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Post by 3piggles on Dec 17, 2021 19:41:10 GMT
I wonder if bad customer service is a chicken/egg situation. Do companies hire nasty people into customer service jobs, or do nasty customers drive decent people to become nasty. I had a file of letters from readers of my newspaper articles, who told me I did a great job, thanked me for such great coverage of an issue, etc. A new reporter at the paper asked me why I saved them. I told him most people only call with a complaint or criticism, and after enough of those, it's nice to have the letters to read and remind myself not everyone thinks I'm a complete failure. A year later he told me he had saved the nice letter he got and had occasion to reread it several times. Perhaps those parking people had already had enough of the complaints from people who wanted to park near the door, or just park in the first space the found, or were just in pissy moods, that those men just joined the nasty customers, right back at you sort of thing. Daughter asked if we wanted to take granddaughter for Christmas Eve. I told her granddaughter's attitude was so bad, just being with her for a few minutes was exhausting. We used to look forward to having her come up, and even to having her stay over. Now we just stay out of her way  I hope she's just going through a phase, but some people are like that all the time. It's their norm. They do nothing to make a decent connection with anyone around them, and it has a negative effect on even the most positive person. Then there are the endless menus that get us nowhere, because either the selection we need isn't there, or it takes us to a hours-long holding pattern, while, as you said, we're constantly reminded to have our information ready, we're constantly bombarded with ads for that company's products or services, or we're just left listening to endless muzak we never liked in the first place. It does not breed nice or happy people, and by the time we get to a human, if we ever do, we're anything but nice. I understand that granddaughter is an adolescent, with all the negatives that can go with that, but if she can have a positive attitude about anything, she can work harder at being polite, if not decent, for everyone's sake. My mother would have taken us aside and told us exactly what was going to happen when we got home, if we didn't start being polite to those around us. That doesn't seem to happen anymore, either. There's always some way to get through to an adolescent, but it seems as if parents just don't bother. |
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Post by bazookagoof on Dec 18, 2021 1:30:23 GMT
I wonder if bad customer service is a chicken/egg situation. Do companies hire nasty people into customer service jobs, or do nasty customers drive decent people to become nasty. I had a file of letters from readers of my newspaper articles, who told me I did a great job, thanked me for such great coverage of an issue, etc. A new reporter at the paper asked me why I saved them. I told him most people only call with a complaint or criticism, and after enough of those, it's nice to have the letters to read and remind myself not everyone thinks I'm a complete failure. A year later he told me he had saved the nice letter he got and had occasion to reread it several times. Perhaps those parking people had already had enough of the complaints from people who wanted to park near the door, or just park in the first space the found, or were just in pissy moods, that those men just joined the nasty customers, right back at you sort of thing. Daughter asked if we wanted to take granddaughter for Christmas Eve. I told her granddaughter's attitude was so bad, just being with her for a few minutes was exhausting. We used to look forward to having her come up, and even to having her stay over. Now we just stay out of her way I hope she's just going through a phase, but some people are like that all the time. It's their norm. They do nothing to make a decent connection with anyone around them, and it has a negative effect on even the most positive person. I try to encourage good customer service whenever I find it. I think I mentioned this before, but in 2011 and 2014 I went to Disney World and whenever I encountered an employee (usually called a Cast Member) I would write down their name, the area they worked in and the issue they were able to assist us with. When I returned from the trips, I would get an online survey from Disney asking how my vacation there went. I was more than happy to tell them how valuable their people are. I actually really enjoyed this aspect; sometimes employees really go unappreciated and Disney's customer service level is off the charts. Still another time I was hit by a car (my car got hit, not me personally) and I had to deal with Progressive Insurance. I was pleased with how painless the whole thing was. I was expecting a major hassle, but even though it was the other guy's insurance, Progressive really took care of me. After eveything settled down, I called the agent back and asked if there was a survey I could take, or a manager I could sing praises to about the agent. (She was surprised, because as you mentioned, people usually just call to complain.) I replied that companies need to treat good employees like gold; this is my way of trying to make that happen. About poor attitudes, my (apparently former) friend Fred's niece is your typical bored teenager who acts like EVERYTHING is a huge inconvenience to her. I dismiss her as a walking cliche. |
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Post by Bean on Dec 18, 2021 9:04:40 GMT
I think it's great to be able to be around grumpy adolescents and not let them spoil your good mood. Just show them what being happy/ good manners are and hope they get back with the program. I know quite a few people who say their teens went through really difficult phases but emerged as lovely young adults. But I get that it can be disconcerting that they're so comfortable with showing everyone how monked off they are!
I do try to make sure I pass on my appreciation for good customer service, rather than just assuming that's how it should be. But that Disney stuff is next level! Fantastic though, that those people hopefully heard how appreciated they were.
Have you still got the letters 3piggles? They sound so lovely. Maybe you'll find them when you have that sort out?!
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 18, 2021 19:25:28 GMT
I probably do, only because they were in my office at the Nashua condo, and hubby dumped everything in my office into unmarked boxes. I had it all planned so I would leave Nashua condo stuff for the new owners. Nope, all went into the danged boxes. Of all the packing we had to do, he packs MY office, grrrr! It's one of those things that will probably be found when we finally go through all the unopened boxes.
Good customer service is definitely worth applauding, because most people in customer service don't earn lots of money, and they take lots of grief. Even a smile can make their day better.
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Post by bazookagoof on Dec 18, 2021 20:14:38 GMT
I do try to make sure I pass on my appreciation for good customer service, rather than just assuming that's how it should be. But that Disney stuff is next level! Fantastic though, that those people hopefully heard how appreciated they were. Oh, you have no idea how awesome they are! in one instance, we were hunting for a clean table outside to eat at. We were in an area called Frontierland, and the picnic area was packed with people, and the lone available table was covered with clutter and refuse. We made our way over to it, intending to just deal with the mess on our own, when this elderly gentleman appeared practically out of nowhere and wiped the place clean just as we got there. I was amazed, but not surprised given my experiences there. I thanked him personally and got his name for later reference.  I do wish I could be a fly on the wall when the HR department reads my messages. |
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 20, 2021 17:19:21 GMT
I'm sure the HR department feels as if they've made some great hiring choices, and the feedback gives them the chance to look good for higher-ups, which never hurts |
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Post by Bean on Dec 22, 2021 8:19:56 GMT
I love this photo (not mine!).  |
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Post by bazookagoof on Dec 24, 2021 2:34:17 GMT
I had to give my daughter a hug today, as she was shopping at one of the more high-end malls, and a shooting occurred! She was nowhere near the incident, but one of her friends' mother was in the area to get the group of girls out of the way. Vicki explained that since everyone was panicking, the parking lot was swamped with everyone trying to get out at once. It took them an hour to get out of there, but she is fine. If she had lingered in the area, she might have witnessed whatever happened, or worse- have caught a bullet, so I'm especially grateful tonight.
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Post by Bean on Dec 24, 2021 8:58:45 GMT
Blimey, it's frightening to think your daughter was so close to the shooting. I'm glad she and her friends were safe and didn't see anything worse than a rush for the car park. Definitely something to be grateful for.
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 25, 2021 15:40:35 GMT
Wow That's good and awful all at the same time! I'm glad the mother got all the girls out of their safely, but it's awful to have a shooting in a mall, where people with nothing to do with the issues at hand get caught in the crossfire. Huge sigh of relief for that mom and those girls. I think that hug is worth getting the trumpvirus over! Hugs to all of you! |
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Post by amber89 on Dec 30, 2021 15:21:54 GMT
Oh God, Baz! That is terrible! I am glad to hear that your daughter and everyone she was with got out safely. That is just horrible...shootings at a mall...
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Post by amber89 on Dec 30, 2021 15:42:10 GMT
After posting the news about Pufu crossing the rainbow bridge, i realised it's been months and months since i was last around... since March to be more precise. It's been some terrible stressful and busy months, with a lot happening. The very good news are that I finally graduated. I had my thesis defense on the 2nd of September and my official graduation ceremony has been around middle of November.  The months before handing in my thesis were so stressful, I lost all track of time, with the days just blending into each other. Due to the COVID-pandemic there were delays in any consumables that were needed in the lab (no centrifuge tubes, petri dishes, cell viability assays...etc) since priority was on the hospitals. This of course translated into delays with my experiments, in the end having to cut some tests and cell studies. Writing the thesis was another nightmare. I had only 3 weeks (and a wedding in the middle of these 3 weeks) to write everything. The schedule was grueling, with only 3h max of sleep, wine to help with the inspiration when rephrasing the whole theory part so that no plagiarism accusations can be thrown and barely any food. During that time some strands of hair turned a brighter colour. But, i finished everything on time and i got top marks on the thesis. After a short vacation with my husband and 3 days to visit my family (and get a tattoo) i returned to the lab, on a volunteering basis. My supervisor is convinced that the work i did has potential to be published in a good journal. So, the last months i have been working in expanding the thesis with some more experiments (all the ones that i had to cut for the thesis). After January i will return to the lab to finish the experiments and start writing on the paper. On the other hand, I have no other prospects right now. I am hoping to get a PhD position at the university, with the same supervisor...but nothing is sure. I would prefer to stay for the time being in Copenhagen. I like the city (especially the summers) and i kind-of made a life there. Hubby also really wants to come over in the north and stay here for a few years. I am looking for other PhD opportunities, most of them in the Netherlands or in Germany or any Graduate Programs here in Denmark. This uncertainty is keeping me up at night quite often. |
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 30, 2021 21:01:12 GMT
Huge congratulations on graduating, completing your thesis, possibly getting published, and your tattoo I hope you enjoyed your time off for the wedding, family visit and seeing hubby. You have been incredibly busy. I've often wondered how you were doing, and I am glad you know you have completed the main push for the last year, and you have that behind you. I would think getting published would make you a better candidate for jobs. I remember the stress of job hunting, waiting for decent prospects, getting through interviews, then waiting again to hear the results. That's a phase of my life I don't miss. I think you will do fine, and it will be especially good if your hubby can join you in Copenhagen. Are there jobs for him there, or are his credentials more suited to where he works now? I have faith in you. I hope you don't lose too much sleep over the job situation. It must have been great to visit your family, get caught up, and just have time to unwind with them It can be hard to find time, especially with a lot of distance between you, to have a good visit. I'm glad you are doing well, and have all digits crossed for you to get a great job! |
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Post by bazookagoof on Dec 31, 2021 1:03:52 GMT
Oh God, Baz! That is terrible! I am glad to hear that your daughter and everyone she was with got out safely. That is just horrible...shootings at a mall... What was bizarre was that the shooting was at a high-end mall in the suburbs, not some crummy area of the inner city. My daughter is fine, and when I first heard from her and heard she was okay, I didn't worry (too much)- my daughter tends to handle a crisis better than some others, including myself when I was her age. |
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Post by Bean on Dec 31, 2021 8:45:40 GMT
Congratulations on graduating, I hope the pace of life can go down a few notches so you can eat and sleep a bit more! Good luck with your paper and the lab work - I hope it all helps towards finding a great PhD opportunity. It's fantastic you love Copenhagen so much and that your husband wants to join you too. You've coped really well with all these separations.
Great to hear how you're doing, I'm not surprised you haven't had much time to update us in the meantime with all that going on! I'm always tired just reading about everything you've been up to!
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Post by 3piggles on Dec 31, 2021 19:43:39 GMT
These shootings can and do happen anywhere. There was a shooting at a high-end mall in California. I boy who thought a girl should have been as interested in him as he was in her, followed her to the mall and killed her and some others. US society is crumbling from the inside.
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I hope she's just going through a phase, but some people are like that all the time. It's their norm. They do nothing to make a decent connection with anyone around them, and it has a negative effect on even the most positive person. 
I do wish I could be a fly on the wall when the HR department reads my messages. 
The months before handing in my thesis were so stressful, I lost all track of time, with the days just blending into each other. Due to the COVID-pandemic there were delays in any consumables that were needed in the lab (no centrifuge tubes, petri dishes, cell viability assays...etc) since priority was on the hospitals. This of course translated into delays with my experiments, in the end having to cut some tests and cell studies. Writing the thesis was another nightmare. I had only 3 weeks (and a wedding in the middle of these 3 weeks) to write everything. The schedule was grueling, with only 3h max of sleep, wine to help with the inspiration when rephrasing the whole theory part so that no plagiarism accusations can be thrown and barely any food. During that time some strands of hair turned a brighter colour. But, i finished everything on time and i got top marks on the thesis.