Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
Customer service
We’ve all had experiences where the term “service” was an oxymoron. The other morning I was frantically trying to print out a proof of insurance for my car. A thorough search of the glovebox revealed that I am at risk of getting a ticket if I get stopped and can’t produce an insurance card. My insurance is through a venerable, very old company. I logged in and spent the next 15 minutes navigating to where I could “print insurance card”, as the website promised. I never did find it. On to “contact us” I went and wrote a polite but scathing review.
Yesterday I went online to another branch of this venerable company to straighten out a credit card problem. The lady who helped me was a perfect example of good customer service. She was pleasant and a little funny, ready to help me, quickly fixed the problem and thanked me for calling her. She did tell me it had been “one of those days” so we wished each other a good rest of the day. I hung up feeling satisfied. When a little survey came across my phone I gave her the best ratings I could.
At work we use a service called, “Language Line”. I had occasion to use it this week because I have a new client who only speaks a few words of English and is a native Swahili speaker. I went through the phone prompts and in about two minutes a lady who introduced herself as Winnie got my request and cheerfully said she would be my translator. She gave me her ID number and I told her a little about the situation. “Thank you,” she said, “let us help this person.” We called, connected with my client and in 10 minutes we were all on the same Swahili page. This company consistently provides the best service and is set up to be customer friendly when making a request for a language. They will send an in-person interpreter for a face to face meeting with a client. I have been pleased every time. I wrote an email to who I hoped was the supervisor praising the staff of Language Line.
I live with Jan, who is an expert on customer service. After all she spent over 30 years at the water company in charge of this important branch of any organization. I have watched her handle rude incompetence in a direct, business like, no holds barred manner. I have watched her persist until her issue is resolved. I have learned from her that when something isn’t right, she gets it taken care of and makes sure she is made whole. I, on the other hand, have spent too much of my life avoiding controversy at all costs. That’s one way of saying that I have not been my own best advocate on many occasions. But 20 years with Jan, and 6 years in AlAnon have fixed that little flaw, mostly.
I work in a small department of people who consistently provide the best service possible to our clients. I know this because I take all incoming calls and have had many previous clients ask if the person who once represented them is still available. Yesterday a lady called and in the course of our talk she said we helped her get her citizenship. “Is Kim still there?”, she asked. I said she is, and the lady proceeded to tell me how kind and competent and supportive Kim was. She got her citizenship over 10 years ago and still remembers that she was treated with respect and courtesy.
Yesterday I started out at the US Immigration office to attend a naturalization interview for my 18 year old client from Tanzania. This is a nerve wracking experience for our clients, because so much is riding on the outcome of the interview. We were ushered into Officer Harris’s office. She was friendly and welcoming, supporting my earlier declaration to my client that these officers want people to succeed. We settled into our assigned chairs and the interview began. My client passed the civics, writing and reading tests, and the review of her file was fine. Whenever she gets the next letter with her Oath Ceremony date, she will raise her hand, swear the Oath of Allegiance, and become a US Citizen. She and her mother are so pleased with our process that her mom will do what she has avoided for years – call me and set up a case to get her own citizenship. I’ll be glad to help her.