by Scott Greer – Vice President of Sales and Operations
https://www.linkedin.com/in/greersco/
So, there I was!
Locked out of a supplier portal that I needed to get into to send an invoice. Username . . . Password . . . Reset. . . “Your account is locked.“ Having to call a help desk that tells you up front you are speaking to Romania. Or at least you will be speaking to Romania once you make it through the automated system without being hung up on. 😊
Having successfully conquered the first obstacle of speaking to a person, I had some time to think while I was on hold. I wonder what time it is in Romania right now. I bet people are frustrated sometimes by the time they get to a person whose only job is to try and help them. What can I do to make this the most pleasant interaction possible for the person on the other side of the call?
Enter Catalina! I had to ask her twice to make sure that I heard her name correctly and spent a minute making sure that I was saying it correctly. She seemed a bit uncomfortable having someone take such an interest, and I noticed that the rest of the call was open, friendly, relaxed and she was incredibly patient with me as I asked her to walk me through stuff that she probably has to say a million times a day. I bet most of those conversations don’t start about her name though. 😊
Catalina spent a few minutes with me helping me with my problem and getting a solution. She was great at her job! As we were wrapping up, I mentioned “you’re in Romania, what time is it there on a Friday night!?” This led to a short conversation about how she was just starting her shift and would be working through the night. I commiserated with her about the schedule, but she assured me that she enjoys her work.
Before I let her go, I confirmed how I should reference the issue should I have to call back. She mentioned that it most likely would not be her, but they work as a team and if I mentioned that I spoke with one of their colleagues they would find what they needed.
“That sounds great–,” I said, “–but I would not say that I spoke with a colleague! I would say that I spoke with the rockstar Catalina and she was amazing!”
At this she openly laughed, finally let her guard down, and thanked me for starting her shift off in such an amazing way!
“It was really enjoyable to talk to you,” she said.
“And the same to you, please have a wonderful rest of your evening. Thank you. Goodbye.”
That call lasted 15 minutes. It was a call that I had to make. I didn’t have a choice in that.
I did have the choice to go into that call with the mission of making the experience as amazing as possible for someone else.
How are you bringing joy to other people in your life? Are there people that you know that you could bring some joy to? What about the cashier ringing up your groceries?
The action that I want you to take is to always be looking to bring joy into someone else’s life, and I can assure you that when you do, you will find a genuine smile of joy radiating from the center of your being that can momentarily shield you from anything keeping you down.
After a rest in the joy, pick up the shovel and get back to work tackling those big problems but carry them with some rested shoulders for a bit and know that you made a difference to someone else today.
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