2010 was an extraordinary year for Trase Miller. It was a really good and a really exciting year. But we don’t live in a bubble; we are part of a greater community and recognize that it was a difficult year for many folks.
Media outlets reported some good news yesterday about our economy as released by the US Department of Labor: Jobless Claims Hit 2 ½ Year Low. The report is encouraging. And while the Labor Department was getting the report ready for publishing, we observed in our own way some measures of consumer confidence that make us feel encouraged. The phones have been ringing like crazy. And people are booking vacations. Is it pent-up demand? Some of us here believe that is the case.
Back to reflection on 2010. We hired. We grew. We adapted. One of the most misquoted theories in history is that of Charles Darwin. Darwin never said/wrote that it is survival of the fittest. His theory was about adaptation:
“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change”.
Darwin was a naturalist but he was also a world traveler. From his travels he wrote a book – The Voyage of the Beagle, which is a really vivid and exciting travel memoir. The book isn’t about a Beagle dog; it’s about travel – Just Google it!
Speaking of dogs - - - We end our last blog of 2010 with the chorus from a song that is an anthem for many young Americans in the present day. If you haven’t heard the song, give it a listen. It’s a fight song. Written and performed by Florence and the Machine is a powerful reminder that enduring tough times can make us stronger and that because we fought hard, transformed our business and adapted we are well poised for a very bright future.
Chorus to Dog Days Are Over:
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses?
'Cause here they come
Happy New Year to All - With special thanks and recognition to everyone that worked so hard to get ready for an exciting 2011.
Trase Miller is a contact center service provider that works exclusively in the travel space. We work with BIG brands and we have a solid track record of making them happy. This is a wonderful (the most) time of the year but we always seem to crash into the end of the year in need of some rest before even more craziness begins in January.
We love the 1982 classic film “A Christmas Story”. In the movie, Ralphie Parker has to convince his parents, teachers, and even Santa that a Red Ryder BB gun really is the perfect gift. Poor Ralphie wasn’t simply told “no” he was reminded over and over “you’ll shoot your eye out, kid”.
It reminds us of the kind of year we had. We spent a fair amount of time talking to big brands about why Trase Miller was the perfect contact center partner. Several companies did in fact tell us “you’ll shoot your eye out”. But the way the film ends is the way our year is ending. It is perhaps the best moment in the film. A beautiful snow is coming down outside his bedroom window and Ralphie is dreaming of his wonderful gift. The story's author and narrator speaking as the grown up Ralphie, realizes this was one of the best Christmases he would have.
The film’s story and message also helps us to anticipate what 2011 will be like. We’ll be taking chances just like Ralphie and his friends. Ralphie's friends Flick and Schwartz debate whether a person's tongue will stick to a frozen flagpole. Schwartz ultimately issues Flick a "triple dog dare" and of course Flick becomes stuck. This scene reminds us that we will get stuck once in a while and when we do we’ll get unstuck quickly and return quickly back to the classroom just like Flick.
So we are ending the year with some new client partners and many of us believe this is one of the best Christmases we have had in a long time. Merry Christmas, y’all!
Every single day of the year we are mindful of our friendships with all of our client partners. This time of year we are even more mindful as we get ready for next year and as we get ready to onboard several new client partners in the first quarter of 2011. We are all very thankful for new client partnerships and new opportunities that are presented as a result of the relationships.
Back in 1788, Scot poet Robert Bruns penned "Auld Lang Syne" which was set to the tune of a traditional folk song. In 1929 Canadian band leader Guy Lombardo popularized the use of the song at American New Year’s celebrations. The song became his trademark as well as a New Year’s anthem. The song begins with the question as to whether it is right that old times should be forgotten, and is generally interpreted as a reminder to remember our friendships. The song has significant meaning to all of us here at Trase Miller.
In our last blog we mentioned the upcoming Trase Miller Christmas party. It was an elegant affair to be sure and a huge success. Trase Miller’s GM Frank Silzer gave a memorable talk in which he paid tribute to our first and largest client partner American Airlines Vacations. Frank is an extraordinary communicator and it was not lost on anyone in the room the continuing importance of AAV to all of us at Trase Miller.
Our old friendships shall not be forgotten and we eagerly embrace the new ones to come in 2011.
In last week’s blog we gave thanks. This week we can’t help ourselves but to mention the fact that Christmas is on our minds. Trase Miller has a time honored tradition of celebrating Christmas with our employees - even in difficult times. Many companies have tossed their holiday parties out the door as a cost saving measure. Not us! On Saturday night we’ll get together with our team members and their loved ones for our annual holiday celebration. It’s a fun and exciting night and many of us look forward to sharing some Christmas cheer.
It’s really quite interesting to see how different companies and their executives think about and talk about Christmas. There has been an increasing amount of sanitization of the holiday and many people tip-toe around expressing generic “happy holiday” wishes. Not Southwest Airlines. On a flight recently we were delighted to read Southwest Airlines’ CEO Gary Kelly’s thoughts on Christmas. He reflects in a very personal way and then offers this to his customers:
“Perhaps, in this small but profoundly gratifying way, the holiday season isn’t just for kids. It’s great fun for us old geezers, too. The anticipation of the holidays exists with the Southwest Family, as well. We share your excitement over your travels to be with your families, and we view your patronage as a treasured gift. In return, you can count on us to meet your holiday travel needs. Happy Holidays to all!”
What a beautiful and genuine sentiment Gary extends. We loved this and wanted to share it with our blog readers. It’s really no wonder at all that Southwest Airlines hits the jackpot in earnings every single quarter of reporting. It's really no wonder at all that Southwest has huge customer loyalty.
On Saturday night at our Christmas party we’ll be thinking about Gary’s words. And as we are wishing each other a Merry Christmas we will all share in the happiness of knowing that our tradition of celebrating together goes on.