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Tears

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Hello again! For those that haven’t read my previous tales, I’m temporarily workin a call center position as the bank I work for recently acquired another bank resulting in a bunch of us being pulled from the branches to assist with call center volume.

I won’t lie. It’s been a rough week. The novelty has worn off a little and the constant complaints and rude behaviors have been starting to get to me. I hate that people interrupt and talk over me. I hate that people think I have magical powers to fix their stupidity. I hate that people don’t listen. I hate that people kill the messenger.

I’m was particularly aggravated today after a customer kept not only interrupting me and trying to talk over me, but also kept arguing with me despite the fact that I was trying to him and get him escalated. I even lost my cool for a moment and told him to be quiet, stop interrupting me, and to listen to me as I spoke as I was trying to assist him but couldn’t do so if he continued to talk over and interrupt me.

I did finally manage to escalate the call but not without the caller accusing me of being argumentative. All because I can’t wave a magic wand and make what they want happen.

I get my break, get some good in me, take my dog out, and I’ll settle back in.

A little bit goes by and I get a call from a woman who just needs to verify some transactions.

It’s pretty easy stuff and we chit chat a bit as I get her identity verified and get into her accounts.

I answer her question and, honestly, I don’t remember what I said, but I end up making her laugh as we talk a bit.

Not to toot my horn, but making customers laugh is a skill I have and something I receive positive feedback on all the time.

This customer, who I’ll call Debbie, laughs and then says, after a pause:

“Thank you, I needed a good laugh tonight. You made me laugh and smile after I’ve just received some terrible news, so thank you. I appreciate you and your hard work, and I appreciate you going the extra to talk to me and make me laugh.”

I can hear tears in her voice as she talks and I thank her for her kind words. She proceeds to tell me a dear family has cancer and the cancer has spread and the prognosis isn’t exactly good. She reiterated how thankful and needed a good laugh was.

At this point, I’m tearing up too.

I tell her that I don’t know what she believes in, but, I will put my good thoughts and vibes into the universe for her and her family and wish them the best in everything.

We both sniffle and end up wishing each other heartfelt farewells and wishes of good things and happy holidays.

Tonight, keep thinking back to the Debbie, who cried on the phone with a stranger simply because I gave her the laugh and the smile she needed.

Customer service is hard. It’s really, REALLY hard. But there are moments like this when you know that this brief interaction has affected somebody. Yes, you get yelled at. Yes, some people treat you like less than dirt. It can discourage you and make you wonder why you even bother.

Then someone comes along and they express gratitude in the most sincerest of ways, and all you did was offer a little humor.

You hear the tears in their voice and you choke up too.

Maybe there’s a higher power out there. Maybe there isn’t. But sometimes things align and you interact with a person who needs you and you realize you need them just as much.

That person needed a little laugh and a little humor to lighten their burden. You needed someone to tell you that everything you go through is worth it for a moment like this.

You’re given the chance to connect with someone, someone you may never meet, and yet somehow you’ve impacted each other’s lives for the briefest of moments, but that brief moment is immeasurable.

Sometimes, people are awful. And sometimes people remind you of how beautiful it can be to simply be kind and caring and pass on a smile.

I’ll be thinking of Debbie for a while and hoping for the best outcome for her and her loved one. ❤️

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