What Don't I Know?

I used to think that only large organizations such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, General Mills, Viacom, and even the United States government had communications problems. All too often, these large organizations find themselves either re-inventing the wheel, giving multiple options when only one is accurate, or even not discussing what a customer wants verses what they need. Ten years ago we had Total Quality Management, or some coined Totally Queer Management (TQM), where we learned the principle of providing what a customer wants instead of what the customer requests. It seemed obvious to me, and many others that attended such training. In many cases, these organizations suffer from the problem where the "left had" is not talking to the "right hand"; no one knows what is really happening or what needs to be done.

Yesterday, I found an organization with only 5 employees that experiences the same thing; AAA of Tidewater in Williamsburg, VA. Yep, the travel agency I am using for our trip to France. I usually use a travel agent, Selina, who is simply awesome. Unfortunately she only does domestic reservations. I was referred to an international travel agent. Although this agent was nice to work with in planning our vacation, she did not know very much more than how and where to make reservations.

So on one side I have the international reservation agent. I'm told that using traveler checks is common in Europe and will have no problem with cashing them anywhere. I'm renting a car to drive around the countryside the second week, but was not told that I needed a special permit to drive in a foreign country. I was also not told that if I had any problems getting around, there was an organization that has reciprocity with AAA so I could use my membership card to obtain maps, reservations for events, and even additional reservations if they are needed. I had to go to my good friend and domestic reservation specialist, Selina to find out all this information. Selina was able to process for me my International Driving Permit (IDP), told me that my ATM card was the best way to go for obtaining Euros in Europe or I could have used a AAA (Master Card) debit card specifically designed for international travel. I was also told about the reciprocal organization similar to AAA that would honor my AAA membership, and was even told that I could have purchased Euros in 24 hours from AAA with no additional cost than the exchange rate; the bank charged me a $20 fee for a rushed order of Euros.

What a dandy operation. As a customer it's your responsibility to know who to see for various benefits and options that you do not know are available.