That day, I was having my breakfast and at the same time having discussion with somebody about the little room in the new kitchen. I don’t know how the conversation became so heated up until it turned out to be an argument and later on we ended up both angry at each other. I said some things I shouldn’t have said, and went to my room fuming mad. If my blood pressure could have been taken that very moment, it would have registered a boiling 240/120 or even more. My voice was wavering. My hands were trembling. I just wanted to hit the wall and scream at the top of my voice. I was like a bubble wanting to burst.
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That’s right! For the record, today is my 50th day in the blogosphere. Some slight changes today: added the categories, added a tagline and changed the header image a bit. I really wanted to have a plain white background for this blog, but it would contrast much with the too dark sidebar which I can’t really change due to the template’s limitations. So, this blog would again be changing looks in the future.
I’m still thinking about what to write in the ‘About Me’ section, I don’t intend this to be an anonymous blog but it’s just that I can’t think of ways to describe myself. =)
Exchange of ideas, stories and anecdotes at home usually vary from the silliest showbiz gossips, to highly technical theories, spiritual beliefs, and political issues… whatever. You could hear Mom and my cutie sis talking so seriously in the kitchen, and guess what the topic was?!… our doggie! hehe…We are a family that talks to each other. During lunch or dinner, we usually turn off the TV (a real conversation killer). Anyway, last night, this was the flow of ideas:
Dad (asking Mom about her medicine): “What’s your medicine’s name?”
Mom: “Versant.”
Dad: “What is that medicine for?”
Mom: “Hypertension! Why?”
Dad (smiling): “Based on its name, it should be for conversation.”
Cutie sis (to me, as I was going down the stairs): “Did you hear what he just said to Mom? Versant is for conversation, hehe…”
Me (smiling): “Her doctor said she IS a talker. That’s her 'therapy'.”
Mom (smiling too): “But I’m not a nagger.”
End of story. =)
Have a great weekend!
Abstract: A report on poor customer service presenting three situations from three different establishments.
History: I am always a satisfied customer when I buy or receive service from my favorite stores and shops. But, I dunno what’s happening these days…it seems like they have conspired to give me some poor customer service lately.
Chapter 1. Candidate No. 1 - My favorite watch repair shop
1-1. Brought Mom’s watch for repair. Repairman’s solution: “Replace circuit block, it would take one week.”
1-2. After one week. Got the watch, paid Php400. Me: “Is this OK now?” Repairman confidently nodded. As I was checking it, I noticed something was wrong. Uh-oh… Me: “Excuse me, but the seconds-hand is not moving!!?” He checked it again, did a bit of tinkering, gave back the watch and said, “The battery was not changed. I replaced it already. It’s OK now.” When I went home, I happily gave the watch to its owner. “Thanks ‘ta!” She was very glad to have her watch back. A few minutes later… Mom: “The watch is DEAD?!! Please return this to the repairman ASAP.” Toinks.
1-3. Brought again the watch to the repairman, and as I was about to complain and show him the seconds-hand was sleeping… guess what??! IT moved, ha ha… Repairman said I had to leave the watch for a week so he can observe what the problem was.
1-4. Today. Got the watch, with my Mom tagging along, she was curious about this repair shop. My heart skipped a bit as I checked the seconds-hand… it’s alive. Good. Now the owner is happily wearing it. I hope it won’t give me problems again! I don’t want to go back to that watch repair shop for the nth time… pretty please!!!
Chapter 2. Candidate No. 2 - My favorite department store
2-1. Bought some supplies. Cashier was already punching away at the register when I realized that I wanted to separate our household items from our business supplies. Me: “Is it still possible to erase the punched items from the register?” Cashier: “Yes, I still can.” I heaved a sigh of relief. Me: “I want to pay separately for these.” I pointed out the household items. He gladly accommodated. So, I paid for the business supplies and the household items separately. When we went home, my cutie sis checked the receipt and announced, “That guy forgot to erase the household items from the register, so we paid for it twice!” Uh-oh.
2-2. Went back to the store a few days after. I looked for the guy and guess what… it was his day off. Grrr…of all the days in the week! So they can’t return the money yet coz he wasn’t around. I was advised to leave the receipt so they can talk to the guy when he reports for work. I also left my number so they can call me up about it. Anyway, that was last week, and until now, I haven’t received any call from them. I also haven’t returned to that store again to check on the double payment.
Chapter 3. Candidate No. 3 (and my favorite) - DTI
3-1. Went to the DTI office and applied for a business name. After being asked some basic questions, I was told to follow up after two to three weeks.
3-2. After two weeks. Called up DTI and this was the response I got: “Your application is still being processed.” OK, no probs. The next day, I browsed the DTI website and searched for our business name in the approved section… it’s already there! I was quite surprised they chose our second option, and not the first one. Anyway, it’s fine with me. There was just a big problem though…. a space in between the characters where it shouldn’t have been. Is it really important? Yes, it is that important! I didn’t waste time in calling up DTI…
3-3. Over the phone. Me: “I saw in the website our application is approved already, but something’s wrong. You placed a space in between N and C.” DTI staff: “Oh, because you wrote it with space in between.” Me: “No! If you looked carefully, there is an even bigger space between the other words. The name should be just one word, don’t separate it with a space.” DTI staff: “I would have to edit it, it would take another two to three weeks for the processing.” Grrrr… Wait again!? Duh…
3-4. Next day, DTI called me up! “I already corrected your business name. You can get your certificate now.” Hmmm, I thought she said it would take another two weeks? Good work DTI! It was a busy day though, and I forgot all about it. Later that evening, I checked the website… Oh no, not again! The name was already corrected to one word, with no space in between, but this time, the letter S is lacking at the end! Grrrr…another error.
3-5. The next day, I called up DTI and pointed out the mistake. The staff told me she would change it and explained that she was typing so many documents every day, that’s why.
3-6. Yesterday. She called me up telling me I can pick up the certificate, and the name was already corrected. The best thing was, she apologized and said the magic word ‘SORRY’. That’s what made her my winner among the other ‘candidates’ who didn't bother to say this simple word. I checked the website immediately, and there it was, our approved business name… finally, with no errors. Whew.
Conclusion: Thinking about the three situations made me also ponder about our current business project with my siblings. We are starting a new business ourselves and we would also be dealing with clients. Of course, we aim to give our very best in service and product quality, but mistakes cannot be avoided, right? Even my favorites made some mistakes - too much pressure at work could be the main reason. Well, in our case, if things would go wrong though, these four basic steps would be our guide:
1) Acknowledge the mistake,
2) Be very quick to say SORRY,
3) Make the necessary corrections, and
4) Do something extra nice to win back your clients’ trust.
I do.
It all started years ago when I decided to psych myself up to wake up early and do a bit of exercise before going to school. Of course, waking up early when I was a student was really the most difficult task for me to do, up to now. And plus that exercise thingy is just too much. But, since I gained a bit of maturity that time, I realized having a sane mind and a healthy body would improve my college life. So, I took out my journal and wrote something like this to myself:
“WAKE UP EARLY at 6:00 a.m.!!!
You have to DISCIPLINE yourself,
You have to EXERCISE for at least 15 minutes,
And DON’T BE LATE for school, blah blah blah…”
You could say that was the ‘BIG me’ admonishing the ‘small me’ to do something about my laziness. This amusing way of writing to myself helped me during those times. The ‘small me’ would even report some achievements to the ‘BIG me’ and it would get a hearty congratulations in my journal for a job well done.
Since then, my journal would not only contain my ideas and thoughts on how my day went, but on some pages are written the letters to myself which have mostly matured and taken on new priorities, deeper thought and more self awareness. Of course, I also wrote some in dialect like this one which I did to motivate myself for a very difficult project:
“Gamay lang gani nga pagsulay, mura na kag mamatay. AYAW! Kinahanglan lig-on gyud. Ayaw pagpadala sa mga problema.” (It’s just a small trial and you already feel like dying. Don’t! You have to be strong. Don’t be weighed down by your problems.)
The most intense letter I wrote to myself was when I was so down and depressed; I had nobody to talk to. I was then reviewing for the board exams in Manila and the problems just piled up one after the other – homesickness, the stress caused by the so-many-to-study-too-little-time dilemma, financial constraints and other challenges. It was a painful experience for me. I just grabbed a scratch paper half-filled with mathematical computations and this was what came out of my desperate thoughts that time:
“Have you ever questioned your very existence? What makes you breathe? What force is there in you that keeps you moving on? Have you ever pondered on why despite the storms in your very life you have passed through; you are still there – standing, undaunted and holding on to the very essence of life? You can make it through, though you have been weak, frail and vulnerable to the pain and the hurt, you are strong. The pain is there to humble you – what better emotion is there that could make a proud heart bow down to life’s lessons? Pain lessens our selfishness and makes us reach out to others… we need other hands to heal the broken pieces of our lives. You have to welcome the pain and the hurt; it is part of the healing and purifying of a heart so stubborn and proud. Be humble and accept pain, welcome it… God will give you enough grace to pass this storm. Hold on and stand firm.”
There were some disciplining letters I wrote to myself which I obeyed and followed, though some were just simply ignored, either for reasons like plain old laziness or a change of priorities and plans.
I still write letters to myself. It does help me get through difficult times, and there’s no better way for me to inspire, encourage and affirm the ‘small me’ than being addressed by the ‘BIG me’ clearly in print.
Maybe it’s time you write a letter to yourself too. =)
Finally… changed the look of my blog! Well, I settled with the previous light pink one with the pomegranate photo ‘cause I can’t wait to start blogging, hehe… so I thought, the design would come later, right?
I’m still using i.PH’s Muse template but at least the header image is mines, as my 5-year old niece would say, “that’s yours, this is mines!”
The header image is actually a photo I took yesterday, mixed with a bit of imagination. It’s meaningful to me. It’s my personal space, the table beside my bed with some of the books I’m currently reading and my journal… well, if you can read what’s written on the page, you must have super sharp vision!
For now, I’m contented with this look… until maybe i.PH will come up with more templates. I would have wanted a lighter sidebar color but the choices are limited.
Anyway, this is OK… for now.
Great day ahead!
Every so often the unexpected happens at just the right time.
I was at the International Arrival gates in the Centennial Airport. It felt so good to be home. With a heavy backpack on my shoulders, and my two hands carrying heavy bags as well, you could say it was a difficult trip for me. I would very much choose to travel light but I had to bring along my books and manuals which added up to the precious kilograms in my checked-in baggage. That leaves me no choice but to hand-carry some of my things. Walking slowly and pausing between steps to catch my breath, I was getting a bit discouraged. How am I going to make it to the Domestic terminal on time? I was dead tired and wanted to rest… but I had to catch the next flight. So, I kept moving on.
Suddenly, a guy pushing a wheelchair approached me and asked, “Ma’am, would you like to ride in this wheelchair?” I was surprised! Huh… are you talking to me? And I thought only sick or disabled persons are supposed to ride in those, why was he asking me?
Seeing me hesitant, he persistently said, “I saw you look pale, you might want to sit here, and I can wheel you around to get you to the Immigration and your baggage. It’s a long walk to the Domestic terminal. Even celebrities and stars request for wheelchairs here in the airport when they are tired.” He explained that he was sent to fetch some old woman arriving at the gates but she wasn’t there. He decided to give service to somebody instead.
Wow… I was misty-eyed. I felt a lump in my throat as I held back my tears. I gladly sat down on the wheelchair with my heavy bags. He wheeled me to the Immigration; I was even accommodated ahead of my co-passengers. Then we went to the baggage claim area, he told me to just relax while he took care of everything. As I was sitting there and watching the guy getting my baggage, I felt a strange warmth inside. It was something I can’t describe… a mixture of joy and gratefulness realizing that he approached me, of all people.
It was in this experience that I witnessed the hand of God moving in one of the least important events of my life. I even forgot to ask Him to help me in my seemingly hopeless predicament a while back. He does care. Even for the trivial things, such as keeping me comfortable in my trip. How much more for the bigger and more significant things to come in the future?
As I moved on to the Domestic departure area, I felt more confident of my next trip and I felt at peace. Whether there will be more pleasant surprises or none at all, I know in my heart, I will be fine. Somebody cares.
Ideas are powerful. A train of thought can make or break, build or destroy. The choice is ours. Our ideas become our future. I believe that life’s meaningful lessons are best learned when shared with others.
