Welcome to my blog!

Let me start off by saying, thanks for stopping by for a look-see...

Second, I'd like to introduce myself.  My name is Julian Ignatowski, Sr., but you can call me Jules.  I grew up on a vegetable farm and was used to hard work at a very young age.  Some of my earliest memories are being in the fields or riding a large tractor with my parents and siblings.  Working on a farm that sold produce to the general public, I was able to learn the essentials of great quality control and the importance of solid customer service.  For instance, our farm hand-washed all our produce prior to sale and made sure only the cream of the crop was packaged for transport to the local supermarkets, mom-and-pop stores and, my personal favorite, our family roadside stand set up in our garage.  By six years of age, I had learned that if you price a product correctly, you will not only instill quality in the minds of your potential buyers, but will also get them coming back for more!  It was the little things like: putting on a smile and greeting your customers when they approached; being knowledgeable enough to answer product questions and offer suggestions; calculating the correct total amount due; counting back the proper change to the customer; thanking them for coming in; and requesting that they come back again, which allowed our farm to thrive during harvest.  These basic principles that were ingrained in me at such an early age became the bedrock for the success that I've had in my professional career as an entrepreneur, executive and educator.

This blog is an attempt to communicate these bedrock principles to you, share the moments when companies get it wrong and when they get it right, but most importantly, what those companies did or did not do in order to achieve said results.  We are all secret shoppers and food critics, except that the majority of us aren't financially compensated for our input on such things.  This blog, Customer Service, R.I.P.?! will allow you to vent your awful situations involving customer service and also allow you to offer praise where praise is due. Hopefully, along the way, we'll even learn from each other.  Thanks again for stopping by...can't wait to hear what you have to say.