Be Helpful and Focus on Others
For three and a half hours this morning my Doctor’s office phone was busy. My first concern was, why are they using such an old technology that a busy signal is even an option but once I finally got through I realized that there is a much larger problem, a culture problem.
When the bubbly young voice answered the phone I asked if she knew the phone line had been busy for 3.5 hours. She replied (and I’m not kidding) “Yup! It’s Monday!” to which I said, “That IS highly unusual, did it sneak right up on you this time?” She laughed it off and we took care of what I needed. She never realized how ridiculous a regular occurring phone outage is or offered any kind of apology.
The culture problems here; arrogance, monopolistic, no client focus
Do you take pride and ownership in the service you deliver to others? I understand that today’s workplaces can become bureaucratic with lines of demarcation drawn finely around every job description but there is no excuse to simply be a cog in a wheel and allow bad things to happen while you “just do your job.”
We all have the ability to speak up. If you are afraid of being fired for standing up for what is right then find the strength to do it with pride and let the world see your courage and character. Besides, if you are not empowered to speak up and the organization does not have common sense is it really a place you want to work anyway?
Well lead organizations with common sense have a quality not quantity approach to customer service. When I ask for something at Home Depot I am walked completely to the exact location. When I go to the UPS Store and I need a piece of tape they take my package and do it for me with a smile. When I need a new filter for my vacuum the local dealer will talk with me for 10 minutes about how to service the machine.
Practice this: For the next 24 hours try to be overly helpful to everyone you come in contact with. Offer your spouse a blanket while he/she watches TV, open doors for people at every chance, look people in the eye and ask how they are, etc..
This is how we should live. A life of quality is better than a life of quantity.
December 4th, 2009 at 11:40 am
In an ideal world this is how we should be to each other…However, this world isnt even remotley close to being ideal. Nobody cares about their fellow man and as long as Earth allows humans to live here it will never change. Before writing these super gay public service announcements please remember that we hung out on the same streets and I have seen the extent of your mercy and compassion for your fellow man. Instead of the verbal feces written above try this instead… If your spouse is watching TV TAKE her blanket and tell her the dishes arent going to clean themselves, slam all doors in peoples faces after you walk through them, look people in the eye and give them the bird. This is how life is. It is our human right and nature to treat our fello man like dirt.