getting personal

no, this isn't a post answering one of those surveys about how many people i shagged last year and how long i've known my number 1 myspace person for, so don't fret.

it's a quick little post about service with a personal touch. [go on, go for the innuendo, i don't care].

this week i've realised how fantastic my mobile phone is.

and i think a few companies have jumped on the band wagon. it's probably been that way for a while, but sometimes it takes me a while to catch up. earlier this week, i forgave vodafone for their previous sins when i started using their directory assistance service, choice #3. when you ring up vodafone's directory, not only are you not 'placed in a queue and answered by the next available operator', but your call is actually answered by a real person! i don't care if they're in india or wherever, it's a real person. then, to top that off, you have 3 choices with the number you need. either you can listen to it being read out and write it down, you can be through-connected (or thru-connected, of which the spelling annoys me, but i've let that go for now), or, and this is the clincher, you can have the number sent as a text message to your phone! what a fucking genius! plus it's the address too - if it's a business.

i cannot tell you how awesome i think this is. it means that i can save it for future use and if i don't get a chance to call them straight away 'cos the cops are behind me while driving, then i can them later! [kidding.. i'm going for wry.]

what i like about this is that it's such common sense that i shouldn't really be jumping up and down about it. i should have the reaction my mum had when i was excited about it - 'well, yeah.' (she's had this service for years on her phone, while i've been schlepping with a far inferior mobile service!)

anyway, following on from that, i got a text message this morning saying: 'Hi Lauren! Have a fantastic time in Europe and we'll see you when you get back: Ashley from Flight Centre in Wollongong [and the phone number].' Now, i hate phone spam - it's fucking intrusive, but this is not spam. I booked my flights with Ashley and i had been in email contact with her pretty regularly up until my flight was finalised and paid for. I think this follow up email, the day before i leave, is such a nice touch and has definitely registered on my scale of 'things to remember in future'. I have a big bullshit detector and i don't need people overly fussing about me, but this isn't that. Good, clean service. Noice.

and then, just to top it off, my ipod has been in at the ipod doctor and it's going to be a race against time in order for me to have it back for my trip. however, when i rang demetris at the ipod store this morning, checking to see how we were going, he said - that's fine, you'll get a text message about it when it's on it's way. probably later on this afternoon. yay! again, i don't want to be inundated with shit from companies about this, that and everything else, but letting me know via text that my ipod is well again and is on its way, ready to be picked up is A-OK by me. it's personal and immediate, so i can act on it straight away if i want to, but gives me the choice to act on it whenever the fuck i want to. hey, i might be in meetings all day i don't want to be interrupted by my phone, or to have to pay to check my voicemail from someone from the warehouse telling me my ipod is ready.

like i said, my phone is a personal thing and i hate getting random messages unnecessarily, but these peeps have managed to find the balance. probably because they have mobile phones too and understand equally the convenience, the technology and the ettiquette involved..

nice work kids.