Shouting Out
AS WE GET OLDER, some of us have less patience and complain more. Maybe it’s because we’re frustrated. Many everyday activities become more difficult to perform as we age. As a 73-year-old, I probably have a shorter fuse when dealing with life’s daily hassles.
My friend Bill might also fall into the cranky category. He was complaining about how terrible customer service has become since the pandemic. “Prices keep rising, but we keep getting less in return,” he ranted. “We get less service before, during and after we purchase something.”
Bill pointed out that he tried to get help with his YouTube TV, but he couldn’t phone someone. He had to use the service's online chat, which made it more difficult for him to solve his problem.
Maybe he’s right that shoddy service has become the norm. I thought about how it took more than an hour to talk to a customer service representative at an airline. But then a few things happened that made me realize there are plenty of good, well-trained employees trying to make our lives easier and more enjoyable.
Like many other retirees, I have a daily routine. I wake up early every morning and go for a long walk. After breakfast, I like to read the newspaper on my iPhone.
One morning, I was trying to read The Washington Post, but I was unable to access the articles. Instead, I got a message saying I had to subscribe to the newspaper. I became frustrated because I’ve been a subscriber for years. I tried to log into the site, but I found I was already logged in.
I gave the paper a call, with the intention of giving some employee a piece of my mind. A woman answered. I told her what happened and threatened to cancel my subscription. The more I talked, the more frustrated I got.
In a calm and soothing voice, she apologized for my trouble. She said she’d transfer me to a technician, who would help solve my problem. About 30 seconds later, she said again, in a calm voice, that a technician would be with me when he’d finished with another customer. She made that announcement one more time before I was connected. That human touch made me feel like the Post really valued me as a customer.
The technician came on the line. He said, “Dennis, I hear you have a problem accessing the articles online.” He also spoke in a polite and understanding voice. He asked what device I was using to read the Post.
He said I needed to clear the cached data on my iPhone. Cached data is information stored on your device after you visit a website. He walked me through the steps to make sure I knew how to do it. He waited to make sure I had no problem reading the newspaper. He then asked me politely if I needed any additional help.
When I hung up the phone, I was truly impressed by the great service. From the time I called, it took The Washington Post’s customer support team a matter of minutes to solve my problem.
The next day, after breakfast, I went to Walmart to buy Apple EarPods for my wife’s iPhone. The salesperson started to process my purchase and told me to push the “no” button when it popped up on the screen. I said to myself, “What’s he talking about, pushing the ‘no’ button?”
He was warning me about the attempt to sell me an extended warranty on the EarPods. The item cost $19.88 and the insurance would have cost me an additional $3. He thought it was a bad deal. I agree. I don’t like this type of insurance, either. He didn’t have to do that. But he wanted to make sure his customers didn’t fall into the trap of purchasing insurance that didn’t make sense.
A few days later, my wife and I went to Santa Barbara. My friend told me to try a restaurant called Opal. “They have great food and you won’t regret it,” he said. He was right. The food was excellent, but what impressed us even more was the service.
We had a waitress assigned to our table. But occasionally, two other people would come over to our table to make sure everything was okay. The service we received made us feel special. It was a memorable experience not just because of the great food, but also the great service.
Dealing with the public isn’t an easy job, especially after the pandemic, when many businesses still find themselves short-handed. We should all be a little more understanding about the service we receive. It can be a thankless job when the only time you hear from customers is when something isn’t right.
What I’ve learned over the years is that good customer service is like gold. It can add real value to the product you’re purchasing. That’s why I’d like to give a shoutout to the folks who helped me at The Washington Post, Walmart, and Opal Restaurant & Bar.
Dennis Friedman retired from Boeing Satellite Systems after a 30-year career in manufacturing. Born in Ohio, Dennis is a California transplant with a bachelor's degree in history and an MBA. A self-described "humble investor," he likes reading historical novels and about personal finance. Follow Dennis on X @DMFrie and on Threads, and check out his earlier articles.The post Shouting Out appeared first on HumbleDollar.
