Customer Service

I know I've been very absent from the blogging world, but believe me, it's not by my choice. It's an absolute crunch time for me in the office. I'm scheduling multiple events for a presentation that every employee in our region must attend. If you've never tried to convince every employee that they need to attend an mandatory event without calling it mandatory, then you haven't been through business hell.

So I'm saying that it's "requisite" instead. So much more tantalizing, don't you think?

I attended the first session yesterday and wowie! Actually it was quite a brilliant presentation that I think anyone is breathing should take. It's so good it should be taught in school! It's about taking our customer service to an entirely different arena and making it a culture instead of a program. And who is the client? Everyone! From the CEO to the janitor, everyone deserves to be treated fairly, well and with a good amount of decency. I'm all on board, so I know all the hassle on my part will be well worth it once everyone understands the new direction of the company.

Anyway, since I'm the meeting coordinator I was out the door running from zero dark thirty to the end of a very long day. (Of course, I may have been a bit tired from the gathering for dinner and the dancing that occured afterwards. Good night that was fun. I may become a manager just to be able to eat so well and then to work it off afterwards! And since I paid the bill, all I can say is that I could have paid one of my mortgage bills with the amount that was spent! Good grief!)

Anyway, I talked to Mr. Right on the way home and admitted that it was his turn to cook because I was spent. So being the good man that he is, he ordered up a mean pizza and we watched The Incredibles while we chowed. Perfect.

At the end of the night, Mr. Right suggested a walk and although I was tired, I accepted. On our way through the neighborhood, our neighbors beckoned us over to talk. They told us about going out of town to their first bar mitzvah, how reading of the Torah was amazing, how the way they touched their prayer book to the Torah and then kissing it was bringing tears to everyone's eyes, about how the entire event was memorable and reverent. Then the husband started talking about how they're introducing their kids to many religions, how he only goes to two religious services a year: one to take his mother to Yom Kappur and the other to celbrate Easter, then he goes on to say that he doesn't believe in worshipping any man because he knows God would frown upon it, but that he does believe that there is a God.

Can I just fully admit to you that at that moment I just nodded my head and looked for the first moment to leave? I just wanted to take my walk and then relax. Was that too much to ask for?

As I was walking down the sidewalk, I said to Mr. Right, "I have a feeling that I was supposed to do something for God back there, but for the life of me, I didn't know what to say. I just wanted to get away fast. I think I should be saying a big sorry for failing God on that one."

He told me that he was thinking the same thing the entire time... and the next time I'm trying to make an escape, I don't have to keep poking him over and over again in the side because he totally got it the first time.

It looks like I've got a bit more to learn about customer service than I thought because if I were God, I'd totally fire me for not knowing my product, ignoring the client and not giving my best when called to do so. At least I don't have to push 93 buttons and wind up talking to an incoherent phone attendant in India to submit my apology to God. God will never outsource...