Patagonia Organic

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Crossing the Argentina/chile Border in Patagonia

When you’re high in the Andes, you can’t help but be attuned to the scenery. Breathtaking, snow-capped peaks surround you, water rushes over falls as it hurries down the valleys, lakes brim with emerald water, and the world seems to spin just a little bit slower.

Crossing through the Patagonia from Argentina into Chile is one of the best ways to explore the landscape and gives you a glimpse of the spectacular expanse that comprises the eastern edge of the Pacific’s great rim of fire. The crossings between Argentina and Chile, whether by bus, bike, or boat, are not merely a passageway, but an opportunity to see firsthand the unsurpassed natural beauty of the region.

By guided tour from Bariloche, Argentina, you can cross from the Nahuel Huapi National Park in Argentina into the Puyehue National Park in Chile. The tour stops at a beach resort overlooking Lake Espejo atop a dramatic cliff. At Lake Espejo, which earned its name from the mirror-like quality of the water’s still surface, you can enjoy the tranquility of a private beach. The tour continues to the confluence of the pristine waters Blanco and Pereyra Rivers, and then continues over the Cardenal A. Samore International Pass. On the far side of the pass lies Chile’s Puyehue National Park, where boundless outdoor activities, beautiful scenic drives, and the Puyehue Hot Springs await.

If you’re interested in traveling over the emerald lakes by boat, a crossing from Bariloche, Argentina over Lake Nahuel Huapi is a wonderful choice. The crossing begins at Puerto Panuelo, where you will sail across Lake Nahuel Hupai to the shores of Puerto Blest. A short bus ride to Puerto Alegre, and you’ll board a catamaran that whisks you across the emerald-green waters of Lake Frias into Chile. You’ll arrive in the Chilean town of Peulla, where you’ll find the infamous Bridal Veil Falls, which are surely worth a visit.

Traveling to Chile from the Argentinean town of El Calafate by car or bus is a spectacular way to glimpse the stunning Torres del Paine National Park. Depending on your budget and time constraints, there are several options for crossing the border. The most inexpensive way is to travel from El Calafate to the Chilean town of Puerto Natales, the gateway to several National Parks including Torres del Paine.. Another option would be to have a travel agent organize private transportation through Torres Del Paine, which is a half-day trip. From Puerto Natales, you can stay overnight and catch a morning bus to the park, which is home to the “Cuernos del Paine,” three sheer granite towers that are among the most photographed in the park. The park is known for its untouched beauty and remote setting, with lakes of all shades of blue and green, and activities ranging from kayaking and rafting, to hiking and rock climbing.

The international border crossing of the Jama Pass begins in the Argentinian village of Purmamarca. This border crossing lead through the Patacal area into Salar, in Northern Chile. Set in the Andes, the Jama Pass is a highland plateau with daytime temperatures reaching up to 30 degrees C and at nighttime with temperatures dropping very low, sometimes freezing in winter. The road follows the Rio Grande River, and is an uphill journey for most of the way.

Crossing into Chile over the Uspallata Pass means a route that begins in Mendoza, Argentina. The passage leads to Chile’s bustling capital, Santiago. Situated in the Andes Cordillera at 12,500 feet, the crossing affords spectacular views of Mount Aconcagua, the tallest peak in South America. It also leads past the Christ of the Andes statue, which commemorates the peace and boundaries between the two nations. The Pan-American Highway runs through the pass, making it accessible by bicycle and automobile. Uspallata has also been the base for films like “Seven Years in Tibet” and “Of Love and Shades” because of its proximity to such stunning scenery.

No matter how you choose to travel from Argentina to Chile, each border crossing affords the opportunity to experience the unique landscape of the Andes. Whether you’re heading to Santiago for a cultural experience, or to one of the national parks in Chile for a memorable outdoor experience, the mountain range that divides the two countries is majestic and awe-inspiring. This will be a journey you’re sure to remember.

About the Author

You can find further information here

Michael Zurakhinsky is an editor and consultant of the www.AllAboutAR.com . The website offers detailed information on traveling to Argentina, its beaches, weather, lodging, dinning, and more.

patagonia Is Your Shirt Organic? The Clothing Industry Goes Green?

can some1 help me out with this..thanks

Case Overview
This case explores a trend in the clothing industry toward utilizing more organic fabrics. Long a
major polluter, clothing companies are realizing the importance and profitability of going organic.
It explores public resistance to organic clothing—including popular perceptions that organic
cannot be fashionable. It also examines the eco-friendly success story of Patagonia. While
reviews are mixed, there is no mistaking the green trend in the clothing industry, with increased
revenues every year and more organic fabrics available.
Questions for Discussion
1) What is driving the transition to more eco-friendly clothing?
2) What are the advantages of switching to environmentally friendly clothing production
practices?
3) What are the challenges faced by the fashion industry when making this switch?

It could possibly be the realization of people towards the deteriorating environment. Eco-friendly clothing could be one of the many ways to save the mother nature which eventually protects and preserves the habitat of the animals. These environmental friendly clothings are part of making our world a better place to live in for both of our generation and generations to come.

Patagonia Footprint Chronicles: Organic Cotton Jeans Design

Patagonia Flop

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Get Power with Lancer Estate!

This Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) was introduced by Mitsubishi Motors Corporation. Soon after its launch, it became famous and gained popularity. It is like Mitsubishi Pajero. The name of Pajero derived from Pampas Cat known as Leopardus Pajeros. This animal is very fast and witty and can be found in the Patagonia Plateau in Argentina. In some countries, the term Pajero is slang and this is one of the main reasons why other countries have different names for this model. In Spain, India, and America, the name of this model is Mitsubishi Montero. It literally means the Mountain Warrior. In UK, on the other hand, this model is known as Mitsubishi Shogun.

How about trying your hands on this powerful Lancer Estate? You would be glad to have this with you in your life and you would be more than glad to know its specifications and when you would drive this you would feel that you are driving something great by slashing the mist across the mountains. This SUV is famous for trekking and mountaineers always use this model for long journeys and hard-man-ship. The success touched the feet of Mitsubishi Company when the triumph of Montero, Shogun and Pajero rocked the world and then came Lancer Estate. The company also has introduced many similar models on the grounds of this famous model. However, the other new models were flop and did not gain much fame or reputation unlike Mitsubishi Lancer Estate.

The Mitsubishi Lancer Estate was introduced in the year 1992, in the month of June. It was released and revealed at Tokyo Motor Show and since then, people got attracted towards it and started buying that and this made this model rocking and very famous. No wonder why Mitsubishi is world famous and why people prefer buying this car and many models are available. After 5 years, Mitsubishi has modified and added more enhanced features in this car by making this one of the best SUVs in world. It is also known as the sports recreational vehicle. Mitsubishi Lancer Estate first made its debut in Paris Dakar Rally and the drive who rode this was one of the world famous drivers and it did win a lot of medals and awards after that. The rally took place in the year 1983, in the month of January. Mitsubishi’s major aim was to create awareness amongst people about the recreational vehicles and the traditional cars became outdated making this SUV the best and affordable. In the year 1995, it gained the off road reputation for being the best vehicle. Today, people buy this in order to make their families happy. When you buy this, you will notice that this SUV has major qualities in terms of fuel efficiency and toughness. You can drive above the cliff and you can even drive this off onto the risky mountains. The model has gained reputation for being strong and also, supportive. Buy this to get the powerful and ultimate experience.

Mitsubishi Lancer Estate Car Lease
Mitsubishi News

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Torres Del Paine, Patagonia, Chile

Bpa Free List

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Plastic Poison?: Bisphenol a

The list of health problems associated with Bishenol A (a common plastic molecule to which virtually all Americans are exposed) continues to grow:

Bisphenol A has been known to be estrogenic since the mid-1930s. It is used to make polycarbonate plastic as well as dental sealants and a resin coating for food cans to separate food from metal. Exposure to BPA is widespread. It has been detected in 95% of Americans tested. Before you get into full blown panic you should know that the CDC data indicates that human exposure to bisphenol A is very low and strongly supports the conclusion that exposure to bisphenol A poses no known risk to human health. On the other hand, Canada has concluded bisphenol A, or BPA, is a dangerous substance. Close to two billion pounds of Bisphenol A are manufactured each year in the United States. In addition to its use in some plastics, Bisphenol A is used in dental sealants and prostheses. Bisphenol A compounds are utilized as flame–retardants in glues, paper and fabrics. Below is a list of diseases and conditions that Bisphenol A is associated with.

Prostate Cancer–Bisphenol A may interfere with the standard medical treatment for prostate cancer, according to new experiments with human prostate tumors implanted into mice. The doses of the plastic molecule, bisphenol A. Prostate tumor size and PSA levels were significantly greater in exposed animals just one month after treatment. Experiments with prostate tumor cells in cell culture that show bisphenol A speeds the rate at which the cells become androgen independent. Once the prostate cancer is androgen independent, it is resistant to the mainstay of treatment which is the use of hormone blocking drugs.

Bisphenol A (BPA) induces insulin resistance:--Insulin resistance is associated with type 2 diabetes. researchers found both rapid and long-term effects. In summary, they showed:

Rapid Effects (within 30 minutes) decreases, compared to controls, of blood sugar levels and sharp increases in blood insulin levels;

Long-term Effects (over 4 days) increases in pancreatic ß cells insulin production and secretion, increases in serum insulin levels; and development of insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance and insulin intolerance.

Insulin levels in serum were sharply elevated after a single application of only 10 micrograms per kilogram of estradiol (an estrogen hormone) or bisphenol A.

Breast Cancer: –Genes in non cancerous breast cells exposed to small amounts of bisphenol A started to act in a way that resembled the gene activity in highly aggressive breast tumors. The genetic change in the breast tissue cells increased likelihood that women would die of breast cancer.

This gene effect “is highly supportive of the concept that overexposure to BPA and/or similar compounds could be an underlying factor in the aggressiveness, if not in the causality” of breast cancers, said Shanaz Dairkee, lead author of the study and senior scientist at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco. Researchers found that estrogens and bisphenol A (BPA) affected many genes, and could cause some of them to turn on or off including genes associated with cancer. They also observed that progesterone would turn off dangerous cancer genes that had been activated by estrogen, only to have bisphenol A (BPA) turn the cancer genes on again.

“As soon as bisphenol A (BPA) was presented to the cells, they reversed back as if they had gotten another whopping dose of estrogen and completely reversed the progesterone calming effect on the cells,” Dr. Dairkee said.

Estrogen and bisphenol A (BPA) influenced 123 genes in common. But estrogen had the unique ability to affect 28 genes, while bisphenol A (BPA) was even more influential, being able to activate or deactivate another 52 genes.

Long Term Effects on the Female Reproductive Tract:–A study with mice shows a link to low level neonatal exposure to bisphenol A and uterine diseases that women may develop as they age, including uterine fibroids, adenomysois and cystic ovaries. The adverse conditions induced by bisphenol A (BPA) in mice have been previously described in daughters of women who received the drug diethylstilbestrol (DES), a synthetic estrogen which is structurally and functionally similar to bisphenol A. Research on DES has shown that animal studies can be useful in predicting effects in people.

Bisphenol A can affect male fertility–Exposure to bisphenol A during pregnancy and/or lactation can reduce survival, birth weight, and growth of offspring early in life, and delay the onset of puberty in males and females.

Learning could be damaged by Bisphenol A–Elevated levels of Bisphenol A have been reported in the blood of some pregnant women and BPA contamination may affect human hippocampal development (memory center), with long–term effects on children’s learning ability. In addition, when the ability to make estrogen is impaired, as in the elderly, exposure to Bisphenol A could damage hippocampal function and contribute to age–related neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, in which hippocampal function is impaired.

For those of you who want to decrease BPA exposure, the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences suggests:

Do not microwave polycarbonate plastic food containers. Polycarbonate is a strong, durable plastic but over time it may break down from over use at high temperatures.

Polycarbonate containers that contain BPA usually have a #7 on the bottom.

Reduce your use of canned foods and canned sodas. They are lined with plastic that can contain BPA

When possible, opt for glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers, particularly for hot food or liquids.

Use baby bottles that are BPA free.

Citation: Draft NTP Brief on Bisphenol A [CAS No. 80-05-7]. Published April 14, 2008. Authored by the National Toxicology Program.

from: http://healthblaster.com/2008/04/plastic-poison-bisphenol-a/

About the Author

A person with a keen interest in medical science

Can anyone recommend BPA-free, eco-friendly food storage containers?

Everyone says Rubbermaid has some, but it's not listed in the description, and I can't find where it says they are. Ideally, they'd be cheap, but I'm ready to stop storing all my food in old BPA-lined containers.
Thanks!

I get a lot of questions on my Website about where to get good BPA Free food storage containers. If you are looking for a great container check out the popular OXO containers:

The OXO Good Grips pop containers are airtight, stack-able, and space efficient, making it easy to keep your dry foods fresh and your kitchen organized. The containers have a unique push button mechanism that creates an airtight seal with just 1 touch. The button also serves as a handle to lift off the lid. The containers are designed for modular stacking so that you can efficiently organize your counter-top and your pantry.

All OXO Containers are BPA Free. Read the reviews when you check out these containers on Amazon.

Playtex VentAire® Advanced BPA-free Bottle

Bpa Free Cutlery

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Just look around your apartment. Chances are there are dozens of items in your place that are made up of plastic. We keep plastics around because they are affordable, abundant, and convenient. However, I am constantly hearing reports that some of the plastics that I have been using aren't as safe as I originally believed they were. These are products that I use to store food, decorate, entertain and work out.

I decided to check out a few mainstream media sources just to see what they have been reporting on the subject. From what I gather, there are some petroleum-based products that leach harmful chemicals into food, drinks and anything that we decide to store in those containers. Apparently, the likelihood of chemicals being leached from the containers to the food that we store in them increases when those foods are high oils or fat.

Fortunately, there is a safer way to go. If you are going to use plastics, then try to find plastics that are BPA-free. You should also be aware of which plastics are in your child's surrounding. These could include plastics found in cribs, teething rings, diapers, pacifiers, sippy cups, baby bottles and toys. Try to avoid PVC products and choose items for your kids that are made of natural wood, cotton, cloth, or paper. Plastics to avoid are polyvinyl chloride (#3), polystyrene (#6), and polycarbonate (#7). You can usually find the number stamped on the back or the bottom of a container.

Other ways to stay safe are to heat up food using ceramics that are lead-free, earthenware or steel. You should avoid using plastics that are not identified on the label or packaging. You are looking for labels that state "no bisphenol A (BPA)" or "no phthalates". Also, be sure to wash plastic containers by hand and with a mild soap.

Sometimes, it can be a little difficult to avoid many of these plastics. I guess you have to ask yourself if you can live without the product or maybe find a reasonably alternative product. You can now buy items such as disposable plates, cutlery, and garbage bags made from corn, potatoes, and other agricultural products instead of oil. These renewable alternatives to petroleum are also designed to break down much more quickly than their typical plastic counterparts. While there's no denying these are admirable benefits, it's important to take a look at the drawbacks as well. For example, there are legitimate concerns about displacing food crops to make plastics. The real hope is that eventually most of the products will be made from agricultural waste rather than food crops.

What plastic alternatives have you brought into your home?

Eric Brown owns and manages the Urbane Apartments in Metro-Detroit. He shares his stories of apartment lifestyle and experiences discovering Birmingham and Royal Oak, Michigan.

Light My Fire Spork Review

Bpa Free Cookware

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Get Plastics Out of the Kitchen

All our kitchens are full of plastics. From plastic utensils, plastic plates, plastic cups, plastic containers, plastic wrap and more, they have become an indispensible part of our life. Even our appliances have many plastic parts.

Every bit of these plastics are made with chemicals, and these chemicals are leaching out into our food and into our drinks. These chemicals are winding up in our bodies where they accumulated and are implicated in many of our modern health problems. These chemicals are also being detected in our unborn children.

Two of the worst offenders as far as chemicals found in plastics are PVC (polyvinyl chloride). The PVC pipes that carry your water are an example of this hard type plastic. Phthalates are chemicals that are added to the PVC to make it soft and pliable. These phthalates are the most common toxic substance found in the body.

Also commonly found lurking in our kitchens is a chemical called bisphenol-A, which is found in hard plastics such as baby bottles, drinking water bottles, and our ever popular storage containers. bisphenol-A or BPA is one of the top 50 chemicals produced today. It is found everywhere!

Here are some tips on how to reduce your exposure to the toxic chemicals found in plastics.
1. Foods should never be heated in plastic container. Even though they are labeled "microwave safe".

2. Eliminate of severely reduce the amount of plastic wrap that you use. Most of these products contain phthalates.

3. Any container that has the "3" in the recycling triangle on the bottom should be eliminated from your kitchen.

4. Switch to glass or stainless steel drinking containers instead of plastic.

5. Avoid the use of paper plates, plastic silverware and plastic cups.

6. Avoid plastic cooking utensils. Use metal instead. You shouldn't be using Teflon coated cookware, so the scratching issue is non arguable!

7. Use glass containers to store food, especially acidic foods.

8. Never wash plastics in a dishwasher or use harsh detergents on the plastic. Hand wash only.

In 3005, the European Union put a ban on using chemicals such as phthalates and others, in children's toys. One of the commissioners of this Union, was quoted as saying "Toxic chemicals have no place in children's toys". So why in the world do we still allow these toxic plastics in our kitchens, food containers and drink containers?

In the United States, the City of San Francisco is attempting to ban bisphenol-A and some phthalates. A lawsuit is delaying the implementation of this ban. Even if this ban is put into law, more than city-wide bans are needed. It must be a global issue.

On the other hand, why do we need to wait until our governments wade through the red tape to get these toxic chemicals out of our lives? We can take measures ourselves to make our kitchens and homes plastic free.

It will only take a little effort on our part and a little thought to have a healthier, safer home.

About the Author

Beverly Saltonstall is an Internet writer and lecturer who cares deeply about the environment.  Get a free pollution report at
http://pollutionwebsite.com/freereport

Bpa Free Children’s Cups

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Sports Accessories As Unique Gifts for Men and Boys

Chances are that the man in your life is interested in some type of sport. When it comes to sport accessories, the gift ideas are endless. Because of the popularity of online sports stores, you no longer have to stick to football, baseball or basketball when shopping for your man. You can find great gifts online for fans of golf, bowling, tennis or even ping pong.

The inception of fashion brands in sports started with most popular games like soccer and baseball and nowadays not a single game or sports is spared from fashion or inclusion of any of the popular brands of fashion. Players as well as teams can be seen endorsing different fashion brands. These days several brands are getting popularity for manufacturing of sports gears or sports utilities of ultimate quality. Not only sportsperson but also common people have started loving their comfortable products.

If you need to buy a gift for a younger boy, the same general idea applies. Sports accessories are a popular choice for young boys as well as teenagers. Many stores offer equipment that is specially sized for the younger player. Children often have to play with second-hand equipment, and some brand new gear would truly be loved. Sports accessories work for any type of occasion and make great stocking stuffers at Christmas time. Plus, you will feel better knowing that you are encouraging sports and physical activity, rather than purchasing yet another electronic toy.

Fashion and Sports both are deeply attached with each other. One can easily see the involvement of sports in fashion and involvement of fashion in sports. Fashion has achieved an important place in every game. It is visible in every game regardless of the type and location of games being played.

Print4Half.Com is one of the most popular sports accessories printing Firm. Almost every sports wears support provided with excellent printing.  Some Popular sports and games items are Volleyball With Hook Clip and Poncho, Volleyball With Neck Rope, 20 oz Gripper Bottle- BPA- Free, Poly Bike Sports Bottle, White Sports Water Bottle, Tennis Ball with Neck Rope, Tennis Ball with Hook Clip and Poncho, Soccer Ball with Poncho, Soccer Ball with Hook Clip and Poncho, Racing Tire with Neck Rope, Golf Ball With Neck Rope, Racing Tire With Hook Clip and Poncho, Basketball With Neck Rope, Basketball With Hook Clip And Poncho, Baseball With Hook Clip And Poncho, Black dice cup, Wilson Mini Autograph Basketball, 24oz Super Squeeze Sport Water Bottle, 28oz Poly Bike Sports Bottles, Patriotic Beach Ball, Mini Beach Ball, Wilson Baseball, Inflatable Baseball, Foam Football, Stadium Bench Cushion, Koozie Stadium Cushion, 14" x 14" x 2" Stadium Cushion and more variety designs with a flexible design studio.

Print4Half.Com helps you to make a quick selection of a number of sports accessories that match your needs. There are a number of stands that are available for purchase that can help you organize all of the many gadgets that you have. Our supportive design studio makes you to change the already existing designs as per your interests.

About the Author

George
Print4half.com
NJ, USA
Offers Online Custom Printing
E Mail : pforhalf@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.print4half.com/

Born Free Baby Bottles and Training (Sippy) Cups @ buybuy BABY

Bpa Free Ss Bottles

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Bpa Free Microwave Safe

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Bormioli Rocco refreshes canning and preserving activities

Classic Italian Style “Quattro Stagioni” canning jars are being re-invented as unique gift-idea.
Brand New Frigoverre Fun collection of glass containers for food storage  brings a splash of colors in the refrigerator and on the table.
Fido jars are beautifully vintage, to recall the authentic, old style, Italian pantries.

A new gift concept: from your heart to your friend’s palate!
Quattro Stagioni canning jars from Bormioli Rocco are a great way to share with your loved ones your cooking skills in preparing delicious jams, tasty sauces and any food that can be preserved, “packed” in a unique way.
This year we are introducing a collection of new sets that include 4 glass jars, 4 lids and a special gift kit with colorful clothings and ribbons to personalize your gifts and many useful information and instructions about food canning and preserving.
These are the jars that italian moms have been using for more than 30 years to preserve the freshness of canned food.
The design of these glass jars is beautifully vintage with all the safety of modern vacuum.
They are available in different sizes and shapes and are embossed with an amazing décor.
Speaking of food storage, new in the Bormioli Rocco catalogue is the Frig Fun collection, a line of glass jars for food storage that combines the safety of BPA-free containers with the fun of summer colors….. orange like the warm sun rays, blue like the fresh ocean waters and green like a relaxing meadow.
Versatile and colourful, Frigoverre Fun can be put in the refrigerator, in the freezer and in the microwave, and moreover they are dishwasher safe. Thanks to its special material and its shape, the lid is tight on the container, so the food taste and flavour is perfectly preserved, with no smell release. Finally, the lid is simply to open and its transparent window gives maximum visibility to what’s inside.
Old style Fido jars, besides being used for canning, today can be re-invented to present simple gifts in a new and impressive way.
Fill the jars with anything your creativity can think of, from bath salts to home made cookies, from candies to potpourri…. the possibilities are endless and your friends will enjoy the whole gift, container included!
For further information on Frigoverre Fun  and other Bormioli Rocco products visit www.bormioliroccousa.com

About the Author

Contacts:
Layoutweb, Layout Advertising Group
Public Relations Department
For information: bonati@layoutweb.it
www.layoutweb.it
Translation by Bormioli Rocco Usa

Is it safe to microwave a "BPA-free" sippy cup?

I know most sippy cups nowadays have declared themselves "BPA-free", but does that really mean that they are safe to heat in the microwave?
My 2-year-old loves to have her milk warm or even slightly hot sometimes. What is the safest and best way to heat up her milk?

Ugh, I know... I hate that this stuff is so scary, so what I do is heat it up in the microwave in a glass measuring cup. I stir it to make the temperature consistent, check the temperature (I dip in a straw, put my finger over the top end to trap the milk in the straw, then put the straw in my mouth and release my finger at the other end. Old bartender trick to sample the drink without contaminating it!)

Voila, pour it into your little pumpkins sippie

Prince Lionheart Teats - Kiddicare

Bpa Free Necessary

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White Paper: Secrets for Effectively Managing a Support Operation

INTRODUCTION
 
Would you rather buy a product from a company with a reputation for having a great Support organization or a great Sales organization?

 

Join the crowd if you answered Support; survey after survey shows that it is one of the strongest factors influencing sales, and every company has strong self-interest in doing it right.

 

It’s no secret that software is a necessary component of an efficiently run Support organization. There are dozens of different solutions out there; taking the time to choose one that gives you the flexibility you need and the power to automate business processes will not only save you time and money, but allow you to shift your focus to improving your quality of service.

 

So why is Support so often perceived as broken?

 

The answer is that effectively managing a Support organization for even a simple product is difficult, and managing support for a complex product or service is as tough as it gets. This paper discusses the challenges involved in managing a sophisticated support organization and the key strategies for dealing with those challenges.

 

____________________________________________________________________________

 

1. BE ADAPTABLE

 

If you are going to win games, you had better be ready to adapt.
- Scotty Bowman, Winningest coach in NHL history

 

If history has proven anything, it’s that winners are adapters. Evolution itself is rooted in this idea, and companies, like creatures in nature, must adapt to thrive. There are countless success stories of companies bucking expectations and making real profit from adaptation.

 

The Solution

 

Over time, your business will grow or shrink, shift focus, adapt new technologies, meet new challenges, and discover new opportunities to reduce costs and improve performance through automation. A system that adapts as you do will save your organization money, time, and a good deal of frustration.

 

Life would be easier if you knew what changes were coming nine months in advance, but new challenges can surface almost overnight, so you need a system that will adapt quickly, under your control, and at a reasonable cost. The following paragraphs explore this issue in more depth, with an emphasis on support systems.

 

Configurability

 

The ideal product starts as a good fit, adapts to your requirements, and gives you freedom to automate new business processes as needed. It doesn’t force you to change your business processes to live inside hard-coded functions.

 

Probe the limitations of each potential software solution. Good questions to ask include: Can you define custom fields, tables and table relationships? Can you create custom business rules, workflows, charts and reports? Can you define custom access permissions or are you limited to a set of pre-defined roles? Do custom tables and workflows behave like the native ones? Does the product provide an API for customization and integration with other systems? It’s impossible to predict future requirements, but adaptable software will handle the changes as they come.

 

Adaptation Time

 

After choosing an appropriately configurable solution, determine the ease of modification. If it takes assistance from dedicated IT staff to modify the product or you need to depend on the "common sense" of programmers to make your desired changes, you may end up waiting for a long time and paying a lot of money for a disappointing result.

 

The easiest way to find out how long it takes to adapt software to meet your challenges is by observing it firsthand during the demo – keep some of your requirements in reserve so that you can tell the vendor about them during the demo itself. Ask that they be implemented while you watch and then request access to the resulting system so that you can test the result. A good question to ask is “Could I or my staff have made such changes, or will we be dependent on expensive consultants?”
____________________________________________________________________________

 

2. MAKE IT PERSONAL
 
People want to feel that suppliers give care and attention to their individual needs. So high-worth individuals are assigned "personal bankers", doctors at HMO's are taught "bedside-manner" and marketers at Apple strive to make the entire company seem "personal". This section describes how you can provide personal service without raising costs.
 
The Basics

 

Find out the customer's name during the first 10 seconds of a call, then use it immediately and thereafter. This technique is obvious and basic, but highly effective. For example a call might start: "Hi, what is your name…", "John, how can I help you?"

 

Take responsibility and follow up. Customers care that you care and are much happier if they get a follow up - even if it is just to say "John, I am sorry, but I followed up with Kathy and we just cannot do what you want." You can automate this by setting a flag such as “Follow-Up Required” that automatically reminds your staff to follow up with the customer and escalates the issue if they fail to do so.

 

Listen with an open mind. Ask open-ended questions and get the facts before offering a solution. In many cases, the customer needs to vent a bit before they will even be willing to listen to a solution, especially if the problem is their fault.

 

Remember What You’re Told

 

Your customer may communicate with multiple individuals from multiple departments through voice, email, chat or online forms. Whatever the format, the information they convey should be captured and available during the next interaction so that they do not have to repeat themselves.

 

You can achieve this through web-forms tailored for each interaction type, integrated with email and online chat, by capturing these interactions in a central database, with access controlled through precise security permissions.

 

Acknowledge Immediately

 

By configuring your system to generate an immediate response to incoming emails, together with a tracking number that can be used in future communications, you are letting the customer know "I hear you". It costs nothing and improves the efficiency of future communications.

 

Satisfy SLAs

 

The only way to ensure that your company keeps its Service Level Agreement promises is by automating the process. The software infrastructure needs to monitor activity, notify the appropriate individuals to ensure that SLA requirements are met and escalate issues before you are out of compliance. Automatically ensuring that promises are kept not only burnishes your reputation, it saves you time and money.
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3. MEASURE THE RIGHT THINGS

 

"There are lies, damn lies, and statistics"
– Benjamin Disraeli

 

Statistics that reflect the wrong metrics can drive the very worst decisions. The peril is illustrated by the following real-life example.

 

Joe was consistently closing 15 issues per day while Mary only managed 7. Who should get promoted?

 

Happily, Mary got promoted and Joe got fired. Although he was closing over twice as many tickets, he was not actually solving the customer problems and over 80% of them had to submit a new request. This came to light when the helpdesk manager put in place a CRM system that tracked customer satisfaction for each support representative.

 

Incidentally, it was later estimated that Joe had cost the company $250,000 in lost customers.
It is not enough to measure; you must measure the right things.
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4. HIRE THE RIGHT EMPLOYEES

 

By far, the most effective way to be a great manager is to hire great employees. Of course, the problem is finding the few great candidates in a sea of resumes, so that is what this section is all about: a process for finding employees that is more effective and takes less time than the traditional process. But first, let’s clear up a couple of myths.
 
Myth  1: Interviews are effective.

 

The exact number depends on the interviewer, but researchers have found that typical interview accuracy rates are only 30% better than random selection. Further, there is almost no correlation between how good someone thinks they are at interviewing and how effective they are. If you have never hired a dud employee, congratulations! If you have, read on.

 

Myth 2: Talking to references and evaluating past experience can ensure you make the right decision.

 

Not only are many employers too afraid of lawsuits to give bad references, some will even give excellent references to help rid themselves of problem employees. In general the only thing harder than finding a good employee is finding a bad reference.

 

Prior experience is an excellent indicator of how much money employees will want, but a poor indicator of how well they will actually perform.

 

Of course, interviews, reference and background checks are an essential part of the hiring process, but they should not be the sole criteria. Here is a more efficient process:

 

•  Create custom web forms for each job opening and set up business rules to prioritize and/or auto-reject candidates based upon information provided in the form. For example, you can ask them to take a quick online test and include the result in their application. Appropriate rules can eliminate 70-90% of the candidates without any effort on your part.
 
•  Conduct a ten minute telephone interview with the remaining candidates and ask them to take an online aptitude test for that specific position. Only consider candidates who score in the top 10-20%, depending on the position.

 

•  By this point, you will have eliminated about 95% of the applicants and can afford to schedule in-person interviews for the remainder with each member of the team.

 

•  Only hire candidates who achieve unanimous buy-in from team members. Immediately make a job offer, contingent upon reference, credit and criminal background checks. Do not keep them waiting or another employer may step in.

 

A disciplined, automated hiring process can not only free up your time and ensure you find the best possible candidate, it is objective and can be audited to demonstrate an absence of bias.
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5. BE PROACTIVE

 

To provide proactive support you need to recognize and resolve issues before they become problems. This section describes how you can obtain early warning signs of pending issues and either resolve them in advance or reduce the severity from a disaster to a minor blip.
 
Answer Before Asked

 

Once a question has been asked and answered by one customer, why not make it available to all the others?

 

Provide an FAQ at your website so that customers can get answers to common questions 24/7 without even asking your staff. The FAQ should be tightly integrated with the ticketing system so that you can publish the best answer to a new question with just a mouse click.

 

Plan for the Unexpected

 

Even with redundant power supplies, RAID hard drives, and ECC memory, any given server will eventually fail.

 

If you are hosting your support system, deploy hotswap redundant servers so that service is automatically transferred to the other server. If you are using a SaaS service, check that their SLA guarantees 99.5+% uptime, backed by a money back warranty. An SLA that just provides a pro-rata refund is worthless.

 

No matter how carefully you test, your own product and infrastructure will have problems.

 

Set up automatic monitoring and notify your customers of critical problems in other areas of your product infrastructure, before they call. When possible, include the resolution ETA.

 

Early Alerts of Changes

 

You need to have the right number of staff to handle an ever changing flow of new issues.
Do not just track the number of open issues, track the rate of new arrivals with a weekly trend chart.

 

Plan for a flood of new problems when a new product is released.

 

Handle Issues in Order

 

Service reps may try to inflate their closure rates by picking the easy issues to work on. This hurts both customers and other staff.

 

Use round-robin assignment or skill-based assignment of each issue to an individual rather than simply leaving it in a pool.

 

Make it easy for staff to open and work on the next issue in their queue.

 

Improve Staff Morale

 

Customer support is a tough job at the best of times and it is made even more frustrating by having to answer the same questions time and again.

 

Allow customers to self-register and submit problem reports or requests over the web 24/7, thus freeing your staff from manual data entry.

 

For customers who do call or submit problems, create a library of standard solutions that your staff can import into the ticket. This not only saves time, it helps prevent mistakes.

 

Anticipate Staff Changes

 

Staff vacations, sick-leaves and changes should be transparent to customers.

 

Make sure that your support system supports the rapid re-assignment of issues and can automatically re-assign issues that have been dormant for too long.

 

Survey Your Customers

 

Seek feedback on your support interactions.
Implement surveys that go out to the customers based on "types of issues" to stratify your data. You can find out what about a product the customer doesn't like, why they cancelled, etc.
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6. BECOME A PROFIT CENTER

 

The easiest way to justify a bigger budget is to generate more revenue, and Support is superbly positioned to do exactly that - customers call Support far more often than they call Sales. Here are some simple steps you can take to exploit that opportunity.
 
•  Review tickets and consider which of them might be addressed by other goods and services that your company offers.

 

•  Gather information in ticket submission forms that will indicate which customers are good prospects for other products.

 

•  Train your staff on how to up-sell customers and incentivize them to do so, just like salespeople.

 

•  Coordinate with Sales. You want their active assistance, not a turf war.

 

•  Directly measure the monetary value of Support staff up-sells and assign value to new leads and other intangibles. Use these numbers to make a stronger case for the Support organization.

 

•  Don’t let Support staff forget the bottom line! First priority should be to respond promptly and thoroughly to customer concerns before thinking about sales.

 

•  Use live chat for quick turn-around of common billing issues, such as credit card updates, address changes, and shipping questions. Live chat can decrease checkout abandonment and up-sell other products.

 

•  Use specific hyperlinks or any distinct identification in your communications with customers to identify when Support staff generate an up-sale.
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7. UTILIZE THE WISDOM OF YOUR USERS

 

Facilitating communication between your users can significantly offset the burden placed on first responders.
 
An effective Support organization utilizes all resources at its disposal and seeks to balance the support load as efficiently as possible. To most organizations this means appropriately assigning tasks to staff, but many forget to use the enormous pool of knowledge and labor that exists in the user base.

 

•  Provide a centrally located, public, and prominently featured forum for discussion and communication between users. Integrate it as much as possible with your existing infrastructure to streamline the user experience.

 

•  Encourage users to refer to the forums as an additional line of support. Users can post issues and collaborate online 24/7, even outside of business hours.

 

•  Have your staff scan the forums regularly to get an idea of common problems, post quick solutions, and see what workarounds customers devise.

 

Utilizing the wisdom of your users reinforces the core message of the Seven Secrets, urging you to make the most of what you have. Each secret you employ provides real benefits: Be Adaptable, Make it Personal to increase customer satisfaction, Measure the Right Things to accurately reflect how well your organization is doing, save time by automating and monitoring the process of Hiring the Right Employees, Be Proactive to stay one step ahead of surprises, Become a Profit Center to increase resources, and tap the mental energy of the crowds when you Utilize the Wisdom of Your Users.

 

Have your own ideas for how to better manage a support organization? Let us know at the EnterpriseWizard forums!
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Complete product information, as well as demos and free CRM software trial downloads, are available at http://www.enterprisewizard.com.

 

White papers on customer relationship management software are available at http://www.enterprisewizard.com/white.htm.

 

Please peruse our case studies at http://www.enterprisewizard.com/success.htm to read about our customers’ success with customer relationship management software.

 

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ABOUT ENTERPISEWIZARD INC.:

 

With headquarters in Silicon Valley and resellers worldwide, EnterpriseWizard, Inc. is the leading provider of powerful, affordable, and easily deployed 100% web-based business process automation (BPA) solutions for organizations of all sizes.

 

Our company has attracted customers from industries with vastly different needs, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies such as Chevron, Merrill Lynch, and NEC since we were founded in 1991.

 

Based on its award-winning predecessor product SupportWizard, EnterpriseWizard CRM is a top-rated, out-of-the-box J2EE solution for issue tracking, helpdesk, customer support, sales, email, and marketing automation. Organizations can get up and running quickly with its default templates, and easily enhance and extend the application through an intuitive browser-based interface. Clients have adapted the system for Sarbanes-Oxley and Government Regulation, Project and Time Management, Change Management, and other specialized applications.

 

 

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