We are all pressed for time..always. Our requests and needs are generally urgent. Large corporations’ customer service departments don’t help us. They are all broken thanks to flawed policy and bad procedure manuals.
We have every right to be angry – why the hell can’t these big behemoths get it right? (“big behemoths” – the answer lies in the question of course)
It’s easy to forget that the customer service rep at the receiving end of this anger and frustration is just another human being, like you and me. He has his own problems, worries, and concerns. She comes to work seeking fulfilment and happiness and it must be hard to be at the receiving end of one outburst after another for no fault of hers. Sure, many of them don’t help themselves with poor knowledge of their own products or an unhelpful attitude.
But, this post isn’t about them. It’s about us. It’s easy to unload all the frustration on the person at the other end. The other day, I found myself annoyed at service I received from a rep at American Express. It was tempting to just put the phone down mid sentence. It was only then I realized that it wasn’t his fault – he was just trying to do his job and follow the rules. It’s not personal. I was allowing myself to throw a hissy fit.. just because I could.
It’s one thing to be human. It’s quite another to be consistently humane.
A Learning a Day 