Customer Service - March 2003

Well I think it is obvious that I must be enjoying being at my old work as I have barely typed any newsletters since being back. Maybe being depressed in a shit job helped my creative flow!

My customer service partner Leanne is on annual leave for another week, I will be glad when she returns and we can sort out who our customers are. Today one of our customers from a big pasta place rang and said that he got a different girl each time he rang and I said think of it like phone sex, men usually have to pay good money for that and he gets it for free! I had to ring him back later about his order and he was very happy, like it was two for the price of one!

Now Doreen, or Steva, or Jacqui (or other important people at work), if you are reading this, don’t have heart failure – it was all in the spirit of the moment and I was working to the Customer Service motto, make the customers fall in love with you! Which works extremely well, but actually backfired a little when they were trying to get the customers to use the web to place their orders, they said they prefered to talk to us. Our web master said it was because we “Gave good phone”.

Usually you can pick which customers you need to posh it up with or those you can relax with.

It was funny when I worked in that call center, most of my team mates didn’t like me cos I was on my best behaviour. I stayed on my best behaviour till the day I resigned, then I relaxed and started teasing them and mucking up and being my normal self. After that they started to like me a bit more. So it just goes to show.

My boss spoke to me during the week and said “you are a bit quieter than what I remember”. I said, “Oh, its been beaten out of me” (remember the letterhead paper at my last job!). And he said in a meaningful voice, like a psychiatrist would say , “its o.k. to be noisy”. I will try to be less serious cos I don’t want to scare the newer account managers. Claire is out at a roller disco tonight. She is wearing white cos it shines up better under the fluro lights. I came home earlier and she answered the door with blue eye shadow on, she had so much on it had fallen onto her cheeks.

Last night I dyed her fringe red. It looks cute. (My mum will kill me!). So off she went with her mobile phone and her $140 runners to meet three of her best friends.

Tomorrow I am going to get my fortune told by the ‘crossing over’ lady featured in an earlier newsletter. I will relate it in next weeks newsletter and we can see how it unfolds over time.

I managed to match all the presents to the givers except for one. Some orange toiletries with a little burgundy teddy bear. Later I will give a descriptive list of my presents, I am just a bit scared to do it, cos I know I will leave one off and offend someone for eternity.

Talking of offending people for eternity. At my party I had a photo/album scrapbook that I had been working on that was a pictorial autobiography. I got into big trouble from a couple of people as they were not in the album. They can be assured that they will be on the front or second page of the next album I am doing for the next 40 years of my life!

I will sign off now as I have to send this out and then drive to  pick up The Kid from roller blading. Last week, I was a bit concerned about her being there on her own with her friends after another mother had dropped her off. When I went in to pick her up, the lady on the door let me in through the rope (like a nightclub), she was a stocky, middle aged, European woman and I took one look at her and knew my daughter was safe. I cant see the kids getting much past her.

Profile : Jacqui Hunt
Met : At work around 1993, she was also my boss for a time
Marital status : Separated with a daughter Maddy – Single and looking!
Pets : Roger her dog, he is a poodle crossed with a something, I think it’s a schnautzer? and he has a goatee
Current position : don’t know her exact title but it is position of importance in the supply chain
Little known fact : Rode a vacuum cleaner instead of a broom in her grade six production of The Wizard of OZ
Claim to fame : Can do a better evil witch laugh than I can
Loves : Maddy, Her ‘no boys allowed’ house and beautiful, individual items of furniture like her chaise lounge, that don’t exactly match anything else, but look fantastic.
Hates : Misogyny and the “is this all its about?” aspect of life
Quote : the quote is really from her dad – “you bloody idiot” which is for anything she does that he doesn’t agree with. Not that she cares!