After 3 months of complying to the strict “rules” set out by my orthopedist-no weight bearing, continue full length cast “prison” therapy I was told on January 12th, 2015 that my leg needs at least another month. Same therapy. I will continue to comply but it’s tough when you’re not able to drive, have no income because I can’t work and still completely dependent on others. Momentary lapse in my life. Only 4 months plus rehab I should be feeling lucky. I do in some regards but can’t help to feel frustrated. Continue reading “Taking longer than I thought”
December 24, 2015Back officesOutside of showroom and offices
We all need more employers like Revzilla. Read this article. Their philosophy rocks and it shows when you speak to the employees who at times even relocate to work at Revzilla’s state of the art facility in Philadelphia.
There’s $1,500 on the line. All Adam Ponzek has to do is keep his hairstyle decidedly mullet for one year.
“It is pretty ridiculous,” said Ponzek, remarking on the challenge — and his look.
The wager — and possible payout from management — speaks to the larger culture at RevZilla. A rapidly growing e-commerce company, RevZilla sells motorcycle gear and parts from its South Philadelphia headquarters.
The “gear geeks,” including Ponzek, serve as customer support, answering hundreds of daily calls and emails from bike enthusiasts. And they appear to have fun doing it.
‘Heckuva foundation’
From RevZilla’s earliest days as an e-commerce startup in 2007, customer service has been the priority.
“We were just starting out, with people getting on the phone saying, ‘I can’t believe you exist, I can’t believe how intelligent you are, and I can’t believe how much you knew, and the fact that you’d spend that much time with me,'” said co-founder and CEO Anthony Bucci.
“A heckuva foundation to build a brand on.”
Today, RevZilla has about 200 employees, nearly $100 million in annual sales, and 50 gear geeks working the phone lines.
And these are hard jobs to get: The call center staff earns 20 to 30 percent more in wages and benefits than the industry average.
“I am investing that dollar in making sure that every person who is potentially at the point of purchase, their expectations are beaten by talking to somebody that they wouldn’t expect to talk to,” said Bucci.
Decent salaries and a pipeline for promotion keep turnover low and morale high for the geeks, even during the holiday rush when phones are ringing nonstop.
“Right now, it is beginning to wane, but yeah, kinda nuts,” said Bucci. “All hands on deck for those guys, probably been for the past six weeks … and gals.”
Zen and the art of call centers
Occupying a brightly lit back corner of RevZilla’s offices in the Philadelphia Navy Yard, the call center looks more Silicon Valley startup than cubicle farm. Everyone sits at open desks; the furniture is modern and clear of clutter.
“The design of our facility … is very non-traditional,” said Patrick Roscoe, RevZilla’s director of customer experience. “We’ve gotten away from the historically small 4-by-4 cubes that you’d see in any other contact center environment.”
Other startup touches are evident, including a gong to celebrate good online reviews, scooters to race around the hallways, and free lunch on Tuesdays.
To get a gear geek job, you need more than phone skills and endless patience. You’ve got to know the merchandise inside and out, and that means knowing bikes.
“Every gear geek here that supports customers rides a motorcycle. They know it, they are passionate about it, they are following forums, they are researching all the new products,” said Roscoe. “They geek out on everything new within the industry.”
The staff also gets to try out everything. RevZilla has a room full of gear staff members can use on weekend rides. It’s part of the culture here that separates this call center from some other area companies that don’t necessarily sport sterling reputations.
“Selling cable service all day long … I don’t know how passionate people truly are supporting cable box needs,” said Roscoe.
Heather Jarjisian, six months into the job as a geek, has a sticky note attached to her screen that reads “Be Annoyingly Thorough.”
“The people are awesome, the customers are awesome, it is just an excellent place to be,” she said. “Way better than any other job I’ve had.”
Life for the gear geeks calms down in mid-January, after all the holiday returns and exchanges are figured out. Then, in the spring, when bikers come out of hibernation, the phones will start ringing again.
By then, Adam Ponzek’s mullet will be even more ridiculous.
PS…any time anyone buys from Revzilla if you mention my blog, name or anything to do with FB page etc…it helps off set some of the costs running this hobby. 👍
Simple install adding Jesse Luggageracks to my brand new Jesse luggage adds functionality for especially 2 up traveling. Can’t say I love drilling into new panniers but in the end it was easy if you are careful. Have owned Jesse Luggage since 2010…never had an issue even after my bikes took naps. Waterproof and within the handle bars. That’s how I like my bags.
New KLIM Latitude one of the most comfortable versatile suits on the market. Not too heavy, priced OK, for me a good suit for every riding I do. Highly recommend and I am sure KLIM will tweak this version yet again. I will keep this one for sure…as well as my Altitude. Love the new BLACK Altitude suit. KLIM said they did not make any changes regarding the style of the Altitude by releasing the black version but I swear the collar is more forgiving as well as the width of the chest. Could be wrong but sure feels different than my gray version. That’s for another review. 😉
I learned using ball field or farm sprinklers not the best idea. There could be fertilizer in the spray. In this case I was OK cooling off…but there are better ways when temps reach 114 F
My COMMENTARY: Most accidents end up in road rash or more seriously DE-gloving of the skin. You don’t die right away. You are treated like a burn victim sometimes days to months. Skin grafts after skin grafts. Worst case scenario you develop an infection that can lead to sepsis. There is no cure for sepsis, aka blood infection except antibiotics and crossing of the fingers. If you die it’s counted as a medical complication secondary to the bike accident. Motorcycle stat deaths do not show how many die from road rash. So, wear gear, be smart…not everyone is lucky enough to die at the scene from a head injury or become a donor. My 2 cents.
It was over 100 degrees out that day, so a friend who’d just started riding decided it would be a good idea to ride to work without his jacket. Long story short, it wasn’t. Especially when he t-boned a car at 35mph. Here’s grizzly proof that getting a little hot in full gear isn’t such a bad idea.
We’d been in the middle of a heat wave here in LA, with the usual 72-and-sunny replaced with humidity and temps in the high 90s and low 100s. In conditions like that, riding around in a leather or textile jacket may seem like an insane thing to do. But to me, it’s the most sane. I’m not here to preach or sound like an elitist to new or inexperienced riders, I only want to share with you the consequences of some of these choices. Maybe they’ll even scare you into making smarter decisions. Continue reading “ATGATT????”
Pretty much the reason I focused on Feb. 11th to finish my Winter X Country trip is in my video. Amazing how the regional forecasts I was following all on my trip were correct about mid February on here in NY. Blizzard warnings for Valentines Day, today Feb. 14 and another storm coming in next week. I just hope I can fly out to Vancouver tomorrow.
My boots, Alpinestars Toucans need new soles. I am a short rider for the F8 and often have to really push off my left boot to get the bike up from its stand and it shows. Still an amazing boot for the price and 100% H20 proof and so comfortable. My Heidenau K60 Scout tires are the bomb. Keep the PSI up and they last forever. Rear has over 17,000 KM’s and still has plenty of tread left and the front has over 14,000 and is in really good shape.
My bike will stay in this exact place until I get back to the USA. First time we are separated and yes, I will have a difficult time not being able to ride back in BC. But…at least she has a spot with a window view 😉
UPDATE:MY LED BULB SEEMED TO HAVE FOGGED MY HEADLIGHT GLASS. THIS WAS AFTER THOUSANDS OF KILOMETERS. NOT SURE I WOUKD USE THIS KIT, Just my opinion.
Cyclops H7 LED Kit install for BMW F800/ 650 GS
Guest BLOGGER installation…thanks Mike for the descriptive install…and shhhh…I was the friend who had an extra LED 😏
I was fortunate to have a good friend that had an extra H7 LED kit from Cyclops and thought I would give back by showing a picture install. I did the original install with removing the headlight but thought I would document the installation without the headlight removal as it was equally as fast if not faster.
UPDATE: My spider bite on my right temple swelled up last night and puss came out. I know gross eh? It’s now infected because of my helmet, etc. Put Bactine on it and it’s looking scabby but better. Other than feeling like someone punched me in my eye, I think it’s on the mend.
When I decided to take this trip, and I won’t name names, many thought I was crazy. Maybe I am when I carry on and meet the east coast but so far my plan for this winter trip is holding out. I mean I did check the regional weather reports and they have been SPOT on.
Now I don’t want to jinx myself so I will not carry on about this but I am so glad I decided to go with my gut. I needed this trip in ways not everyone can understand. Hard to explain but being between jobs, between countries literally I needed to find a place that is a constant in my life. My bike.
I got these new LED signal inserts for my 2013 BMW F800GS. I feel the need to deck my bike in LED lights wherever I can. Presently, I have a LED low beam which has been really great and bright. My AUX LED on steroids, and now LED signals using inserts.
I figured that when I put anything on my bike that has real life testing to prove my dedication to a manufacturer or online company that has great customer service and products I need to share. All of us when buying bikes look for the best value, protection, and items that assist us with better visibility, etc….real life reviews are what I look for and they are hard to come by when reading magazine reviews. Just for the record I am not paid to endorse any products. I just share what works well for me. I also share what I would buy again and again.
If you buy from them mention my blog or name…you never know!
November 19th 2014 – My Seattle Day Trippin’ to AltRider!
All pics clickable and videos throughout this post…short clips
Mileage 678 KM’s – left at 0600 and arrive home at 1930. Weather? Perfect, cloudy, some sun, cool temperatures and NO RAIN!
I left in the dark and came home in the dark. LOVE my new Aux lights and the LED low beam. Truly helped me when I decided to ride a road in Washington called the Chuckanut Drive. More about that later.
I learned using ball field or farm sprinklers not the best idea. There could be fertilizer in the spray. In this case I was OK cooling off…but there are better ways when temps reach 114 F
Advgrrl Motorcycle Adventures & More 