Lessons from a customer service veteran

I have worked in customer service my entire working life. Waitress/sales person/bank teller/customer service dept/cafe manager/customer service call center/jewelry sales person/ etc. At least once in my working day I have an encounter with a customer that I wish I had the liberty to teach them that is not the way to get good service.

Today I'm blogging to share some of these experiences. Customer service is about making the customer happy ~ if you think you actions would make me not want to do that you should pick a new plan of action. If one of the following customers are you please don't take it personally, others may benefit from your poor choice of actions.

1. Don't call someone while you're eating. Decide which is more important and do that first.
2. If you ask if there is another of something and I tell you no, I'm not lying so you'll buy something that you don't really like. I want you to be happy - returns don't make for a profitable company. Also asking another sales person doesn't make it magically appear in the store.
3. If you're unhappy about something (product, service, charge) I totally get that, I get upset too. However yelling at, degrading me or my employee/co-worker, exaggerating, not letting me talk, etc, does NOT make me want to help you.
4. Don't call while you're in the bathroom. See #1. That's just wrong on so many levels and could possibly warrant its very own blog ~ bathroom etiquite.
5. If you bring back a cold food product that clearly shows that it expired 2 months ago and then tell me you want a refund because it tastes bad ~ even if my manager overrides my decision that doesn't make me think you're any less of a moron and a thief of my company's profits.
6. If the restaurant door says the restaurant is open 10a - 9p that doesn't mean that because the door is open you should come inside and stand at the register until someone helps you. The employees have to get in somehow.
7. If there has been bad weather (snow/storm/etc), I don't believe you when you say "I can't believe you had to work today" because you obviously came to my work/called in thinking that I should be there.
8. If I answer the phone stating the name of the business and my name don't then ask "Is this insert company name I just said here?"
9. Don't be angry at me for enforcing the policies that the company I work for. I too have bills and a family so I won't risk losing my job because you don't agree with a price/charge/rule.
10. If you're calling to obtain some information (phone number, amount, date) have something to write with and on.
11. Please pleae please don't tell me all your ailments/personal issues/situations. I can't help that you're on you period/kids take your mail/spouse cheated and left. Tell me what you need me to help with and then call your dr./friend or counselor and let them know the other issues.
12. Knowing that you're related to or know someone I work with doesn't change how I treat you. My job is to give you my best everytime ~ don't assume I give crappy service as the norm.
13. Humans make mistakes ~ deal with it.
14. I am not your personal accountant/account manager. If you don't understand your account balance don't bring me your statement saying "Tell me what's wrong." You have have the responsibility to keep track of that. You are not the sole customer of the company I work for so I can't pay special attention to your account ~ so no I don't call you after every transaction or lack-thereof.
15. Don't take liberties with my name ~ I don't take liberties with yours.
16. If you call and say you only speak Spanish and then I tell you in Spanish that my Spanish is iffy at best and ask if you speak English it frustrates me when one of the following happens: you say yes and begin to talk in English, or you start to talk very rapidly in Spanish. You lied in the first instance and the second I already told you my Spanish isn't great please don't talk like it is.
17. I'm not your hon, sweetie, darlin, babe, or any other "cute" pet name you'd like to call me. Ma'am or my name (see #15) will do just fine.
18. Just because I work in customer service I am not a 411 service. If you want the number to pizza place you may have to gasp try a phone directory.
19. I'm not appologizing for your trash not being picked up on Thanksgiving.
20. Waitress should not include picking up 90% of your child's meal from the floor, cleaning up your child's throw up, or ordering for your child. Welcome to parenthood.
21. Don't be rude if I market my company to you. If you do not want solicitors - post it or place your number on the do not call list, otherwise my job is to sell my company to you.

I could go on and on but decided to stop at this point. The old saying "You catch more flies with honey" is totally true. When you are honest and upfront you can bet I'll work even harder to make you happier. So please when you are the customer be like the honey not the vinegar.

Traveling and other life lessons

This summer I did a lot of road tripping. With my family, with crazy teenagers that I love, and with just my girls. I've learned alot this summer, some things about me and some just life lessons in general.

I reinforced the lesson that I don't like the heat and I'm pasty white.

I learned that my kids travel really well. We took a 10 hour road trip to visit close friends and they did absolutely awesome. I was dreading being closed in a moving metal box with my two crazies, all for naught. No crazy tantrums, only had to take bathroom brakes when we needed gas, and the were very happy with the snacks I packed. Side note ~did you know that most rest stops have free wi-fi? Thank you DOT's across the US for that nice surprise. On the way home it was only because Bennett and I were so tired that we put a movie on for them, but really, they would have been fine with out it! They also did great on the 5 hour trip with me to celebrate the coming of Abigale Jane ~ even when I distractedly missed my exit on the way home.

I learned that Nutella is amazing.

I learned that the friends I have are amazing and they contribute to who I am. From watching my girls last minute, leaving food in my freezer, bringing me coffee unexpectedly, to doing B90X with me, loving my family as your own ~ even claiming one of them as your own, and so much more. If you're reading this you know who you are and I thank you, with all that I am, for being what I need and then some.

I learned that running is not my thing. Kudos to those who do, but no thanks! One day I'll be motivated to try something else.

I learned that teenage struggles and burdens make me look at my toddlers "disasters" as easily manageable. I remember coming home from one trip and one of my daughters lamenting "She had all the blanket" she being her sister, I thought "This I can fix!". I went and retrieved a blanket and all was well. I can kiss away a boo-boo, sing away frustration, tell a story for boredom, or just sit and hold them to let them know they are loved. I simply cannot do this for the youth I spend time with. No matter how much I love on them, encourage them, check on them, I cannot fix it. I can't make their parents tell them they love them. I can't convince them that right now their time is better spent on friends than the opposite sex. I won't convince them that I understand their temptations. I won't give up though, kids whether they are 2 or 22, are to important to give up on.

I learned that my love language to others is food. How I didn't realize this before I don't know. So if I feed you, know you are loved!

I learned that I'm not realistic when it comes to time and my consumption of it. Either I plan too for much or not and mess up something in the end ~ like arriving for a birthday dinner 45min early! How I consume time is a lesson in progress. My husband has pointed out how much of my time I give away, time I should be spending with my family as there isn't a whole lot to begin with after work and sleeping. So I'm working on family first. I want my children to value time with us more than time "doing" activities.

I learned that my girls will do almost anything to convince me they have a "boo-boo" that requires a band aid.

I learned that my family is to me like spinach is to Popeye! They watched my girls for a whole week, even sharing their germs ~ sorry Chad ~, without hesitation and we didn't have to do a thing! They picked them up and brought them home. We were in shock, partly from the lack of the sounds of two scheming girls, but also at the kindness shown to us with no expectations in return. You don't get that in life very often.

10 years

Today my husband and I celebrate 10 years of marriage. 10 years of saying "I love you" to one another ~ sometimes meaning just that and sometimes really meaning "I chose to gut this out". In that time we've moved 4 times, owned 5 cars, over a dozen cell phones, 5 computers, 3 vacuums, and 4 televisions, been on 5 cruises, had two children, been separated by an ocean, owned two cats and multiple fish, traveled to over a dozen states, been issued three moving violations, held 10 jobs, attended college, welcomed 8 nieces and nephews into this world, lost car keys, remotes, jobs, and each other for awhile, joined a church, joined a gym, been infested by mice, and eaten roughly 11,000 meals.

We've learned alot during that time and have come along way from our little house in Joplin. Here are just a few:

• Problems aren't avoided or yelled away.
• The weird neighbor, if nothing else, is persistent.
• Giving is WAY better than receiving, but receiving is pretty awesome too.
• Cats can hide pretty much anywhere and can escape through a 2x3 hole.
• A detour from your regular route is not always the best path nor is it necessarily any shorter...at all.
• We share our anniversary with a great couple.
• I love being social, he likes being at home.
• We get along well on long car rides.
• Authorities will not let a person under the age of 21 travel outside the country unless they have a marriage license or a legal guardian with them.
• Communicating with each other even if to just say I love you is immensely wonderful.
• We just can't cook a good steak.
• Cooking and reading are mutual favorite hobbies.
• Birthdays aren't high on our celebrate list ~ just never have.
• A date over donuts and chocolate milk is awesome.

I'm sure that there are dozens of lessons that I didn't include and countless more to come. But I'm just thankful that we are where we are. When we moved to KS we were at a bad point in our marriage. Not communicating, not attending church, no mutual friends, contemplating divorce. But then we left everything and everyone we knew and moved into a tiny apartment together. We learned that we had to rely on each other and we had to work through our issues.

We don't have big plans, infact I believe we are going to watch a kids movie with no kids, yay! We are ok with that. Our budget isn't a big celebration kind of budget and we're aren't yet good savers (we're working towards that). We are happy and all the struggles have been worth it. They've made us who we are today. So whether you've been married one month or 50 years keep at it, push through the awful times and savour the amazing times.