Editorial

Confessions from a Coffee Addict - Factors that influence where I get my coffee

Do you ever stop to think about the factors involved in something you do everyday? I’m a self-diagnosed coffee addict and it’s taken me far too long to come up with a list.

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When Sean posed the question "what do you look for in a new local coffee establishment" I started brewing my thoughts on this.

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As fate would have it, I have recently moved and had to search for my new local.

The factors that play into my deciding where I get my coffee are (in order of most important to least):

Great Coffee

This is most oblivious and most important element - Is the coffee good? Nothing will redeem an average or poor coffee. I don't care about the rest of the items on this list, if you can't pass the basic hurdle of a coffee that makes me smile - it's not likely I'll be back. What goes into a good/great coffee? Beans, Machine, Barista. These are what I think are the core elements that make a great coffee.

Speed of making Coffee

The second element that will often make me decide if I'll go to a cafe or not is how long the baristas take to make a coffee. I'm going to sound like a wanker for this, but if your cafe makes coffees one at a time, and/or gets overwhelmed when 3 people have ordered - then I'm usually going to think twice about going there. Good baristas know how to efficiently churn our coffees, and good cafes know that during rush times it'll pay to have one staff working the beans/coffee and another doing milk & completing orders. I've noticed that the best cafes in Sydney have two staff making coffees when it's peak hour.

Almond Milk brand

This seems trivial at first, but my wife will only have Milk Lab almond milk. Almond Breeze is too sweet for her. This plays a deciding factor because I'm never going to make two trips to different cafes if I'm grabbing both of us coffee.

Perhaps it's a little jaded to say - but I find that cafes that take their coffee seriously stock Milk Lab.

Ability to order via App?

This'll be a bit of contentious view, but I LOVE when a cafe has online ordering via HEY YOU or some other mechanism. There are days where I don't have the time to hang around waiting for a possible delay in my coffee coming out - and in those mornings, when minutes matter, I desperately need a coffee to start my day. Ordering ahead means I can swoop in, grab my coffee, and race off. I'll preference an APP cafe over a non-app cafe often.

Great Service

Friendly and attentive staff are always a draw. It doesn't have to be complex, a simple smile and polite manners (basic customer service) are easy wins. Cafes that stand out to me often have staff that know my name, & usual order.

How busy they are

Whenever you are looking in a new area I gravitate to where the queues and patrons are. Granted, this might be a symptom of a slow barista, but often busy/popular cafes are packed for a good reason (it’s good).

Appearance/Tidiness of cafe

Not as overly important, but plays a factor. If the coffee area is a disaster, looks chaotic, then I'm going to question what’s going on.

Reviews/Ratings

If I'm completely out of my element or in a brand new place, I'll resort to checking online reviews (google review, bean hunter, yelp/zomato maybe).

Remote Work Friendly (Powerpoints/Wifi).

As a remote worker/someone who works from the road a lot, I really appreciate when a cafe has power outlets, enough space to allow for people to work. I'm always aware of amount of seating and how busy the cafe is, you never sit at a spot for too long if it's packed or there are customers that will likely order a larger meal. I always ask the staff when I'm ordering a coffee if it's ok to work. Free Wifi is a bonus.

I’d be curious to see if any of these resonated with other people.

Also, flattery via Coffee Art was a heart warming surprise!

Also, flattery via Coffee Art was a heart warming surprise!

The Australian Bushfires - A short list of where to donate

One of the hardest things to do when a major disaster is occurring is to knowing exactly how to help and who/where is best to donate money in support. I have compiled a brief list of the options I would recommend based off a few factors:

  • Official donation pages,

  • The level of support received already,

  • Recommendations from friends, family, social media,

  • and reviewing the of the validity and efficacy of the charity / organisation via information from the Independent Australian Charities regulator (ACNC / Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission).

Disclaimer: this list is by no means exhaustive, and it is open to update/changes if people let me know.

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The List:

NSW Rural Fire Service Fund (RFS)

The RFS comes first in my list because of two factors, one is that NSW is the state that is likely needing the most support (not to discount the other states battling fires) and Secondly, it is part of the largest ever fundraising effort on Facebook established by comedian Celeste Barber having raised over $49.5 Million at present.

DONATE TO RFS HERE

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WIRES - Emergency Fund for Wildlife

WIRES is Australia's largest wildlife rescue organisation. I think it deserves equal ranking to RFS with needing support. A huge amount of Australia’s wildlife have been killed/injured/displaced because of the fires.

DONATE TO WIRES HERE

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Port Macquarie Koala Hospital

A Koala focused animal hospital that not only treats sick and injured koalas but it is also involved in research with various Australian universities to fight/prevent/cure koala diseases.

DONATE TO THE KOALA HOSPITAL HERE

Alternatively, you can support a GoFundMe that dedicated to Koalas - HERE

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Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park

Kangaroo Island has been ravaged by the fires. This wildlife park in South Australia is raising money for koala veterinary costs, koala milk and supplements, and extra holding and rehabilitation enclosures. The park has also taken in kangaroos, wallabies, an eagle and a possum. A GoFundMe page organized by park owner Dana Mitchell has raised more than $800,000

TO DONATE TO KANGAROO ISLAND KOALAS & WILDLIFE GOFUNDME CLICK HERE.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-save-kangaroo-islands-koalas-and-wildlife

A view of BEFORE and AFTER on Kangaroo Island;

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AFTER:

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BlazeAid

a volunteer-based organisation that works with families and individuals in rural Australia after natural disasters such as fires and floods. Working alongside the rural families, our volunteers help to rebuild fences and other structures that have been damaged or destroyed.

DONATE TO BLAZE AID HERE

NOTE: ACNC has demonstrated that +99% of funds taken by BlazeAid are used to help

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Mogo Zoo Fire Recovery GoFundMe

Mogo Zoo is a small private zoo on the South Coast of NSW that is under threat / battling still with the fires. The GoFundme has been created to help provide equipment in an attempt to save the zoo and animals.

DONATE TO THE MOGO ZOO GOFUNDME HERE.

NOTE: ACNC has demonstrated that 97% of funds taken by Mogo Zoo are used to help.

Support First Nations - Fire Relief Fund for First Nations Communities

There is a GoFundMe for First Nations Communities set up by musician and community rights advocate Neil Morris, a Yorta Yorta man. This provides "culturally sensitive, specific direct support" to First Nations Communities displaced by the fires. Donations fund temporary relocation costs, basic amenities, resettling expenses and more.


TO DONATE TO THE FIRST NATIONS GOFUNDME CLICK HERE.



Local Fire Departments:

CFS Foundation > https://cfsfoundation.org.au/donate

Vic Country Fire Authority > https://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/about/supporting-cfa

Western Australia (DFES) > https://www.dfes.wa.gov.au/contactus/Pages/donations.aspx

Queensland Fire Department > https://www.qfes.qld.gov.au/monitoring/Pages/contactus.aspx

…and already mentioned, NSW Rural Fire Service > https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/volunteer/support-your-local-brigade

Becoming a Dad - The first 6 months

The first 6 months of being a new father (and parent) is a big change in so many ways. I have been wanting to share my thoughts and experiences as a new dad for a long time. I started writing this post in my first month, and have been slowly adding bits and pieces over the last 6 months. This isn't going to be a comprehensive blow-by-blow breakdown of the entire six months - but rather the ideas and thoughts that have come to mind. 

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Preamble warning - "I am an expert on MY baby" 

One thing I'll stress before I start is that this is my experience with my baby. Every baby is different, every situation, every parent is different. What has worked for us, may not work for you - and vice versa. I'm going to say that we've been very lucky and blessed that we've got a very chilled, happy and awesome baby. This preamble warning comes from Travis McElroy's fantastic talk on becoming a new dad on Episode 79 of Dad Feelings Podcast. I'll put links to that later further down.

Start at the beginning - we’ll have the Caesar, hold the labour. 

The most obvious place to start would be the birth. We had a planned caesarean procedure due to size our 'little' man and due to the fact my wife developed gestational diabetes. We had known our bub was very big since the morphology ultrasound where he clocked in at 97th percentile for size. The radiologist explained it like this; if he saw 100 babies, ours would be the third biggest one out of that group. It was only around the 28 week mark that we learnt that Sue had developed gestational diabetes, which means that babies can be typically bigger. We were both totally fine with the idea of having a caesarean (C-section).

 

C-Section vs. Natural Birth

I want to take a moment to share that both 'methods of birth' in my opinion are totally valid and come with their own pros and cons. Don't let anyone tell you different or make you feel bad for how your baby is born. The goal is to have a healthy baby. The reason I bring this up is that it's an unfortunate experience we’ve had (and sadly still continue to face) that people like to pass judgment about c-sections vs. natural birth. In our case, we knew that there was a near certainty that Sue would need to have emergency caesar and face a lot of trauma if she opted to try a natural birth. If you don’t know what a third or fourth degree tear is during birth, then maybe brace yourself and click HERE to learn about it.

 

Scheduled Baby

One surreal aspect of having a planned c-section is actually knowing the exact date of the birth. It's a little bit strange, knowing that you have a few more hours to go before becoming a parent. We opted and went the private route. Once again, there is nothing wrong with going public or private - but since we 'invest' in private health insurance we figured we'd use it. 

 

After one hour - our baby was born

We arrived bright and early at the hospital at 5:45am. Got admitted, taken up to the room (thankfully a nice big private room) and from there it was a streamlined process. At 6:30am we were brought down to the theatre complex, the staff were super efficient, professional, and caring. 

 

Ah, I see you have the machine that goes 'ping!'

Ah, I see you have the machine that goes 'ping!'

Looking around the operating theatre there were a lot of machines around. For a brief moment, I considered asking if they had the machine that goes PING! - but thought I should probably focus rather than quote Monty Python. I did however note that they had a Da Vinci Xi surgeon console in the operating theatre with us. I recognised it nearly immediately as I have to do a bit of work with the da Vinci robotic surgery system. 

The sound of first cry.

At 7:26am the sound of our baby's first cry hit our ears. I can't adequately describe what that feeling is like. A supernova of joy, happiness, love all crammed into an instant. It's completely amazing and overwhelming at the same time. At one point I told someone that it's like "having your entire world broken apart and reformed in an instant" It's really incredible.

 

There is one thing I wish I had done, and this is something I'd recommend, is to somehow capture that first cry. Use the sound recorder on your (or a spare) phone or video it. Our OB told us that one very tech savvy dad strapped a GoPro of his head to relive the experience in first person. You don't need to go to that extreme, but I thought it was a pretty innovative idea.

 

By 7:30am we got our first hold of Zachary Hajun Lewis - and our lives will never be the same again in the best possible way. It is unreal how you feel so full of love for someone you've literally only just met and the way that each moment you keep feeling more and more love, and somehow it doesn't stop.

 

His tiny little hands, grasping your finger, is beautiful. This photo is currently the lock screen on my phone (and I'm hard pressed to think of something that would ever replace it).

His tiny little hands, grasping your finger, is beautiful. This photo is currently the lock screen on my phone (and I'm hard pressed to think of something that would ever replace it).

First few days - so many feels and emoji's*

 

The thing that really sticks with me about the first few days of becoming a parent is the incredibly powerful feelings and emotions. Just what I said before about being filled with love - it really is that sensation of having a part of your soul filled with happiness and love that you never knew existed before that point. I constantly said (and thought) "I didn't know I could be this happy". You spend hours staring at them, admiring every tiny aspect. You hang out for the moments when they open their eyes - and just let your mind race about what they'll grow up to be like, what their personality will be like. 

(*usage of the term 'emoji' isn't a mistake - it's actually a deep cut from 'My Brother, My Brother, and Me' podcast).

The power of your voice

One really early moment I had was when Zach was crying and I picked him up and said "it's ok, don't worry, I'm here" and he suddenly was soothed and nuzzled into me. That feeling of him recognising me and knowing that 'everything would be ok' because I said it would be (even though I know he can't understand my words), was powerful. 

 

It's OK to not know what to do.

Another feature of being a new parent is suddenly realising you have no clue what you are doing. You act on instinct, you try things, and sure enough - you'll get the hang of it. It's easy for people to psyche themselves out about "not knowing what to do". Trust me, it comes to you - and if you don't know, don't panic - give it a go, or ask someone. 

 

Crying.

One really important thing that I realised early on is that to crying for a baby is completely different than for an adult. The first time your baby cries it can be very stressful, particularly if they are crying so hard they turn purple/blue. The problem is, as an adult, you associate wailing crying with being incredibly upset, distraught, or in agony. Babies on the other hand only know how to make one sound, and trust me, they use it often.

 

I actually remember frequently saying "he only knows this one song, he should learn another". After you accept and understand that their crying isn't necessarily because they are in pain - your panic and anxiety levels will start to drop, and you will begin to learn and pick up what they are wanting. I can say that it only takes a month or so to learn the differences between a 'real cry' and a 'fake cry' when they are just wanting some attention. A fake cry sounds kinda half-hearted and lame. One of the things I did to amuse myself, and end the crying, was to mimic the sound right back at Zach in a joking and playful manner. This actually worked well because it helped me remain calm, and he would stop crying, and try to figure out what I was doing.

 

Changing my first nappy

Of all the things about parenting I was nervous about - changing nappies was my number one item. Not because it's something I couldn't do, or thought was too hard to do, but because it was a skill I hadn't mastered - and I really wanted to be good at. It did't help that Sue was a seasoned professional having been a childcare worker for 8+ years. In the beginning I had only ever done two nappies on a totally still doll in the antenatal class.

 

The story of me changing my first nappy is actually pretty funny. Without warning, six of Sue's childcare centre staff surprised us in the hospital with a visit. We absolutely loved this, but about 20 minutes into the visit Zach decided to do a big poo. All of her coworkers laughed, and then said "go on Daddy, get to it". Talk about pressure! - I told them that I refuse to do my very first nappy with an audience of skilled childcare workers surrounding me. They quite gratiousoucly nodded, and all waited outside our rooms as I fumbled my way through. It wasn't as bad as I built it up in my mind, and suffice it to say, you master this skill quickly. The reason I wanted to excel at this is that I've personally always wanted to take on the lion share of nappy changings. It was it's basically one of the few things I decided during the pregnancy was something I could really do to be a good dad. 

 

Tips I've learnt about nappy-changing

  • Always prepare before you start - get the new nappy out, have as many wipes as you need on hand, and a disposal bag.
  • Keep one wipe spare. It's always better to have one extra spare wipe and not need it, than need just one more and not have it ready. 
  • The Tommee Tippee Sangenic Nappy Disposable System is simple, but great at dealing with disposable nappys at home (Link).

 

Suffice it to say, over the months, I've gone from being nervous and unsure about nappy changing to being a pro. When you are sleep deprived, at 2am, barely conscious, and able to do it in the dark... you can't remember a time when you were worried about doing it. 

 

First Bath

In the hospital we learnt how to bath a baby. It's actually really nice, and babies LOVE it. I repeatedly said to people that I don't think there is an experience or drug for adults that compares to the utter bliss that newborns have when they are in the bath. 

 

What's it like with a newborn?

At first you just spend forever staring at them. It's amazing, this little person is the best thing and they are literally experiencing the world for the first time. You hang out for moments when they open their eyes. You start to appreciate the times they look at you, and chuckle when they don't quite know how to focus and unintentionally go cross-eyed. 

 

Travis McElroy made a fantastic point about the fact that babies don't start off being super complex. You don't need to stress about too much as basically they only do a few things; eat, cry, poop and sleep. It's all variants of that, and slowly it changes as they develop and learn more. This is the second time I've mentioned Travis's comments - so I should explain. I have been a fan of the McElroy brothers for a while. They've all become fathers, and I honestly really just wanted one (or all) of them to share their thoughts and feelings on becoming a new dad. Like summoning fate, Travis (the middlest brother) did exactly that, speaking on the "Dad Feelings Podcast" in Episode 79. 

 

I remember listening to Travis speak in the first few days about becoming a new father, and honestly, it was an invaluable experience for me. He helped me form some foundational aspects of my approach to being a dad - and much of what he said resonates

 

You can listen to the episode here;

[Note: I do not own the source material for this podcast, but I wanted a really simple way to share / allow people to listen]

Your sleep and life patterns change

One of the constant things people say whilst you are expecting is "enjoy your sleep now" or "sleep as much as you can". Yes, I'm not going to lie, sleep is going to become a major factor in your life - but I remember saying and thinking that it wasn't as bad as I feared. There is something hard to explain about it being your baby crying - you don't mind, you don't care, you might have only been asleep for 5 minutes before having to get up - it's all good. Perhaps it just takes a few weeks for your sleep battery to deplete fully, but I find that I really never got frustrated with lack of sleep (until maybe say 3-4 months in). 

 

Time and sleep become fluid concepts.

I likened the idea of having a newborn to feeling like you are both jetlagged and hungover. You are awake, but tired, and not really operating at 100%. You aren't quite sure what day it is - but it's ok, you are a new parent - embrace trackpants, tattered t-shirts and comfy clothes. 

First week - Bringing the baby home

Bringing the baby home for the first time was probably one of the most anxious moments of being a new parent. Leaving the hospital, putting the baby in the car (capsule) and driving home is nerve racking. I drove home slowly, nervous about every turn and speed bump. 

 

The time suck / staring at him constantly

I said this before, but you do lose time staring at them. I know that hours went by with me just holding him and being so utterly happy and content. Time flies. 

 

Photos - sharing / taking too many.

One the thing my wife and I decided early on is that we didn't want to go overboard sharing photos of our baby online. Yes, it's a major and exciting part of our lives, but we really only want to share the good stuff. We also decided that we wouldn't be sharing photos of him publicly (hence the lack of photos in this post). One good thing I did prior to the birth is pay for additional space on Google Drive/Photos, and change my Google Photos backup setting to 'Original/Full Quality' - so I can be assured that all my baby photos are safe.

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Dad Jokes.

Another fun part of becoming a dad is unlocking and gleefully sharing dad jokes. I have started sharing the jokes I write up at work online, and people seem to enjoy them. You can actually find all my Dad Jokes HERE (@Benjamin_Lewis #DadJoke).

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Panic when you think something is wrong

In the first week of being home, I remember a distinct fear that the baby wasn't breathing because he was so quiet whilst asleep. This fear is something that you need to get a handle on, because it can fast become a slippery slope. I still to this day will worry and fear 'what if', but I don't dwell on it or let it upset me. 

The first few months.

 

You are in awe as they develop and start doing new things.

That first smile is amazing - for us it came between 1-2 months. At first it was a tiny little flash, usually with me pulling a funny face along with a sound. 

Then it grew into something he just did - and we are very lucky that he seemingly loves to smile. That first smile, then becomes that first laugh, that first coo, that first time they eat solids. It's amazing to get to experience someone's very first interactions with the world - be it seeing a dog or tasting a lemon. 

 

Star Wars baby stuff. 

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I'm a massive Star Wars fan and naturally I'm going to gather a bunch of Star-Wars themed stuff. I may have amassed a number of star wars items. I'm very proud of my baby on board sign;

 

Watching TV / Movies

I knew heading into parenthood that our days of dining out / going out to the movies was going to end for a while - and that home entertainment was going to be key. Thank god we live in the age of Netflix and digital streamed media. As a new parent you'll find that you fill some of spare time awake watching TV shows and movies in short 20-30 minute bursts. In the first month, my wife and I had managed to completely watch the entire Lord of the Rings extended edition movies in very short bursts over many weeks.

 

Technology to the rescue

One neat thing my wife found was this soothing "Shushing" sound on Spotify (click here). 

Honestly, this thing has been a godsend. We've used this to help settle our bub every night. To accomplish this, we bought a wireless bluetooth speak (this one from office works), and I set up an old iPhone to be the "baby sound" device. 

 

Daddy's mini mental breakdown.

Remember how I said that having a baby comes with all these feelings and emoji's? well, there is something that I'd heard is common - that is for dad's to experience profound stress and anxiety within the first few months. I know that for me, this was about day 40 when I wrote a huge brain dump post onto facebook. Looking back on it - I can see where I was internally struggling with the shift in my identity, responsiblities, and pressures I was placing on myself. The amazing thing was, that there was a huge public and private outpouring of love and support from people in my life. Some I haven't spoken to in years, and others that I didn't expect who really provided me with their own experience. This really helped. 

 

Sleep becomes a major aspect of life.

There is a reason one of the first things people ask new parents is "how's the sleep" or "are they sleeping"? Sleep becomes a commodity more valued than anything for new parents. The primary goal of almost everyday is getting the baby to sleep / stay asleep for long enough chunks. Why? because when the baby is asleep that is the time you can achieve things (eating, showering, cleaning, SLEEPING!). Sleep also becomes a form of currency between parents. When they are exhausted, you take on baby duties and let them rest - and vice-versa. 

 

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Saturday morning walks. 

One thing I absolutely adore is taking Zach out on a weekend morning for a walking in the pram. This achieves a few things; it gives my wife a break and possibly a sleep in (if such a thing even exists), it's a form of much needed exercise, and it's fun. 

 

 

 

What it's like now, 6 months in.

Now at six months it is starting to feel like we are finding our groove. We are quicker at picking things up, noticing patterns, figuring out what does and doesn't work. We are immensely thankful that he's happy, smiles, and laughs. 

 

Happy Song.

One last tip before I finish. Find and love "The Happy Song" by Imogen Heap;

This song is somehow hardcoded in infants brains to reduce crying/screaming and mostly brings them joy. It's catchy, and can be a lifesaver if suddenly screaming whilst driving is occurring. It also has some really nice lyrics, like;

"I love-love-love

You every day more

Whatever's in store"

 

I hope you've enjoyed my post - please do let me know what you think. Write a comment, share, tweet - whatever your preference is.

 

I might share the odd parenting insight on my Twitter feed - @Benjamin_Lewis

Customer Service insights from being a 5 Star Uber driver

For a short while in 2017 I became an Uber driver in Sydney to challenge myself on customer service, practise my small talk, and explore what it's like being the driver rather than the rider. 

Why did I start driving for Uber?

To put it simply - it was to do something different and experience something I was curious about. In the lead up to starting, whenever I caught an Uber, I often chatted to them about what it was like for them as drivers. This curiosity was enhanced during my post graduate management studies at MGSM as whenever the topic of disruption and innovation came up - Uber was the go-to example. It dawned on me one day, that as someone that works in customer service, that it would be a unique experience to jump behind the wheel and see how I went.

 

Being a '5 star Uber driver'.

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Maintaining a perfect 5-star record is near impossible with Uber. A single review less than 5/5 means your rating drops instantly, and cannot be redeemed. One of the earliest bits of advice I heard was “let go of the idea of holding onto your 5-star rating” - as any rider can mark you down, and it can be for anything. This was good advice, and for the most part - I never aimed to keep a 5-star rating. 

Over time it just occurred to me at the end of each time driving that I had kept receiving 5/5 ratings. I chuckled a little bit and thought “I wonder how long I can make it last”, knowing full well that it’ll disappear at some point. It never did - some people actually commented on the fact that they’d never been in a 5 star Uber before. I have to be honest that whilst it’s a nice bragging right to say I’ve got a flawless 5 star rating, I did only drive for 3 nights (20 trips in total). 

I’ll break down my Customer Service insights into the following;

 

It never hurts to prepare - "Those who fail to prepare, prepare to fail.”

If you suddenly leap into anything without giving it some thought or preparation you can’t expect great results. One of the first things I did before I started my very first shift was watch a handful of YouTube clips from very avid Uber / Lyft drivers. These were mostly people in the USA, who have been doing this for a very long time. This was incredibly valuable as it gave me some really good practical tips about what to do and what not to do that I applied whenever I drove.

 

Know you customers expectations

The key to success in most things relating to customer service is being able to put yourself in the shoes of the customer and work out their expectations. As most people have used an Uber before, it’s easy to quickly think about things that you’d expect. In marketing terms, this was broken down into “threshold attributes” (i.e., what items are must-have, or else you hated the experience), and what is an “experience attribute” (i.e., what is a bonus, a flair, a nice-touch that makes you feel special). When it comes to being an Uber in Sydney, in my mind you had to always be better than a taxi.

The things I expect from an Uber are: clean car, no smells, careful and considerate driving, and caring about your passengers instructions. The most critical ‘threshold’ item is ‘being clean’. Nothing is worse than climbing into an Uber / Taxi that isn’t clean. You already have people nervous about being in your private car - make sure it’s spotless. I would hand wash my car before I went out driving. One rider laughed and said “how did you manage to make a black car clean?” (meaning that he’s never managed to achieve this himself).

 

Consistently deliver and maintain service.

You’ve always got to meet that expectation of service. You should take pride in always giving the same experience to every person, regardless of what happened with the last person.

One of the challenges with driving for Uber is the unpredictability factor. I thankfully never experienced a rider throwing up in my car, but it’s a risk. After each ’trip’ I would wind down my windows, air the car, no matter who my last passenger was - and make sure there wasn’t any lingering smells. After every 2-3 trips, I would pull over and do a rush-clean of the back seat area and just make sure that people were always getting a good experience.

 

Little touches go a long way!

With customer service, sometimes it’s the little things that have the biggest impact. One of the single biggest tips that I loved, was that cleaning and wiping your car windows down with Windex gives a very subliminal message of ‘clean’ to people. You may actively note the smell of Windex, but if you aren’t thinking about it - your brain goes to ‘clean’ without you realising it. In customer service, little touches - like remembering someone’s name, going that little bit extra, can leave long-standing positive impressions on people. 

 

Keep your game face on - handle the unexpected with poise.

On my first night driving, my second trip ever, I pulled up to a house and two young ladies came out (ready to go into the city) and one was in a wheelchair. Pause for a moment and consider how panicked I was that on my second trip I was faced with a situation I hadn’t considered at all - and wasn’t sure how to handle. In a flash, my mind raced to ‘what do I do’, and then into ‘ok, think about what you would want to happen’. 

Without displaying the panic on my face at all, I popped the hazard lights on, got out, introduced myself, and asked in a caring way how I could help out. The woman in the wheelchair explained that she’ll help herself into the car, and that they’ll just fold up the mini-wheelchair and pop it into the boot. To my surprise, they were more nervous and worried about it than I was - they weren’t sure how I’d react. The calm way I chose to handle the situation meant that we ended up chatting quite a lot. I learnt that there are special slim-line / minimal wheelchairs that are ideal for people who go out partying or to dinner at night (they aren’t hugely noticeable).

 

Be friendly, personal, and genuine. 

One of the cornerstones of the customer service hinges on the first impression. I won’t go into how important the first interactions are for the overall impression for a customer, but suffice it to say if you nail the opening - you’ll usually leave people thinking you were great. The first thing I did whenever I picked up someone was; Say ‘Hi’ with a smile, check that they who the booking is under (using their first name), and then quickly introduce myself using my first name. I’d check that everyone was in, seat beats were on (not in a strict way, but more casual manner) and then double check where they were going. One little thing to share is that Uber drivers don’t know where you are heading until you start the trip - so I didn’t know if I was driving 5 minutes down the road, or crossing the tunnel/bridge, or heading to the Opera House. People would often ask / chat about Uber itself - and I would honestly tell them what I thought, and that I was very new to it. ‘Be genuine’ is a good lesson for almost anything to do with customer service, work, or life.

 

Read the customers mood and go with it.

It’s important to identify and mirror the level of interactions customers are wanting to have with you. Consider shopping in a retail store - the staff will politely ask “can I help you with anything?”, and if you say you are OK or ‘just browsing’, they’ll understand and leave you to it. When someone jumps into your car you can quickly assess how much small talk you are going to want to engage in. It sounds a bit clinical, but think of it this way - we’ve all had days where we are exhausted and the thought of mindless chitchat is actually the last thing we want to do. There is no need to force it. It’s cool if you want to jump into an Uber and read your emails, call a friend, play a game - we don’t need to talk about what plans you have. 

 

 

These are just a handful of thoughts I’ve had linking customer service and my experience driving for Uber.

Please feel free to comment, or ask me anything (via Twitter - @Benjamin_Lewis). 

 

 

Epilogue - Why did I stop driving for Uber?

There are a handful of reasons why I stopped. Mostly I was only wanting to do it for a short time - I wasn’t very invested / committed to the concept for more than an idle social experiment. The other major factor was financial. It really doesn’t add up when you look at it and your income can vary too much. Driving on a weekend night you can either earn $200 or $90 - and that is before tax (GST). The major defining factor is whether you get a Surge-pricing trip, and those are pretty random. The last night I drove I spent $55.00 on getting my car washed and cleaned, spent 4 hours driving, and made $50.00 in total (…again, before tax). Do the math, I spent $5.00 to drive for Uber, and then I had to pay GST on my earnings.

I also had some minor concerns about safety. You are picking up people and having them in your car - anything could happen. Lastly, right before I stopped the NSW Government and Uber decreed that all Uber drivers had to display the sticker on their back window when driving for Uber. I really don’t like the concept of being visibly singled out. I won’t profess to speak on behalf of other Uber drivers, or their company (Note: all these views are my opinion and honest experience - and I do not speak on behalf of Uber in any way shape or form) - there are people who love it, make a good living out of it, but I think I’ve joined the many people who start driving for Uber and stop shortly thereafter.

Becoming a Dad - Some tips for the father-to-be

Learning that I was going to become a father has been one of the best and most rewarding moments in my life. I'm writing this a few days before the birth, because I realised that there have been some things that have happened over this journey that is pregnancy that people might find helpful. 

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I'm writing this for both the guys that have just learnt they are about to become dads, for those in the middle of pregnancy, and lastly for anyone that knows someone that is in the previous two categories that might find these tips helpful.

Before we dive into my tips, Congratulations! It's an incredible thing that is happening, and allow me to share something that you'll hear a lot - your world is going to change, but it's going to be amazing.

Do what works for you, your wife and your new family.

One of the most important bits of advice that I received is "ignore all the advice". This may seem like a counterintuitive place for me to start considering what I'm writing about, but I'll explain. You need to do what is best and works for you both (and bub). Everyone will have their theories, thoughts, and opinions on things - and now is the time to start to decide things for yourself. By all means listen to people (and your doctor(s)!) but also think for yourselves. If you come from a cultural or family situation which comes with added rules and requirements - consider if this will work for you. Try not to add extra stress into your life.

Decide early if you want to know Gender or not.

A little known fact about my wife is that she has zero-chill when it comes to surprises - so the moment the doctor told us we could do a blood test to genetically determine the gender we ended up going immediately to have that done. This is a personal preference, and you'll be surprised that some couples preference is to keep it a surprise (and vice-versa). If you both know, share and celebrate it - that'll really help people when choosing gifts. 

Embrace fear and realise it's place.

It seems that from the moment you joyfully learn you will be pregnant you'll also gain an equal sense of fear about what if the worst or something happens. Those first 3 months can be some of the most nail-biting, and stressful, parts of the pregnancy. You want to shout from the rooftops about the good news, but you need to keep it hush-hush until you know it's safe to share. Now, assuming all goes fine (and I'm hoping it does) you'll learn that this fear will remain with you for the rest of your life - it only changes and evolves into different forms. Learn to identify it, feel it, and do your best to get a handle on it. There is a chance of course that things don't work out, and I'm going to cover that in a seperate more somber post called 'miscommunication about miscarriage'.

Prepare for gifts, and leave your clothes shopping until near the end!

Now this depends on your situation, but we were very blessed to have received loads of presents and gifts from friends and family. Over the pregnancy period we were often taken by surprise when catching up with someone also came along with a new set of awesome clothes for the baby. This is amazing because our friends have similar and awesome taste, and we've amassed a fine collection of stuff well before we'd even held the baby shower. I made a call early on that we should refrain from buying cute and adorable outfits in the first-second trimester because I suspected that we might amass a horde of stuff as gifts. 

The fun part then comes later when you are gathering all your needed items, and then you can buy what you like. 

A good example of this is this cute Dog onesie that I spotted in Seed in the last week

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Become the calm zen-master and weather everything with strength.

One thing that I've tried extremely hard to do the entire pregnancy is to be as calm, cool, and non-reactive as possible. It's very easy for moments to errupt, comments to be made that normally you'd snap back at - and the rule is, don't bite. No matter how hard it is, or how difficult it is, you aren't the one doing the difficult thing here. Your role is support. I wish I could says I managed to do this 100% of the time, but unfortunately I'm human and I've had moments where I acted selfishly. One thing I can attest to is that any time I've reacted I've instantly regretted and chastised myself for it. Try to embrace your inner Buddha, read some tweets from Dalai Lama, the overall point is to be calm.

Take on the heavy lifting

One of the main things you can do as a father-to-be is act as the support person. This means taking over the household chores / items like cleaning, cooking, washing. Doing this wasn't a huge matter for me, but I did find that I was becoming more exhausted over time. Keep an eye on the amount you are sleeping - it'll be important to be rested, and from what everyone is telling me - savour it.

Don't panic, but be attentive and alert.

One thing about pregnancy I've found is that it enhances your emotions and your reactions to things.

If something happens, take a breath, think, and then consider whats the best course of action.

There have been a handful of times when I've had to ignore my gut instinct to do something, and also times when I've had to drop everything and make sure my wife is ok. 

Watch how your wife is going. Pregnancy is one of the most challenging times in a woman's life, and it's physically and mentally demanding. Try your best to support and look after her.

which leads me too....

 Incorporate Back and foot rubs into your routine.

If you haven't ever given a foot rub or a back rub to your wife - now is a good time to practise as the further you get into the pregnancy the more important they'll become. The feet and back are two of the most commonly painful areas for pregnant women. My tip is to do this before bed, chuck on some headphones, fire up some Netflix and make sure you don't watch anything that'll cause you to flinch/jump (and remember the main point is to massage).

Take time to look after yourself

Here is a huge piece of advice that I'm going to share with you. Look after yourself, be kind to yourself, and make sure you are ok. As the support person, you are useless if you are too stressed / too worried / too tired to do anything. I'm notorious for not looking after myself emotionally / mentally - so over the pregnancy I spent extra time making sure that I considered how I was actually feeling. If you are too tired, skip the morning run and sleep in. There are going to be times when all of sudden you get overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings - let it happen, and get a handle on it. Process it, and realise why you are having these - it's because your world is about to change into something unknown.

This introspection leads to my next point...

Consider what hobbies, habits, and things you spend time on are important to you - because soon it'll just be to sleep.

You are about to assume a new role in the world, that of a father. This new definition means that some old things are going to have make way for the new excitement ahead. Entire weekends of binge-watching TV, endless reading books, weekends away are going to become something else. Take stock and think about where you spend your time as soon you'll be prioritising sleep ahead of everything. I am chuckling as I write this because there have been times over the last year where I have expressed how exhausted I am - and people who are parents smile and just say "oh just you wait".

Someone joked that you suddenly become the third in-line of decision making when becoming a father.

These are just a handful of items that I've been thinking about over the lead up to the big event. It is in no means exhaustive, nor mandatory - just insights I had. 

 

What did I miss? What would you add to this list?

Comment / tweet at me what you would add to this. Id also just be happy if you.let me know what you thought of this post or shared it with someone you know.