I was driving around yesterday, making calls, setting appointments and dodging idiot drivers. WooHoo, a typical day overall.
Except I was happy. Oh, I had a pretty bad day. I have a consumer that is beyond angry. Way beyond. I was at her home first thing in the morning and, well let's just say it wasn't the most pleasant experience I've encountered. End result - she's not mad at me, realizes it's not my fault and that my hands are tied. BUT (and it's a mighty big one at that) she is still angry. Gonna call our CEO. Sum Bitch. Not exactly the way I want to garner attention.
I've called anyone and everyone that will be touched by this situation. General reaction? Sum Bitch. That's not good, not good at all.
I know I've done all I can do, and then some. If I were the consumer I'd have flipped my lid a long, long time ago. But out of respect for me, they hung in there and worked with us. For that I am very grateful. Now it's time to come down like a ton of bricks and that's exactly what they are going to do. Unfortunetly, those bricks have to land some place. So I dug out my hard hat and umbrella and have prepared the best that I can. ;-)
Amazingly enough, that didn't really ruin my day. My next few calls pumped me right back up. I met another of my new stores and they are so excited. That excitement is contagious. Another store was a bit disappointed in me, but a few minutes sitting on a couch talking with them and I think we're going to be alright.
(Well, that and I promised them food this weekend.)
Isn't it funny how different things effect us in different ways at different times? Normally a consumer that is that angry would just tear me down for a couple of days. I'm a fixer. I make people happy. It's what I do. When I can't pull that off it really eats at me. But not this time. The happiness and excitment of the other people I'm dealing with just out shines that grey cloud.
Hmmmm......something to keep in mind. Just sharing a smile or saying a kind word may just be that piece of straw that changes the balance of someone's day. I think maybe I'll see how many days I can brighten today!!!
Posted by Tammi at December 8, 2004 09:25 AM"Just sharing a smile or saying a kind word may just be that piece of straw that changes the balance of someone's day."
Which is one of the reasons I stop here every day - to pick up my straw :-)
Posted by: Harvey at December 8, 2004 10:55 AMSmile. You make me smile. Thanks!
Posted by: vw bug at December 8, 2004 11:01 AMWhen I was stuck on recruiting duty I used to visit the girls who worked at the local hospital records section on a weekly basis bringing a box of donuts or some cut flowers and spending a few minutes shooting the sh*t with them, always asking if they knew anyone who wanted to join the Army.
Why? Because in the months ahead I often had need to obtain copies of med records for kids trying to join the Army. Nothing illegal, but time was often of the essence and when I would later call on a Friday afternoon asking for a copy of some kid's x-rays, yes I had the signed release forms, the ladies would gladly stay a little late to dig them up for me.
Sorry Tammi, my comment damn near turned into a blog. Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Sgt Hook at December 9, 2004 12:11 AMThanks for passing along your smile. :)
Posted by: pam at December 9, 2004 08:13 AMYou strike me as someone that makes people smile quite often! That's why you're one of my favorite 'blog friends'...:)
Posted by: ALa71 at December 9, 2004 11:01 AM