If you are a foreign student - either a foreigner studying at an Australian school or a foreigner who is a student in a school outside of Australia you need to be aware of the concept of Student Concession rates. These are student discounts. But not all student discounts are equal opportunity so to speak.
Some student concession rates are only for Australians who are students (e.g. public transportation) yet other student concession rates (e.g. at museums) are open to students studying at an Australian school. I haven't really run into much in the way of student concession rates for foreigners who are studying in a non-Australian institution, I'm sure they are out there... maybe?
Addendum: 12/18/2012 Well they are alot closer than I thought... there's the Melbourne Museum which is FREE for students and the National Gallery of Victoria is free for everyone (except for the special exhibits)
Monday, December 17, 2012
Sunday, September 2, 2012
The Customer Experience.
If you are from Massachusetts, you might find the shopping experience different in Melbourne. You might find that there are many items where the price isn't labeled, or that are seemingly always on sale or on special, (then what is its normal price?). I have more than once encountered where an item where there are two different prices listed listed on the display. I won't argue what practices are unfair, deceptive or misleading but I'll offer an opinion on the last instance.
I kindly pointed out to the shopkeepers that they had two different prices prominently listed on display. The price tags on the individual items were at the lower price too. At which point one of shopkeepers took the item, scanned the bar code, and said it was the higher price. I offer that the difference is that in the U.S. (or in particular, Massachusetts stores), the shopkeeper might have said something like "Thanks for pointing that out to us, though it's really at the higher price, to show our appreciation we'll sell it to you at the lower price."
The advice I offer is to be prepared to be more demanding and assertive to merchants.
I kindly pointed out to the shopkeepers that they had two different prices prominently listed on display. The price tags on the individual items were at the lower price too. At which point one of shopkeepers took the item, scanned the bar code, and said it was the higher price. I offer that the difference is that in the U.S. (or in particular, Massachusetts stores), the shopkeeper might have said something like "Thanks for pointing that out to us, though it's really at the higher price, to show our appreciation we'll sell it to you at the lower price."
The advice I offer is to be prepared to be more demanding and assertive to merchants.
When coming to Australia, international travellers should always have a pack of tissues or a few pieces of paper towels on them. In many airport restrooms (and many public ones too), there are no paper towels. This is probably done in an effort to be green. However, hand dryer blowers can only do so much. For instance, they can't be used to wipe your face or towel off your neck and head after a long plane ride (remember sweating on the uncooled plane while boarding). The hand blower dryer can't help clean up a bloody nose caused by dry sinuses or wipe up liquid soap that has accidentally spilled over the side of your travel bottle. I suppose one could duck quickly into a toilet stall and grab some toilet paper but who wants to rush into a smelly stall right after someone has done the no. 2 (is that roll of toilet paper really clean too?).
Monday, June 18, 2012
Winter is here or almost here depending...
For Australians, the seasons start on the first of the month. Hence winter started on June 1, instead of the winter solstice for the southern hemisphere. While I have gotten used to the idea of colder weather in June (this was challenging being a northern hemisphere person), I still haven't acclimatized to the winter here - though I feel cold just looking at how the Victorians are all bundled up as if the next ice age is around the corner.
A word of advice when crossing streets. Many streets do not have crosswalks and drivers "enforce" that they have the right of way. Now technically if you are crossing a street and a car turns onto your street it is supposed to give way to you by law... except many Victorian drivers don't seem to know that law.
Please save my minutes: succinct voice mail greetings and touch tone menu messages.
Copyright 2012 Conan L. Hom
In this day and age, time is precious, and, as many of us transition to having only wireless phones, we also have to worry about using up our airtime minutes (yes many of us don't have unlimited plans!) Who hasn't experienced voicemail greetings or automated "touch tone" menus that are draining to both your patience and your minutes. I know personally - one time it took me 3 minutes and six seconds to wade through an automated system just to find out that I had to call back at another time.
Of course phone companies love this (except if you have an unlimited voice wireline or wireless plan). However, presumably the business you call would rather have you be a happy customer and spend more money on it than on your phone company.
If you are designing the automated touch tone menu:
1. Eliminate extra words: For example, "For service X, please press or dial 5". Dialing a number conceptually means the same thing whether you are on a keypad (touch tone) or a rotary phone. You could also use "choose" or "select" instead. Also drop the word "Please." After all, what option does caller the really have if (s)he wants to get service? Final version: "For service X, dial 5." If you have nine menu items that translates into 27 words saved (up to 20 seconds) every time the caller has to make a menu choice.
2. If the menu options have not changed in the past several weeks (which I bet is often the case), then "Please listen carefully for our menu options have changed" isn't necessary and may lead the caller to needlessly listen to entire menu options.
3. Check and test your phone decision tree: two choice stages where each have two choices means four possible outcomes - save time by having the four possibilities at one choice stage.
4. Make it so the caller only has to give his personal and/or account information once: Often automated systems require the caller to enter in account or personal information but then they don't pass it to the agent who handles the call. At this point the caller has to give the information all over again (and usually by voice which can be easily be overheard). It's tedious and makes it look like the business cannot maintain its own systems. Further more the agent now has to deal with an annoyed caller.
That being said, it isn't a bad thing to be entering in information by keypad since nowadays there aren't many private places (gone are the phone booths) where one make a call without being overheard.
Finally your friends can help out by using KISS guidelines in designing the a voicemail greeting:
The days of cutesy or creatively long greeting messages are gone...they waste the caller's air time minutes.
(1) Most phone company voicemail systems have automated messages that you can't shut off so you might as well not repeat them (e.g. "At the tone, leave a message etc. etc...").
(2) You don't have to state the obvious (or what's obviously not true): "I'm not available to take your call" (well isn't that why caller got the voicemail message?); I'll get back to you as soon as possible" (that's a lie, you'll get back to the caller when you decide you can, and the caller knows it) or "leave your name, number and a message" (usually if the caller wants a response he'll leave his contact info, won't he?).
(3) Don't elaborate when it's not needed. "I'm unable to take your call right now, I'm either away from my desk, or on another line"- isn't that essentially same as, "I'm unavailable"?
Take something long and verbose like this:
"Hello, you have reached the voicemail of X. I can't answer your call right now. I'm either away from my desk or on another line, but if you leave your name number and a brief message after the tone, I'll be sure to return your call as soon as possible. Thanks and have a nice day" [The automated voice then says, "At the tone you may leave a message" ].
You can pare it down to:
"Hello, X is unavailable" (allowing the automated message say "at the tone you may leave a message.").
You'll still communicate the essentials of a voicemail greeting. - that's a savings of over 50 words!
In this day and age, time is precious, and, as many of us transition to having only wireless phones, we also have to worry about using up our airtime minutes (yes many of us don't have unlimited plans!) Who hasn't experienced voicemail greetings or automated "touch tone" menus that are draining to both your patience and your minutes. I know personally - one time it took me 3 minutes and six seconds to wade through an automated system just to find out that I had to call back at another time.
Of course phone companies love this (except if you have an unlimited voice wireline or wireless plan). However, presumably the business you call would rather have you be a happy customer and spend more money on it than on your phone company.
If you are designing the automated touch tone menu:
1. Eliminate extra words: For example, "For service X, please press or dial 5". Dialing a number conceptually means the same thing whether you are on a keypad (touch tone) or a rotary phone. You could also use "choose" or "select" instead. Also drop the word "Please." After all, what option does caller the really have if (s)he wants to get service? Final version: "For service X, dial 5." If you have nine menu items that translates into 27 words saved (up to 20 seconds) every time the caller has to make a menu choice.
2. If the menu options have not changed in the past several weeks (which I bet is often the case), then "Please listen carefully for our menu options have changed" isn't necessary and may lead the caller to needlessly listen to entire menu options.
3. Check and test your phone decision tree: two choice stages where each have two choices means four possible outcomes - save time by having the four possibilities at one choice stage.
4. Make it so the caller only has to give his personal and/or account information once: Often automated systems require the caller to enter in account or personal information but then they don't pass it to the agent who handles the call. At this point the caller has to give the information all over again (and usually by voice which can be easily be overheard). It's tedious and makes it look like the business cannot maintain its own systems. Further more the agent now has to deal with an annoyed caller.
That being said, it isn't a bad thing to be entering in information by keypad since nowadays there aren't many private places (gone are the phone booths) where one make a call without being overheard.
Finally your friends can help out by using KISS guidelines in designing the a voicemail greeting:
The days of cutesy or creatively long greeting messages are gone...they waste the caller's air time minutes.
(1) Most phone company voicemail systems have automated messages that you can't shut off so you might as well not repeat them (e.g. "At the tone, leave a message etc. etc...").
(2) You don't have to state the obvious (or what's obviously not true): "I'm not available to take your call" (well isn't that why caller got the voicemail message?); I'll get back to you as soon as possible" (that's a lie, you'll get back to the caller when you decide you can, and the caller knows it) or "leave your name, number and a message" (usually if the caller wants a response he'll leave his contact info, won't he?).
(3) Don't elaborate when it's not needed. "I'm unable to take your call right now, I'm either away from my desk, or on another line"- isn't that essentially same as, "I'm unavailable"?
Take something long and verbose like this:
"Hello, you have reached the voicemail of X. I can't answer your call right now. I'm either away from my desk or on another line, but if you leave your name number and a brief message after the tone, I'll be sure to return your call as soon as possible. Thanks and have a nice day" [The automated voice then says, "At the tone you may leave a message" ].
You can pare it down to:
"Hello, X is unavailable" (allowing the automated message say "at the tone you may leave a message.").
You'll still communicate the essentials of a voicemail greeting. - that's a savings of over 50 words!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Victorian Police
So I confirmed, when on foot the Victorian police like to patrol in threes... (and when doing nights in popular places they group in 4-6). Foot patrols in Boston seem to be in pairs. I have several theories. By grouping in pairs Boston police can cover more area and perhaps be more of a deterrent in that respect. Pairs are like what fighter pilots fly in. On the other hand the 3 person unit seems to be the standard for infantry fire teams so I guess if trouble really starts brewing the Victorian police are better for mutual support and for bringing down lots of fire but then again gun violence is much rarer in Australia. Hmmmmm
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