Back in 2005, Natalie Willis and Lisa Ask started families, and by 2006, we each had two children. On Saturday, June 7 the Willis' and the Ask's got together for Sienna Willis' birthday party. See below for a peak at the fun and to see how big our kiddos have grown.

Natalie & Sienna Willis

Tyler Willis

Parker Ask

Kate Ask

Today on my way to work, I was heartbroken to see Worsham's, a 100 year old market, burned down. I have gone to this market/gas station my entire life. It's only 5 miles from my house and on my way to everything. Not to mention, Mr. Worsham knew my family....what I am trying to say, this was a special place, a historic place, and I am sad to see it gone. This is a picture from my husband's cell phone on the way home from work:

You can check out the news story here:

http://www.wkrn.com/Global/story.asp?S=8328371&nav=menu5_2_2_5

I am back from vacation. As a reminder, I changed my office days to Wednesday and Thursday.

I will be on vacation beginning May 2-May 9.

Where am I going? Glad you asked, David just released his new album "Breakthrough," and we're hitting the road to his hometown in MN for a mini-tour. His website http://www.davidask.com should be ready for viewing mid-May.

And for your listening pleasure, here is a sneak peak of one of his songs!

Download file

Beginning April 30th, my in-office days will be Wednesdays and Thursdays.

I have been answering phones for over a decade now. I have become quite good at it. I have dealt with the over-chatters, the irate and the confused. Mostly, however, I speak with the typical businessperson that simply needs to talk to someone who can help him or her. Over the years, I have learned a few things about talking on the phone. Though we could get very detailed, the following two tips will usually bring forth happy customers.

First, be confident and speak clearly. Greet the customer cheerfully (though not obnoxiously) and offer your name. People like to know that they are talking to someone that actually help him or her…especially in a day of voice mail and automated greetings, by the time they get to you, they have already been through a maze of automated selections. Once they reach you, try to be concise and quick to help.

Second, relate with the customer. Go back to the Golden Rule. If you treat the customer the way you’d like to be treated, things will usually go well. You’ll always have that ONE person who just wants to be difficult. Let them know that you hear them, are sorry for their frustration and are doing everything you can to get the problem solved.

These two things have worked well for me over the years. AND, the cool thing is that it makes me a nicer customer when I am on the phone.

Jetta is our new lab mix. We got her from the pet store of all places! She'll be three months on Valentines day!

This is my son, Parker and my father, Allen. This picture was too nice not to post, but you can also find it on the Hammock map.

I am in the office on Thursday's and Friday's from 8am-4pm CT. Although I am out, I continue to check my voice mail and e-mail on the days I am out of the office. If you have an urgent matter than cannot wait, please contact Julia Boklage at 615-690-3409.

Lisa came to us as the receptionist back in May of 1999. Prior to that, she had been working for a local software developer. During that time she took a course in AutoCAD, which indirectly led to a position at Hammock Inc.

While at Hammock, Lisa has worn many hats. She started out as receptionist, but quickly moved into ad trafficking, circulation management and bookkeeping. As both she and the company have grown and changed shape, she discovered her love of working with numbers. She is currently the assistant office manager and assistant to Rex Hammock. As such, she trains her radar on the myriad financial details of a small company, from travel expenses to missing receipts for someone’s birthday cake.

When she isn’t nose deep into billing, writing checks or checking spreadsheets, she and her husband David (who has a stunningly wonderful singing voice) are home with their two adorable children. They used to spend their time dining out and watching the latest and greatest movies, but these days it’s Blue’s Clues and chicken nuggets.