Phil.blog

Welcome to the Rock!

September brought my first visit to the rock (aka Newfoundland), for a good friends wedding.St. John's was a beautiful little town and I'd...

August in an update

Rain has been the theme this summer..... Never ending rain. Not a fan 😞

July Fun

Lots of rain. I enjoy thunderstorms, but it's been colder than I would like.We've still enjoyed the summer though, with Roller Coasters, Water...

July Fun

Lots of rain. I enjoy thunderstorms, but it's been colder than I would like.We've still enjoyed the summer though, with Roller Coasters, Water Parks, Skunks, and lots...

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Summer is finally here
The heat waves have started and I couldn't be happier. I'm working on cherishing as much of these summer weekends as I can ❤️

Today, Willow gave me a nice big hug ❤️ Then she told me "Daddy, I love mommy way more than you" She really knows how to build 'em up, then knock 'em down.

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Creating a healthy feedback culture

Creating a healthy feedback culture

I was recently asked to join a customer service podcast. On it, I spoke about what feedback is and what makes a healthy feedback culture. I'll be doing a similar talk next month at the Support Driven Expo in Las Vegas....

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West Coast, Best Coast

West Coast, Best Coast

Back at Christmas, I surprised my wife with a family road trip through the west coast. Fly into Vancouver, rent a car, then drive all through the Rockies and fly back from Calgary.My wife had never been to British Columbia before, nor had she...

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April Update

April Update

Since my last post, we had four birthdays in our house. Willow, Me, Rascal (dog), and Rupert (cat). Weather is still horrible (cold and wet), why do people say they like spring? They don't. They like the last couple weeks of Spring. The rest of it...

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Until we meet again…

Until we meet again…

2109 days, 5 countries, countless moments. A lot has happened since I started working at Automattic. We lost our house in a fire, had a child, travelled, weathered a global pandemic. When I joined, there were a ~240 Automattians, but it still felt...

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Should you use tiered customer support?

This week someone asked me if I thought tiered customer support was a good thing. My answer was No ... and also Yes. This is because it depends entirely on the purpose and how it's implemented. It's all about the $$$ Most companies implement tiered...

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December has come and gone

December has come and gone

Winter is here, which means I'll be grumpy for the next 5 months 😂  Over the past month Willow has become really attached to Abbie. Abbie seems to feel the same way as she's started jumping into Willow's bed every night when we are doing story...

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It’s off to work I go…

It’s off to work I go…

The time is almost here. In 36hrs, I'll be back at work. Having finished my 3 month sabbatical. Such an amazing perk of my work and I'm so lucky to have it. However, that doesn't make this any less difficult 😛 Going back is going to be tough....

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Unplug and recharge

Unplug and recharge

August marked my 5 year anniversary at Automattic.This is a momentus occasion for two reasons: First, it's the longest that I've been at job in my adult life. My last four jobs before this were all in the 3-4 year span. I will say though, I hadn't...

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Toddler Life Lessons

Toddler Life Lessons

This past week has been a struggle. I've been working long hours and overnight shifts, leading to an unhealthy lack of sleep. Additionally, a few things have come up in my personal life to add extra stress to the situation. Today looked like that was all going to turn...

Working in CS made me a worse customer

I've been working in the Customer Support / Custom Service realm now for well over a decade. During that time I've learned and worked on becoming more empathetic and understanding on customers. I've learned how to understand what customer's truly want/need. As well as...

April Memories

April Memories

I'm up to 38 rotations around the sun now. https://videopress.com/v/qeKLU9ip?preloadContent=metadata

March Memories

March Memories

This time of year, I always feel it the most as Winter drags on. I hate the cold, I hate being cold, and the shorter days really drain me.Luckily I have a pretty awesome family to cheer me up!

Remembering the good in the world

Remembering the good in the world

This year has been tough, on everyone. Pandemics, global disasters, economies crumbling, social unrest... The list goes on. This year (2020) has become sononymous with "shit". It's the year that no one wanted and that everyone wants to end. As a result we are all on...

Un-Socializing – to be more social

Un-Socializing – to be more social

A year ago, I decided to make a concious effort to spend less time on social media. Why did I do this? Did my plan work? Will I keep this up? Unplugging: My life, as with many people now, is centered around being online. I work online, I play video games online, I...

My happiest birthday ever!

My happiest birthday ever!

This past weekend was my favourite birthday party ever. My daughter, Willow, turned one! It wasn't much of a "Party" as no one got invited over, thanks to COVID-19.There wasn't a lot of food.There wasn't even a big pile of gifts.Despite all that, it was my perfect...