Day 240 -- happy customer service

The weather today was overcast and somewhat humid, though the temperature is a bit cooler than the past two days. Rain was forecast but so far nothing seems to have fallen, interesting when the forecast was for over half an inch. As Scarlett said, "Tomorrow's another day." <smile>

I encountered some great customer service today. I had purchased a sale item yesterday and discovered when I got home that the register hadn't been programmed to provide the sale price. The store is 2.5 hours from the house so I wasn't overly optimistic when I called to chat with a manager. She was very friendly and went to check the shelf tag before calling me back. She'd promised to call back within an hour and it was about 15 minutes. She found the sign and checked with the office person who will process the refund and mail me an updated receipt. This isn't a usual process, but with the distance as great as it is, they felt there would be no problem. What great customer service and with very pleasant people!

Isn't it amazing what a lift positive interactions can give your mood? I wondered why this isn't the norm -- but that has to do with everything else in people's lives at any given point in time. When complaining about a product or service, is it done with tone or with the realization that we are all susceptible to making a mistake? When someone complains to me, does it appear that I find them an intrusion in my day rather than really listening to them? Being face to face for such a conversation can be difficult as body language says many things, often unintended things. <smile>  Being on the phone means we only have our voices to convey all the other nuances of face to face meetings. Not easy either. And, heaven forbid, we are using e-mail or social media or <gasp> texting -- fewer clues are present for the parties involved to fully understand the tone, inflection, facial expression, body posture, and such. It is amazing there aren't more arguments given all the difficulties involved in getting our ideas across to another person. So -- when today's phone calls went well, it did make me feel happy.

There was one song line that fit the feeling. This version is from the early recording with the amazing clarity in the singer's voice. Love this group and their use of orchestral arrangements when it was still so new. Enjoy!

You've Made Me so very Happy -- Blood, Sweat, and Tears