Something neat happened this morning. I had 2 Walmart products in my hand and as I turned them over I realized the peaches were in a container that is not recyclable in my area (number 7 plastic means "other") but the apple sauce was in a recyclable container. (number 5 is polypropylene). I also noticed the toll free number for customer service on the package, so I asked the kids to stop making noise and I picked up the phone. 5 minutes later I'd left a message asking them to work with their suppliers to get the product I described into a recyclable container rather than a disposable container that would just end up in a landfill (or worse incineration). While on the line I remembered their eggs come in styrofoam rather than biodegradable... so I added that to my call.
How easy.. 5 minutes and I've reached out and asked for things to be better, and explained that as a customer I will feel better about buying their products if I can recycle their packaging.
So let me encourage you to be impulsive and call customer service when you notice a small improvement that can be made. Maybe its a pothole that needs fixing, or a safety concern with traffic. Just take the few minutes and call so the people who can make a change have the info they need.
Challenge: Make 1 impulsive "improve the world" call this week.
Tips:
- Be nice. The person on the phone is being paid to help you. The problem wasn't caused by them.
- Ask for a callback or update so you can be informed of the progress they make.
- Ask if the company is working on that sort of thing. If so ask if there is another place you can call to provide this information. (I don't care who you are, transformational change is hard work)
- Don't attempt to control... Just ask for what you want and explain your motivation.
Cheers, have fun making the world a better place.
Greg.
