Be Nice!

Being in the customer service industry for the last 25 or so years, I have had some unusual experiences with people.  Keep in mind that I do not come by social interactions naturally.  I have always been an introvert by nature and only got into this work as a matter of necessity.  I did my best but struggled with handling difficult people until much later on after getting some proper training.  I can remember the feelings I had after a particularly unpleasant interaction with a customer.  I would often replay it over and over in my mind, either trying to convince myself that the customer was just an asshole, or honestly trying to figure out where I went wrong.  After much trial and error, I realized that all I had to do was my honest best in the moment, and everything else after that was beyond my control.  This allowed me the incredible freedom of forgiving myself for any situation that didn’t turn out well.  Here is a story that is crystallized in my memory about just how far I have come from those early days.

One time, a week or two after Christmas, a woman came into the store who had received a karaoke machine from her fiancé for Christmas.  It was not working properly for her and she wanted a replacement.  Now being a dealer for a large chain store, I had certain protocols I had to follow, first of which was to confirm that there was indeed something wrong with the unit.  Luckily, the problem was apparent immediately, so I was able to move on to the next step.  Even though the machine had just been purchased, protocol suggested it needed to be sent out for repair which would take a week or two.  I started to explain this to her and I could quickly tell by her reaction that she was having none of that nonsense.  I empathized with her but explained that this was company protocol, not mine.  At the same time, I did some checking around and not only did I not have any inventory in my store, but there were also no new ones available from head office.  Again, I explained this to her, saying that even if I wanted to honour her wishes, I was unable to because I had nothing to trade with her.  Unfortunately, this didn’t sit well with her at all, and by now she was fuming.  I maintained my demeanor and calmly explained her options in the coolest manner I could muster, all the while she is still escalating her name calling, anger and rage. 

After a few minutes, I got her to realize that the only way I could help was to send the unit out for service.  She reluctantly agreed between cursing both me and the company.  This may just be my memory embellishing the situation, but I think she was even shaking her fist as she left the store.

Luckily for me, the system was only away at the repair centre for a few days, and as soon as I unpacked it, I thought, great, I can call her and get rid of this and never have to see her again.  It just so happened that in those few days, a special order that she had previously placed for some karaoke discs also arrived.  I called her immediately and told her to come in and pick up her stuff.

When she arrived a couple hours later, she was over her frustration and acted far more civil.  I apologized to her for the inconvenience and as a goodwill gesture, I offered the special order discs for free, hoping this would help spare our reputation around town.  Well what happened next is still unbelievable to me, even to this day.

She was standing on the opposite side of the sales counter from me and she suddenly disappeared from my view.  (this in itself is not unusual for me because of my poor vision).  It took me a few seconds to realize, but she had walked around the end of the counter and was standing right beside me.  She had her arms outstretched toward me and in her unmistakable Newfie accent said, “I need a hug luv”.  I gladly gave her a big hug and she thanked me profusely for my wonderful generosity.  She left feeling very happy and I felt comfortable knowing I did all I could.

I have since crossed paths with her many times as I still work retail and we both live in this small town.  To this day, any time she sees me, she is so incredibly friendly and polite and even complimentary.  We call each other by our first names and I can’t even believe she is the same person I met that first day. 

This one interaction taught me so much that I now regularly handle the most difficult of people with relative ease.  Not only am I far more confident approaching the situation in the first place, I also leave the situation knowing that I helped, even if it was just giving someone an ear to vent their frustrations. I never have to re-hash it in my mind or bring it home with me.

"Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend"
Martin Luther King Jr.

Love Holij