Tag Archives: customer service

All The Good Things

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Utility workers cut the internet line on my road this week. For someone who was trying to work from home for a few days, this was problematic. My home office is quieter and designed by me to suit my own introverted needs for productivity. Plus, seemingly endless rain for a few days in a row caused flash flooding throughout the county, leaving me stranded high on my ridge top for a while.

I needed internet.

Luckily, the placement of a Verizon cell phone tower just down the road means I have great cell service so I was able to use my phone as a hot spot.

We make do.

Unfortunately, talking to the internet company’s customer service felt like communicating with a brick wall. The website claimed there was no outage in the neighborhood. Could they send a technician to my house sometime next week?

Sure. I guess. I’ll be happy to point them to the cut cable down the road, I said.

At which point, the lady reminded me that I may incur a service fee if they get here and find out the issue is on my end.

Well, I don’t think that’s a possibility given that the line is cut. Down. The. Road, I said.

And so on and on went the conversation. By the end, my patience was hanging by a thread but I refuse to be mean, rude or testy with any brave soul who works in customer service.

That person was doing her best within the confines of her training and whatever script she is supposed to follow to get me what I needed. The conversation ended in the standard way with her asking if there was anything else she could help with. Then she said this:

Please do me a favor and always put a smile on your face. May all the good things in life be yours.

What a lovely way to wish someone well and conclude a conversation.

It was a challenging day but the sentiment behind this statement and the fact she would say it kind of made my day in the most unexpected ways.

So, my friends, may all the good things in life be yours.

Have a great day, friends.

PS- A nice technician came yesterday and repaired the line! The neighborhood is up and running again!

You Never Know

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Friday found me sitting in a fast food drive- thru line. I was behind a vehicle that had more or less parked at the payment window while the driver chatted with the employee.

The employee was almost hanging out of her window, laughing and chatting with the driver like they were old friends. I wasn’t in a huge hurry but there were adventures to be had and I didn’t understand why they thought it was ok to hold up the line.

They finally said their goodbyes and the vehicle creeped forward so I could move up to pay. What happened next caught me off guard.

The woman at the window greeted me with an apology. “I’m sorry about your wait. She seemed really down and I didn’t want to let her go until she was smiling.”

The cashier told me that the driver was an elderly lady with a little kid in the back seat. She didn’t know the source of the trouble but seemed sincerely concerned for this stranger.

This was surprising because they seemed like old friends.

There’s a lot to unpack here.

We’ll start with the fact there are still decent people in this world. It’s hard to find anyone willing to look up from their phone anymore much less make eye contact. The masses certainly don’t walk around concerned for the well being of strangers or try so hard to brighten someone’s day.

Fast food workers tend to get a bad rap but this lady took pride in her work and I imagine she brightens a lot of days for others.

Second, you never really know what’s happening around you. You don’t know where people are coming from or what they’ve been through. Don’t tap your toe or blow your horn. Judging is easy and is the lowest form of interaction with others. Understanding takes more work and requires compassion. Even if you don’t engage with someone on the same level as that nice cashier, go with the flow and try to extend some patience and kindness toward those around you.

What will it cost you? A few minutes? Is your time really that valuable? A little patience and understanding really could alter the course of someone else’s day and make it better. Be short with someone for being slow and you’ll maybe make it worse.

If you think this will be a problem for you, try leaving a little early. It will ease the stress and make your life better even if you aren’t slowed down by my call for human decency.

The whole experience reminded me of the gas station philosopher I met in Michigan this fall and the wisdom he had to share. Click here to read about him!

Customer Service And A Gas Station Philosopher

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It was cold and dark on the early September night that we found ourselves craving hot chocolate and baked goods. So we steered into a Dunkin Donuts for something good to enjoy on our last night of vacation.

As the door swung closed behind us, the young man behind the counter asked if we had come for the Dunkin’s.

They were closed.

Evidently people didn’t show up for their evening shift and the place had closed hours earlier. But it was our lucky day. The young man, Cody, had a box full of donuts we could choose from for free and he could make coffee.

We were each overjoyed to pick out a donut as he told us that we should never believe anyone that says you have to pay for good customer service or that you don’t deserve it at all. He made coffee, made sure I knew the Diet Coke I was buying was cheaper if j purchased two and even fetched napkins for us from across the room.

Turns out, our new friend Cody has the soul of a philosopher and the wisdom of someone twice his age. He should be an inspirational speaker or a corporate trainer.

He was so serious when he asked if we had ever heard of the CITE Virus. “There’s a terrible virus in the world of retail. It’s called the CITE Virus: the Customer Is The Enemy,” he said. “You come in and you’re having a bad day so you ruin my day. I don’t even know you but you’ve ruined my day. Then I ruin some other stranger’s day. Instead of teaching us how to cope with negative people, they encourage us to just move everyone through as quickly as possible. Never mind if we do it well or badly,” he said.

“I’m paid to stand here whether I’m doing anything or not. Why wouldn’t I want to spend that time helping people?”

It was the most refreshing thing I had heard in a long time.

He also talked about why you shouldn’t judge others for what they don’t know. “Not everyone is on the same journey you’re on. You can’t judge them for not knowing what they don’t know. All you can do is try to bring them along in all the ways you can.”

I believe this is when I began thinking of him as a philosopher.

I would have stayed and chatted with Cody for hours because he was fascinating. He was also proud of his town and glad to share tips for things to do.

Here’s a final thought from Cody. “We wake up each day knowing the world is full of idiots and yet we’re surprised when we encounter one. Don’t let them ruin your day. Just let them roll off you like water.”

The world is full of idiots. Let them roll off like water. Indeed.

The world needs more people like Cody and we certainly need more people like him in the workforce. It was all I could to not ask if he wanted to be a banker in southern Ohio!