Makes me what to take action for once. Not a passive read at all

Loved the message from Steve to Rachel. Having time for people makes all the difference.

This content touches a few significant points for me. I evolved in a generation where women in engineering were few and far between, and at the time, there was much discussion about a concept from sociology, about the ability to assimilate and in doing so break down barriers.  It worked and I enjoyed many professional and personal successes as a result. I blended into the male dominated world of engineering by force of character and opinion.   But I feel that in doing so, I lost something along the way. There is another side to the issue of success, and that is humility.  No one knows all these is to know, and in the current accelerated environment of technology and others, what you know one day may or may not be on target the next day. Given constant change at a phenomenal pace, perhaps it would be of benefit to consider the talent of humility these days in a positive light.   If you approach tasks from the standpoint of humility instead of the 'take me or leave me' one, isn't it possible;e you achieve more and gain substantially more depth because you have no preconceived notions of the solution(s) and open the door to innovation and your personal/professional growth?  Bottom line is, foster that desire to improve, do not worry about the risk of failure.  When I was young, if I had shown any doubt about anything, it would have been seen as weakness. 

Reading this excellent blog reminded me that we can all innovate of jobs, whatever they may be. The postman example is an excellent one; he didn't behave in the way one expects a post man to behave.   This will sound old fashioned, and thankfully it is now outdated, but I fought copy what the men were doing at the time.  I didn't bring my own presentability to the role, or any innovation.  I copied others because I feared failure.  If I had failed, those around would have said it was because I was a woman, and I couldn't bear to hear that. Instead, they said that I succeeded only because I was a woman. Just as frustrating but at least the success was in there.   Those actually working with me knew different and respected me for what I did and what I achieved by my own merit.

So what am I saying in this long ramble?  I am saying it is wonderful to see so many young people, men and women succeeding on their own terms. but also by retaining humility about what they do.  They are keen to learn yes, but they also are not afraid to express themselves and be creative in their roles.

Steve, I know is a great ambassador for the ACR industry, and more significantly for those working within the industry.  This blog shows that he is an advocate of equal opportunities for all.  

I have also marvelled at the success of his poster campaign last year.  So simple and yet so effective, and more recently his promotion of women in engineering. 

Steve embodies what I am trying to say ...foster the desire to improve, and don't fear failure, because fuelled with such a desire, you will not fail.

Be yourself, and improve and create on your own terms in your own style.

Thought provoking article. At this time of year filled with Awards and New Year's Resolutions, many people compare themselves and their abilities to others around them. The only comparison to yourself is the person you were yesterday.  I believe anyone can do anything, all it takes is dedication, and motivation.  If anyone wants to be a 'Fred' they can be. Its up to them

Brilliant suggestion Steve, I've enjoyed reading your post so much.

This is a new point of view on a topic often written about.

Greetings from Tokyo!

I always enjoy reading your posts. The way to are able to link many of them to real time events is impressive.  But then you stopped posting them. I wondered at the time what real time event occurred to make you change. 

I visited this blog and found that you have gained, it has gained popularity recently.  It deserves it because it is different to anything else out there in the RAC industry

As I saw many other comments, I thought I would add my own.

Nice read Steve.  Simple yet profound.  It deserves to be shared and read by many.

Take care. I see you are busy now with other things.  May I wish you every success. You have made a mark in the industry in many way, Not many can say that.

What a wonderful article Steve. I never thought of those individuals in the HVACR industry that provide exceptional service to the customer. There are so many in this industry that go out of our way to help the client. 

You are absolutely right, this is a service industry, and you are doubly right that we are good at it and should shout about this more.

Fantastic words Steve. A real eye opener

Loved the comment from you to Rachel.  You must have made her day. You have made mine by leaving it.

This is so powerful. I loved reading every word. There are no wasted words in this post. It really reinforces that exceptional customer service is made by individuals who make a difference. It also confirms something we already know but need reminding of sometimes.....this is a great industry to work in.

the ACR industry is so cool!

This is so so powerful to read.....I am repeating myself but it is true. I have read it a dozen times, and it just gets better and better each time

I truly enjoyed this post. Reading through the comments is an experience in itself. Quite amazing

Nice article, thanks for sharing.

Some times you read something and realise it is a game changer. This is one of those times

Geoff

This blog is wonderful to read...really great to read in fact.  Inspirational story, and by this I mean the whole story of Fred, the blog, the award, the winners, Steve's success, and the success of this blog, as a whole it makes a remarkable story

Mark Gill....not related to Steve as far as I know!

Inspiring article, but you know, customers will take advantage if you let them. Same as anyone else. If you give too much they just become takers. Where is the relationship and mutual respect in that? Some form of tough love is necessary to maintain a healthy balance.  Tough love in any relationship is hard to give and receive especially when that person is important to you or you care about them.  There are times when you NEED to tell the customer the truth, they really need to hear it, To be soft and divert strong remarks out of some sort of misguided respect is just that, misguided.   Better to say it but with respect and gratitude.  I try to be honest and straight in all situations and I think our customers respect and trust me for that.  Thank you for this great article

Keep your hair on Peter. No need to be so uptight about this.  It is only a blog after all

Listen to some Bowie and chill. Reflect what is important in life; making a difference

For what it is worth, I agree with you, but let the others think what they like, and whatever they take from it, that is okay.

I also agree that that the ACR industry has far better examples than Fred, and yet that is what I also think Steve is saying. So, ...the ACR Industry needs a Disa Award would have been a much better title, bit unfortunately, it took this brilliant blog from Steve for us to recognise and identify the gems that we have around us

I don't know if this blog is iconic, but it is certainly an enigma. Why I am logging in on a Saturday morning while drinking my second coffee of the day waiting for a delivery to arrive? I am checking to read the latest comments, but why?

I first read this blog almost three years ago now. Like all Steve's bogs I thought it a good read, that shows the industry in a different light.  It made me think, but I can't say that it struck me as brilliant or earth shattering, but yes, it was good, as all his posts are.

Then sometime after, I heard someone mention that the ACR industry should have a Fred Award.  For a moment, I thought, well that's coincidence, Steve Gill wrote about that a couple of months ago. And then, it spread. A few people asked me what I knew about the Fred award, or if I had read about a new Fred Award. And so on and so on.  Then a visit back to the blog to remind myself what it was all about revealed an extraordiary response in terms of comments. Both in the sheer number of them and also the quality of the comments. There where so many opinions that the blog took on a whole new life of its own. 

Then of course the actual ACR News Customer Service Award was launched, and what a success that has been. It may have been a slow burn but I think the momentum is there and it will grow and grow.  

So, why I am checking in again on the damp and chiller Saturday morning? Because I am fascinated by the comments being left from all over the world. I skip Steve's actual blog now as I have read it so many times, and jump straight to the latest comments

It is truly extraordinary that in this day and age that a blogpost is still receiving comments.  Usually, blogs recieve comments for a couple of weeks if they are topical, or views for several years, if they contain useful information that is worth searching for.  Steve's blog doesn't fit neatly into either of those categories. 

Iconic or not, it is an interesting read that has made a positive contribution to this industry. In a few words, Steve has made us think, and more importantly act. That is the sign of a true influencer.

Okay, delivery is here, or I would go on and on.

Remember to vote... I want to say before signing off. Oh...and keep those comments coming.

Bye

Hear hear Steve!

There is a quote, the origin I don't know for sure, that goes something like this:

"There are three kinda people in this world; there are those who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and then there are people who wonder whats happened".

Steve is one of those first people on the list. He makes things happen for the good of this industry

The blog is deceptively simple to read, but is so deep its message. What is more, it is spot on in its understanding of this industry. 

I can't praise this enough.  If it has been topped by anything, it would be Steve's industry poster campaign which reached all four corners of the globe.  I have one of the posters, the mona lisa one, as a screen saver on my laptop here in LA,

Good luck to all the finalists this year and future years,  You are all stars!

My old boss used to have a Shakespeare quote above here desk to remind us all how to treat customers. It read:

"Love All, trust a few, do wrong to none". 

I never studied Shakespeare myself but the quote stuck with me throughout my career.

I don't work in the ACR industry any longer. I was laid off some 15 years back, and have been working in another industry since then, but I miss the special feel that the ACR industry has. That is why, even after 15 years I still stay in touch with the news and latest developments,  And yes, Steve is right, it is the people working within in the industry that make it so special, so an award for them is very welcomed.

Friday afternoon, woo-hoo,  we finish early in about 15 minutes.

I just managed a few minutes at lunch time to read this blog, and have been thinking about it all afternoon.

First, i must say what a good blog it is. It is difficult to add anything to the praise already heaped upon this blog and the author, but I agree with all the positives and more.

What I would like to say is that I marvel at those that offer excellence customer service because they appear to do so effortlessly, and without incurring huge amounts of extra time.  We all have some much to do this days. Emails, and phone calls are endless, and pile up no matter how fast and efficiently we handle them. To make the extra effort without using up loads of additional time which we don't have is an art. It can be done because I have watched others doing it, but I can't seem to master the art myself.

I think this is where these people stand out. They have time for people and think about making their customer expereince better, without any detriment to other clients who are waiting.  No one wants to be stuck in a long queue wait to be served for example, no matter how good the service is at the end of it.   The secret is to extra special without taking up loads of time. In other words build it into your every day service so that it because second nature.  

I think the ACR News Award is a great initiative, and can only marvel at this blog. We can all think of things, but to articulate the idea in such a convincing way is following through with it

Thanks Steve, and Lynn.

Interesting take on customer service. Such an interesting role model being a post man. 

Much that I can learn from this.  Pleased to award for  ACR support staff as they are the frontline more often than many people often realise,

Thanks Steve for you help in raising the profile of us

Happy New Year

Interesting proposal Steve.  There are so many award dinners these days, maybe too many, that I have to say that they are becoming a bit sameish. You have been to them all so you must know what I mean better than anyone. 
To open up the awards to the rank and file workforce, the people that actually make the fridge industry tick is a great initiative. I understand that it is the large companies that sponsor these events that enable them to happen, so they like to hav their products on view. So there will also be a category for the biggest and the best. But if we could only have some more genuine awards for genuine people doing their best I think the industry and the awards would be a lot better off,

What I really like about the ACRN Customer Service awards is that it is judged by industry, not by a pool of judges.  I am not picking on any one judge or even team of judges, but in my opinion there have been far too many award farces. Some have been so obviously wrong that one wonders how they ever even made the short list.   

I am talking about projects that never actually were, or products that are not actually made, or companies claiming to do things that they don't.   We all know who they are, and this just makes a mockery of the whole awards unfortunately.  It devalues, it drags down them all sadly

But..and there is a but,  I have nothing but praise for this initiative, and I hope that more similar categories will follow.

You have used your influence fantastically well. Well done, and thank you from all the ordinary individuals that work in this industry

Steve, you have hit the mark. Brilliant and honest.  What you say about customer service is as true for the MD  of a multi-national as it is for one-man bands. And I've been both so I know

Good luck with the new ASHRAE chapter, you have made history yet again

Great blog Steve.  Reminds me of a saying I learned from one of my great mentors "I work for anyone who walks into my office". 

Steve,I have to agree with so many others that this is a wonderful article....I really loved it because it was so short and sweet......nothing like the long dull boring industry article I was expecting. 

I did believe beliefs that people like Fred would be successful but now I do not. I work for a huge worldwide company. I can see successful people everywhere. They have talent, skills, education. experience, etc, but never ever humbleness. They ignore people under their level, they push their opinions very hard. Sometimes tey ask a question so they can talk and ask you agree with them. I can see many people successful here, but not a single Fred.  He would not be successful. He would just keep his job perhaps but no more. I can see many people and can see how they do it. It is not by being helpful to customers.

One of my bosses circulated this article. But it was so she could be seen to have circulated it, not because she believes a word of it. Circulating it will be enough to help her succeed.  Actually following the recommendations here won't.

Steve, my Dad was born in 1926 and is from another generation. However, he taught me a valuable lesson that has served me well, and I would like to share with you. He told me to never point as someone because there is always three fingers pointing back at you. The wisdom is that statement came to mind when I read some of the negative comments here. There are very few and far more positive ones. far far more. I think the negative comments say far more about the person leaving them that it does about your wonderful article.  They are just waving the flag saying 'look at me' rather than the beautifully crafted message, written with quiet confidence saing 'good on us'. 

The message I get from this blog post, and your others, is 'good on us', we are a great industry and should be proud.  Well I am, and I am so glad to read that there is now an award for finding others that do this industry proud too through customer service

By the way, I have several of your industry posters printed on the office wall here.  That industry PR campaign was the best thing I have seen during my whole career. If you never did anything again, you will always be remembered for that around the world. 

Keep going Steve, and don't let any negative comments put you off

Mike

I do still what I believe that's correct but the reality is, in my case for example every time i act like the good points described here, by boss normally says that I'm not tough enough, no good at business, I should open a church, I'm too much good as a person and things similar to this (I'm not that good but I aim to grow as a person spiritually talking not only materially). To be honest I don't really care what the boss says because I really believe that what goes around comes around and we should be a good person to ourselves. The HVAC market nowadays is very competitive and everybody is trying too hard all the time to be 'apparently' the best. The best working, the best caring, the best dressed, the best trying, the best service, the best product, the best employer, the best worker....when I find a true person that keeps his true personality is like to find a treasure. I don't achieve yet all the things I want to in my career but with no humblebrag, I believe that worth  to live the life looking what you have around and seeing whom you have around, learning being a good person with others and all the good things that you seed come back in good things to you.

Steve, I love love love this article, We need to understand the basics of being human all over again, to be humble enough, to find our trueselves, and then we can improve the customer service to others, just like Fred the mailman. It is such a beautiful post that  I can tell by the way you write that your such a caring and considerate man and you care passionately about this industry and helping people like me that work in it, Respect.