to maintain our Spanish ‘fix’ when making the decision to move the family. We have been literally pining for Cambio de Tercio ever since – always saying that we would go back whenever we had the chance.

So when I started planning a trip to London to celebrate Naomi’s 40th birthday, it was a very simple decision to arrange a trip to our favourite Spanish restaurant. Our memories from 7 years earlier had not faded – the experiences we had always had meant that we would always go back – the ultimate test of loyalty. Cambio de Tercio means something to us on an emotional level – something that any organisation should try and achieve to drive customer loyalty.

As we got out of our taxi, it was though we had never been away. However, things had changed. Not only had the restaurant expanded (taking over the shop next door), they had also opened a new establishment. The success of Cambio de Tercio meant that they had not just expanded the existing restaurant, but had also opened more. It was now possible to enjoy Tapas over the road in Tendido Cero. If you wanted something lighter and more bar like, you could spend the evening in Capote y Toros, a Ham and Sherry bard two doors down from Cambio de Tercio. They had also opened a restaurant in New Kings Road called Tendido Cuatro.

At a time when the restaurant trade, like many others, is feeling the effects of our struggling economy, this Spanish phenomenon was growing rapidly. It is no surprise. As we walked in to the restaurant, we were greeted like old friends by Abel, the restaurant owner. Whether he remembered us or not – he made us feel as though he did. I will not go in detail about the service or food – suffice to say it was everything we expected and more – yet another beautiful memory to go with all the others.

After our meal we had a drink in the Ham and Sherry bar – whilst we were there, the Spanish Ambassador came in for a drink and some Tapas. The Beckhams’ visited the restaurant in New Kings Road last week as well apparently. We have now been visiting Cambio de Tercio for more than ten years – punctuated by a seven year gap. In that seven years we never forgot how good the place was. It is still that good. What Cambio de Tercio demonstrate is that by having consistently great product and service, you can ensure that your customers will keep coming back time and time again, year after year.

Will we go back again – you bet we will – and if you love Spanish food, make sure you book a table the next time you are in London – you will not be disappointed.

http://www.cambiodetercio.co.uk/

As always, I welcome your comments on any of my blogs.

£2,160 a night!!! What can we learn from Claridges?

This is the iconic London hotel, Claridges. The temporary residence of the very rich and famous, it has hosted Kings, Queens and Emperors from all over the world. Built in the 19th century, it still remains every bit as beautiful as the day it first opened its doors. Claridges is currently the subject of a BBC2 documentary called ‘Inside Claridges’ http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01pbjfs. The programme is providing a wonderful insight into a quite amazing establishment. Watching the documentary made me realise that we can all learn something from Claridges – this is not just an iconic luxury hotel. This is an organisation that typifies what it means to deliver exceptional customer experiences. This blog summarises 6 things we can all learn from Claridges.

1. £2,160 – yes, that is what you can expect to pay for the Linley suite if you booked it for two adults to enjoy a night tomorrow. Breakfast is not included, but can be added to your reservation for £32 per person. If you wanted to treat your lovely lady with some flowers in the room, you can do so for another £75. In the current economic climate, these are big numbers. There are not many people that can afford to spend this much money on overnight accommodation. However, why do people (that can afford it) spend this kind of money? Lets have a look….
2. Attention to Detail – If there is one thing you can absolutely guarantee when you visit Claridges, it is that every tiny detail of the customer journey has been, and is continuously, scrutinised on an almost minute by minute basis. The management team walk around the hotel many times a day, ensuring that everything is as it should be. In the first episode of the documentary, we see the assistant general manager walking around the outside of the hotel. He spots a bit of the kerb on a corner of the hotel has had some paint chipped off – he radios immediately for a member of the maintenance staff – within minutes it is a sparkling white again. Nothing is left to chance. Newly refurbished rooms are slept in by members of staff to ensure that everything works as it should. Armies of people prepare for the visit of important guests. It is unlikely that you would ever find something out of place at Claridges – why should that be any different to your own organisation, or any organisation you transact with?
3. Consistency – connected to point two, Claridges is remarkably consistent – it has to be. The Claridges customer expects their visit to the hotel to be brilliant – every time. It is not acceptable for there to be an ‘off day’ – at Claridges it seems there never is. Some of their guests have been visiting the hotel for over 40 years – now that is loyalty. Deliver a consistent experience that delights your customers and they will keep coming back – whatever the cost.
4. Innovation – in a hotel that prides itself on tradition, you would not necessarily think that innovation is key to its proposition. However, what Claridges understands is that it must evolve to meet the expectation of the changing world around it, whilst maintaining the traditions that make it the icon it is. The very latest technologies are seamlessly and sympathetically built into the traditional surroundings almost without being noticed. This week we saw toilets that automatically heat the seat when sat upon – how cool is that!!
5. Training – Stephen Fry was interviewed on the programme last night. Stephen made the point that patrons of Claridges are not really paying for the building or the static things that lie within it. What customers are really paying for is the attention of brilliantly trained people. Claridges seem to have a number of members of staff who have been with them for many years. They are as passionate about the hotel as their loyal customers. Claridges staff are trained to perfection. They are immensely proud of their product. They are advocates of he Claridges brand. If your staff are fans of your brand, they are perfectly placed to help their customers become the same. Fans rarely leave you.
6. Memories – in the first episode, Claridges General Manager, Thomas Kochs, said that his objective is to ‘create at least one memory that will turn into another visit’. What Mr Kochs wants his customers to leave Claridges with is something that they will not forget. An emotional connection that will live with them and inspire them to come back again. This is something in my opinion that all brands should strive to do – if you can, you will create sufficient loyalty in your customer base that the future of your business will be assured.

There are probably more things that we can learn from this wonderful old hotel. What I do not want you to remember from this blog is point 1 – the price you have to pay to stay at this hotel is irrelevant. The fact that Claridges has existed for so long is because they execute points 2 to 5 so very very well. What a product or service is worth is down to what customers are willing to pay for it. There is no reason why a local B&B cannot aspire to do what Claridges have done – there is no reason why all organisations cannot do what they have done. One day I hope to be able to experience Claridges for myself – I may have to stick to afternoon tea for now though!

As always, your comments on this or any of my blogs are very welcome.

UPDATE – 28th January 2013

Since I wrote this blog, I visited Claridges with my wife to sample afternoon tea – it did not all go to plan – to find out what happened, read here – http://ijgolding.com/2013/01/28/can-i-offer-you-a-complimentary-glass-of-champagne-sir-now-that-is-how-to-recover-a-customer-experience/

What a lovely mug! The risks of taking loyal customers for granted

One would always assume that the more loyal the customer, the better service they may expect to receive from the organisation they have been so loyal to. You would not be excused for thinking that many organisations would be delighted to look after their long-standing customers with a vigour, to ensure that they remain as loyal in the future as they have done in the past.

However, recent experiences that I have had, suggest that this might not always be the case. In fact, not only do I believe that organisations do not look after their loyal customers any differently to new ones, they are at risk of actually treating loyal customers BADLY.

Let me give you an example. I have been hiring cars from Avis for a few a months now. I have done so due to the convenience and affordability that they have been able to offer me. The service has been good (great front desk), and I have been treated well. As a customer (although some of you may not be able to believe this) I have been very accommodating. I am not really concerned what car they give me – or whether or not it has been cleaned to perfection. If it is not quite ready, I have never raised an eyebrow. As a result, the relationship between my local Avis office and my good self has been very good.

Now you would think that the lovely people at Avis, knowing that I am a regular customer; knowing that I am a friendly customer; and knowing that I am a flexible customer; would look after me just that little bit better than the ‘one off’ weekend customer who will be seen once, and never again. You would be wrong.

In the seven months I have been hiring cars (on a weekly basis), the state and quality of the cars they have been giving me have been getting steadily worse. The cars are never ready for me to collect. The cars are very rarely clean on the inside. The condition of the cars they give me gets worse each time I collect one. Just before I went on holiday, I hired a car for a week – I had a lot of driving to do. I sort of hoped that maybe, just maybe, the car would be OK. The car I was hustled in to was a disgrace. It stank of cigarette smoke. It was filthy inside. There were even a pair of false eyelashes (used) in the centre console. Avis had become guilty of taking a very good customer for granted. Do they think I will put up with service like this? They have pushed me a step too far. You could say I brought it upon myself. You could be right. But just because I have been accommodating, does not mean they can take me for granted.

It is a crying shame when a loyal customer looks on in envy when a new customer is rolled out the red carpet. It is very important to win new custom. BUT it is more important to focus on KEEPING your customers. I found this image about Avis on-line – I am their newest complainant – but it will not stop me from taking my business elsewhere – it is too late.

It is not just my experience with Avis that led me to blog on this subject. How many of you have a contract with a Satellite broadcaster like Sky in the UK? How many times have you seen offers being made to new customers that are not available to existing customers? What have us poor loyal customers done wrong eh? Once these companies have us, they think that they need to do nothing to keep us. They only attempt to do something when we phone up to cancel. In my opinion, this is just not good enough.

Customer retention is the key to the sustainability of a successful business. To retain customers you need to treat them well – not just on day 1 – but on week 2, month 3, year 4 and so on. Taking customers for granted is so easy to do – it is what will be losing your business top and bottom line benefits. It is all so obvious. What strategy does your organisation have in place?

Do you know of any similar stories? Do you know of any companies who treat their existing customers well? Please feel free to comment on any of my blogs.