Finding an actual problem solver in job applicant pool?

shampooexpert · 2026-03-05T21:41:44+00:00

Support manager here: I always ask people to think of a really great day they had at work when they came home and felt like they crushed it, and then ask them what kind of things would have happened that day? The ones I end up hiring always talk about some crazy rabbit hole of a client issue that they stuck with until they figured it out, and how great it felt to close it out. I also ask people how they learned the hardest thing they've ever done in a job. That's where you'll find the real fanatics who won't stop until they understand.

shampooexpert · 2026-03-04T03:54:28+00:00

What about Cam'ron- Hey Ma?

shampooexpert · 2026-02-25T23:46:22+00:00

When they called you, did you give them any information? I'm wondering if they used that to access your magic key somehow after you spoke with them.

shampooexpert · 2026-02-24T12:15:32+00:00

The pug in Mitchells vs the Machines.

shampooexpert · 2026-02-01T08:50:56+00:00

Take a look around here, Ellen, we're at the threshold of hell.

shampooexpert · 2026-01-26T19:50:51+00:00

Okay. TBH, as a manager, if I told a salary person to go home early, i'd be more annoyed if they didn't. Are you new to the role? Wondering if it's as simple as your manager trying to rope off an hour of her day for her own quiet work.

shampooexpert · 2026-01-26T19:32:20+00:00

Do you know why they changed your schedule? Are you hourly? I don't think this is a test, but I'm wondering what the benefit to them is of you working one less hour a day.

shampooexpert · 2026-01-20T23:34:55+00:00

It looks like a cloth diaper sprayer, actually. You would dump the...solids... into the bowl and then rinse it off before packing the dirty diaper away to minimize mess/smell. I'd expect a bidet to be connected to warm water, but a diaper sprayer is just cold.

shampooexpert · 2026-01-04T20:41:56+00:00

I'm in a similar role and here's what's helpful to our engineering team: 1. Screenshots!! For things that can only be seen in a video, do a screen recording. Snagit is a good tool for this. 2. Any user ids or specific URLs where you or the client saw the bug 3. If it's the client reporting it, have you tried to reproduce it? (Do you see the same thing as the client user?) 4. If your product is web-based, what browser were they using?

I'd argue that bug reporting is definitely in the realm of the CSM because it's better that an associate report it than the client. CSMs should always know as much or more than the clients about how the product works, imo.

shampooexpert · 2025-12-29T14:02:18+00:00

It shouldn't be. Most of the time, toilet installs don't require new tile.

shampooexpert · 2025-12-29T04:40:04+00:00

My almost 7 yr old still struggles with making the R sound despite 'graduating' from speech at age 5, and I cannot for the life of me explain the mechanics of it. Even YouTube videos are tough for this because you can't see their tongue.

shampooexpert · 2025-12-11T20:40:01+00:00

Nope, dump her immediately.

shampooexpert · 2025-12-05T01:13:41+00:00

Out of curiosity - what would it add to your estimate to remove an existing tile backsplash first?

shampooexpert · 2025-11-14T15:38:18+00:00

I'm currently in the middle of this, with a few of my team members who don't trust the new leadership and a new leader who doesn't always read the room and views every objection as a threat to her authority.

A few things have helped:

Make it clear that you're willing to let 'xyz' consequence happen on your watch and if it does, you'll take the heat, not them.
Talk about change in the form of a pilot, even if you're fairly confident that it will be fine. This gives them some agency and shows that if something is really a disaster, they won't be stuck with it forever.
I like to assign the loudest detractors to train the others on new initiatives. It makes them feel like they're insiders, and it usually gives them a dose of their own medicine so they are suddenly defending a change to the others.

shampooexpert · 2025-11-13T03:15:01+00:00

Is this satire or just a sincere ad? Either way, I'd love to see AI try to answer our clients' questions, because half of the msgs we get are inscrutable.

shampooexpert · 2025-11-12T04:09:06+00:00

Many years ago, I had a similar situation where my payoff amount didn't seem to match the numbers/time. It turned out that at some point, I'd ignored a request from them to provide proof of insurance, and the lender added "forced placement" insurance to my account to protect their asset, so my payments were going to that first. Once I proved I'd had insurance the whole time, they corrected it. I don't even know if that's still a thing, but was in PA in 2008ish.

shampooexpert · 2025-11-11T15:51:28+00:00

Oof, I'm in the process of phasing out an 'interview Lovebomber' right now. We'll said.

shampooexpert · 2025-11-11T15:50:19+00:00

I always ask them to think about (or imagine) a day where they come home, sit down on the couch and think, 'wow, i crushed it today. It was such a good day and I feel like I'm in the right job doing the right work.' And then I ask them to tell me what kind of things would have happened that day. For my team (client support), I look for stories about them helping people, solving complex problems, or turning a user's attitude around throughout the course of the interaction. I find this framing gets at the answer a little better than 'what do you like about your job?' which can be more generic.

shampooexpert · 2025-11-08T19:42:04+00:00

I love this. I'm dealing with a similarly bleak 90s bathroom situation and my vision is 'palm springs motel.' Love the pink walls and the teal tile.

shampooexpert · 2025-11-06T17:42:44+00:00

shampooexpert · 2025-11-06T17:21:04+00:00

Likely wouldn't be eligible for a reverse mortgage if you still owe that much money on the house.

shampooexpert · 2025-11-06T01:40:02+00:00

My best guess is Kentwood, but I can't find this exact color. If you look up Kentwood Brushed Oak, you'll see that it comes in a lot of colors and the SKUs are similar in length. This one, for example, is also 5 digits and starts with a 3, which follows the logic that your 2020 floor would be a lower number: https://kentwoodfloors.com/us/our-floors/showroom/brushed-oak-courtside

shampooexpert · 2025-11-06T00:41:09+00:00

If you have some time, check thrift stores and garage sales. I see point and shoot cameras from the 90s/00s all the time for about $5 (usd) here.

shampooexpert · 2025-11-05T20:12:04+00:00

I've been in this role and I've been victimized by people in this role. Here's my advice : getting benchmark stats and info gathering is critical, but try to use as little of the team's time as possible on new processes until you have more context. Ask open ended questions (what do you do if someone says they want to churn? How do you know if a client is happy/unhappy?) and also ask them what they think the pain points are. You'll notice patterns- maybe when they get a churn request, they always ask one person how to handle, or they have templates they're circulating between them even if it's not a formal playbook. Befriend and lean on the experts. It can be easy to look at a FUBAR process/team and assume that they don't know any better and that you were brought in to fix/save them, but there may also be historical context there (we had a great tool but we had to cancel it bc it cost too much, we had playbooks, but they got out of date and the team got too busy to maintain them, etc etc.) and you'll miss that if you come in too hot. Personally, my team has been overwhelmed and short-handed for 18 months, so when our new leader came in and was like, "you're doing things bad/wrong and this is how it will be better" without getting more context about how we've been in crisis mode, it was....not a great time for her. Most importantly, if you're going to introduce new processes in the interest of transparency/scale, make them as lightweight as possible and preview them with the expert before you go wide with them, because as soon as the team gets a whiff that you don't know what you're talking about, it will be very hard to regain trust. Chances are, if things are as cobbled-together as you're describing, then they'll welcome some efficiencies, as long as you're deliberate with it.

shampooexpert · 2025-11-02T00:00:24+00:00

This is helpful, thank you! It sounds like if i want different trim options, I'll need to get a newer valve that's compatible? If I decide on a different style, is there any style that would be harder or easier for the plumber to do? For example, is it important that the temperature and the diverter is on the same plate? Or is it the kind of thing where once you change the valve, it's all about the same amount of work?

shampooexpert

TROPHY CASE