Ryan Shell, Author at RyanShell.com

Is Good Customer Service a Thing of the Past

This post could easily be part of my “Get Fit” series, but I’m not taking that route. Last night I continued my personal struggle… with pizza.

After sitting around for about 30 minutes and weighing the pro’s and con’s of doing so I opted to pick up the phone and call the local Pizza Hut (Randleman Rd location in Greensboro, NC). Needless to say, the conversation didn’t go very well. Here’s what I posted on Facebook after hanging up the phone,

“Wow. Just gave in and called Pizza Hut on Randleman Rd. Lady says, “We have a 2 hr wait, do you still want the pizza?” I say, “Wow, 2 hrs, what has you so backed up?” I was just curious b/c they’ve never been that backed up. She says, “Why you asking so many questions?””

Has the concept of good customer service been completely lost? I couldn’t help but think, “I’ve spent a nice chunk of change with this location and that’s how I’m treated…”

Unfortunately, we live in a time that good customer service is so hard to come by that it is often times perceived as great.

PS – No, I’m not proud of spending lots of money on pizza that is far from healthy – that’s a different conversation though.

How “Get Fit” has Impacted my Financial Life

By Ryan Shell

This post is part of my ongoing “Get Fit” series, an effort to lose a little weight/tone up, and save money by reducing the number of meals I eat out.

I officially started this series on November 20, and want to give you an update as to how it has impacted my financial life.

First, let me backtrack a bit.

In late November I decided to start tracking my eating out expenses using FinanceWorks, a great money management tool provided through my credit union. When I saw that I’d spent $718 eating out in the month of September I nearly fell out of my seat… and I’m dumbfounded by simply typing that figure.

The amount dropped a bit in October, and in November I still managed to spend $615 eating out, which is still an insane spending level for a single guy that doesn’t drink alcohol. Thankfully in November I started the “Get Fit” series and really became committed to eating out less and getting in shape.

Note: Keep in mind that I ran for political office last year and was hardly ever at home – one of the many reasons I ate out so much.

Untitled-1 — My eating out expenses since September.

As you can see by looking at the chart above, I have nearly cut my eating out expenses in half since September. I currently budget $350 a month for eating out, and have gone over just a bit the last two months, but I’m committed to hitting the goal in February (one out of town trip might mess that up slightly).

If you consider $350 a month a lot for eating out, keep in mind that I only budget around $200 for groceries. My lifestyle simply doesn’t permit me to eat at home every night (three to four nights a week at best).

So, is the “Get Fit” series helping me accomplish my goal of toning up and saving money? Absolutely.

Thanks for reading and I hope you find this series to be helpful.

Using FBML will Enhance Your Facebook Landing Page

By Ryan Shell

Since yesterdays “Social Media Launch” post I’ve received a few questions about the html application that I used to create the landing page for my employer. Click here for the live link, or click the screenshot below.

The application is called FBML, and it allows you to drop in html. You can also add video and other cool things – depending on how vast your html knowledge is.