September 2017 final

UPMc HelpDesk Newsletter Providing ‘World Class’ Service One Interaction At A Time September 2017 Edition 1

UPMC Help Desk NewsletterThis newsletter is about you, me, and all of us. It’s about the work we do everyday, the people we work with and the things that matter to us. It provides a forumfor highlighting our achievements and milestones as we continue to provide worldclass service ‘one interaction at a time.’Table of ContentsPhil Whittaker our Help Desk Spotlight . Page 3Help Desk Tech Jokes Page 3Kennywood Happy Haunting Fall Fun Page 4Stamp out Negativity Page 5A Lesson in Wait Training Page 5Green Man Myth or Fact Page 6Penn Brewery Octoberfest Page 7Happy Birthday to you! Page 7 2

The Spotlight for this month is on Phil Whittaker. So Phil , what can you tell us about yourself?I am into anything comic/video game related. As anyone who has seen mydesk knows I like to collect Pops! As well as other figurines. What I have atmy desk is only a small part of my collection. I also have a couple of highend polystone statues at home. I prefer Marvel to DC when it comes tocomics and their movie/show adaptations. I would tell you what my favor-ite sports team is but I prefer to watch esports over football/baseball etc. 3

Kennywood Happy Hauntings Oct 7 thru Oct 29 (https://www.kennywood.com/happyhauntings) Tickets are $16.99 plus fees; discounted admission will be available at Spirit Halloween locations What a great activity to attend with your family and friends!In addition to the regular ghosts and ghouls which roam the paths of Kennywood as part of the teens-and-up Phan-tom Fright Nights attraction, the West Mifflin amusement park will host Happy Hauntings, a family oriented fall festi-val. The park will open for these all-ages Halloween-themed afternoons from 12-4 p.m. beginning Oct. 7.Best suited for children under the age of 10, Happy Hauntings will transform Kiddieland into a Halloween festivalfeaturing trick-or-treating, pumpkin decorating, dance parties and more.Happy Hauntings aims to bring families (and those of us who are scared of the dark) to Kennywood throughout thefall season without facing the fear-inducing (and not appropriate for young children) Phantom Fright Nights. Childrenwill be able to enjoy all the perks of Kennywood with the extra benefits of pint-sized Halloween activities.\"Kennywood in the fall is a fantastic sight to see, but younger guests and the not-so-brave haven't been able to enjoyit,\" Jerome Gibas, general manager of Kennywood said via a press release. \"Happy Hauntings will allow guests of allages to experience Kennywood in the grandeur of the season without being scared.”Attractions will include the Happy Hay Ride, which will pick up guests at Mortem Manor and send them through atour of the park, and the Mystery Maze, which will popup in the pavilions near Kiddieland with a few friendly ghostsand mummies lurking in the shadows of the corn stalks.The majority of fun will take place around the Lagoon and in Kiddieland, but additional big-kid rides such as the AutoRace, Train, Merry-Go-Round, Paratrooper and Jack Rabbit will be available. While costumes are encouraged for chil-dren to get into the spooky spirit, costumes involving draping capes or extended accessory pieces may not be al-lowed on the rides. 4

Customer Service Tips Stamp Out Negativity with Two Simple Rules Negativity in the workplace can bring everyone down, but there are some simple steps that everyone on the customer service team can take to rise above it. In the February issue of Customer Communicator newsletter, Editor Bill Keenan spoke to psychologist Paul White about practical ideas for maintaining a positive work environment. Essentially says White, author of Rising Above a Toxic Work- place, each individual can make a difference by adhering to one Never and one Always. NEVER become part of the problem. \" It’s not that you should never make a negative comment, but you shouldn’t play a part in ramping up the negativity. Justdon’t get caught up in the drama. Sometimes you just have to excuse yourself and walk away, so that you arenot adding to the negative energy,\" he says.ALWAYS share the positive. The second thing that individualscan do is to always have some positive comments to add to the con-versation, even if it is not directly related to the business at hand, andis more of a distraction. \"If you can bring out a positive commentabout the weekend, the weather, the local football team, or whatever— it helps to keep things more under control,\" says White. A Lesson in Wait Training How are you with patience? One person calls it \"wait- training.\" It seems that there is always something we are waiting for. We wait on traffic and we wait in lines. We wait to hear about a new job. We wait to complete school or to retire. We wait to grow up or for maturity in a child. We wait for a decision to be made. We wait for someone to change his or her mind. Patience is an es- sential quality of a happy life. After all, some things are worth waiting for. Every day presents plenty of opportunities for wait training. We can resent waiting, accept it or even get good at it! But one thing is certain - we cannot avoid it. How is your wait training coming along? 5

Help Desk X Files Green Man Myth or Fact ? On the outskirts of Pittsburgh, near where Piney Fork empties into Peters Creek, there’s an old neglected railroad tunnel cov- ered in graffiti and filled with road salt. It was built in 1924 as the Piney Fork Tunnel to service coal mines along the Pennsylvania Railroad’s Peters Creek Branch. Abandoned since 1962, the locals have given it another nickname. To many people in the Pittsburgh area, this is Green Man Tunnel. Teenagers used to drive into the tunnel, turn off their lights, and call out to the “Green Man” who would appear from the darkness, his skin tinged green from a tragic electrical accident. If he touched your car, his electrical charge would either stall the vehicle or make it difficult to start. This might sound like just another urban legend, built up fromfictional ghost stories centered on the decaying relics of past industry, but in this case, it’s a story established on truth. In order tofind the real story behind the myth, you have to travel 70 miles north to a remote site near Youngstown, Ohio, known for genera-tions as Zombie Land.Ray was born in October 1910 and grew up as a normal child in Monaca, just south of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. His father passedaway when he was only seven years old, but his mother remarried soon after to her late husband’s brother. Just two years later,Ray’s life changed forever. He was with some friends on the bridge near 4th street which carried the Harmony trolley over WallaceCreek when the kids spied a bird’s nest high in the girders carrying the overhead wires. Ray was dared to climb up to it and he did.When he reached the top, he made contact with the wire carrying 22,000 volts of electricity. The force of the jolt threw him downto the bridge with severe burns on his face and body. Doctors at Providence Hospital didn’t expect him to live, but by some miracle,he did.The incident left its permanent mark on Ray. His left arm was amputated at the elbow and his body riddled with scar damage. Hisface bore the brunt of the damage; Ray lost his nose (leaving just a hole) and his eyes, and his mouth was bloated and twisted. Hebecame an unwilling recluse, fashioning floor mats and belts and wallets to earn some money.Eventually, he moved with his mother Lulu to a new home just west of Koppel . Restlessness overcame him, though, and Ray begantaking walks during the day for exercise. His disturbing appearance alarmed locals. Ray chose to take his walks in the late hours ofthe night along State Route 351 between Koppel and New Galilee with one foot on the pavement, the other on the gravel. Thoughhe was blind, he used a walking stick to help him feel his way through the darkness. Day and night looks all the same when you’reblind. After being discovered by accident on his nightly walks, the tale of the Green Man—or Charlie No Face, as he was alsocalled—developed. Those who weren’t too terrified to stop would chat with Ray over a smoke. He even posed for pictures, often inexchange for beer or cigarettes.There are conflicting stories about where the “green skin” ideacame from. Some accounts say he always wore his favorite greenplaid shirt or other green clothes that reflected the color onto hispale skin while others say his skin was a pale shade of green.Those who knew him or took the time to stop for conversationfound Ray to be very kind and one of the nicest people you couldever meet. Unfortunately, his disfigurement turned many peopleaway. Even the negative attention and taunting he would get onhis walks didn’t stop him; deep down, Ray was a lonely person whocraved interaction with people outside of his family. His popularityreached its peak in the 1960s when cars caused traffic jams alongthe road as people gathered, hoping to catch a glimpse of CharlieNo Face. Ray passed away on June 11, 1985, at the age of 74. Hewas buried back in Beaver Falls at Grandview Cemetery. 6

We're laagering the O-Fest beer and tuning the accordions for our biggest event of the year - Oktoberfest! We hope you'll join usunder the Fest tent for food, beer, and merrymaking the weekends of September 15-17 and 22-24.Here's what you need to know: The EventFest hours are 5:00-midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 10:00 pm on Sundays. Only guests age 21 and over are permittedat Oktoberfest after 8:00 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. We encourage you to dress in your finest lederhosen, dirndls, and alpinehats! There is no cover charge. For information - http://pennbrew.com/Restaurant/Events/OFest2017.aspxSince the fest is covered by tents, the celebration goes on, rain or shine!The Beer The Penn Oktoberfest beer will flow, along with several more of your favorite Penn brews.The Food No one ever goes hungry at Oktoberfest! We'll be offering German classics (plus some good 'ol American ones) to keepyour tummy happy. Grilled Brat, Chicken Sausage, or Kielbasa on a Pretzel Bun with sauerkraut or peppers & onions and oneside dishPorchetta: Chopped Roast Pork served with hot German potato salad and sauerkrautMunich-style Oktoberfest Fried Chicken, served with one side dishSide Dishes: Hot German potato salad, sauerkraut, German-style cucumber and tomato saladBavarian-style pretzels served with bier cheese and mustardPerogies: potato and cheese and pumpkin with cinnamon brown sugar butterHappy Birthday September and October! Calling all Authors: Did you ever turn a negative experience into a positive experience? How did you do it? What was your crazi- est call... Ever? What is your favorite recipe? Do you have a questions you would like to have answered or a Customer Service Tip? We would like to hear from you! You can send your submissions for the news- letter to: [email protected] or you can con- tribute anonymously by dropping your ideas in the suggestion box located in the kitchen.Sherry S. 9/13 John M. 10/12Beverly B. 9/20 Len S. 10/14Tamara T. 10/1 Brittany F. 10/17Dave O. 10/1 Felisha D. 10/24 7

UPMC Help Desk NewsletterLead Publisher/Editor: Linda EchementAssistant Publisher/Editors: Sherry Stephan,Anthony WashingtonContributors for July 2017 Newsletter:Phil WhittakerSherry StephanContact Us at: [email protected] 8