March 6, 2009
I swore to myself that I would never be impatient nor irate to a customer. But again, I realized that once you’re faced with a really computer challenged customer, who would take more than an hour just to navigate to a particular webpage, you really can’t help but be irate. Of course it is a demerit to swear or show signs of impatience to a customer while talking to him on the phone. It is also a demerit to swear or show signs of impatience to a customer with the mute button on – especially if the QA (quality analysts) catches you live in action.
So how do you vent frustration? Simply, I clenched my fists at the monitor..hehe. And my notepad, which contains my documentation of the call, also contained my emotions during the call. Of course the latter was deleted before I submitted my documentation.
But whatever happened to patience? Isn’t that a component of the fruit of the Spirit? Along with love and joy? And yet where are all of these during my calls? Where is my love for the customer? My joy for the job? Idealistic, you’d say. But I also swore to myself that I’d enjoy this job. That I’d love it. Transitory as it may be. Unexpected as it may be. And as seemingly as of course as it may be. I had sworn that I would love this job, and do my very best – be excellent – in the task that I have been given.
And after just the second day in the job, what happened to that?
Of course, along with my rant written on my documentation were also declarations that I love this customer, that I am patient. I guess they do help me calm down for I think that whenever I talk to her, I sounded only neutral. Not jolly. But not angry either. Just plain neutral.
And what I cannot vent on my customer, I had unfortunately vented on my immediate supervisor – someone who was clearly trying to help me. Yes, I understood her concern and her efforts but I think she misunderstood my situation. I mean she showed me something I knew. How I wish she had shown me something I didn’t knew. Probably a way to help the customer better. And because of that I sort of talked to her with an edge to my voice which prompted her to scold me as well. So much for good impressions.
But, by God’s grace, the rest of the shift went well. Somewhere in the middle of my shift, the calls got more bearable and I got better AHT’s and I got more patience and a tiny bit of joy.
I just hope that by the time I do am qualified for a promotion, I wouldn’t have looked at this job as a nightmare. A waking nightmare that is. Pun intended. ☺
