I get really irritated with people. This is not a new thing. After working at Guest Relations for Universal Studios Hollywood and Independent Study for BYU I know all about people and their issues. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE PEOPLE! I would hate to be stuck in a cubicle, hunkered down, working on some meaningless project. I enjoy fixing people's problems and giving information. In a nutshell, I like to be helpful.
Helpfulness has been a quality of mine since I was a toddler. My mother tells me that when she was pregnant with my brother (2nd sibling of 4) I was always willing to fetch her things and generally help out. I would even stick a ball up under my shirt and pretend I was pregnant too. I enjoy being helpful because I get satisfaction out of solving people's dilemmas.
My favorite part of working with the people who came to play at Universal Studios was doing lost and found. We collected all lost and found, catalogued it, and tried to contact people who had made claims during the day. The last few hours were always chaotic in GR but it was worth it to return those lost items to their owners. People were so grateful.
What I have never appreciated about the customer service industry is the idea that customer service representatives (CSRs) must be trained to be unhelpful. As a seasoned CSR, I know that company policies are in place to protect it's employees, products, and, yes, income. I also know that the more irritated you become, the less likely we are to help you. We don't like being pushed around. I take my job very seriously and do not appreciate being told that I don't know anything or that I'm being rude or anything like that. I also do not appreciate being taken for granted. Without me and other CSRs, the customer would be left to navigate the procedures and policies of any company all alone.
Here at BYU I am grateful for wonderful co-workers and an amazing boss who have helped teach me the ropes. It's been interesting working with professors I took classes from. Some of them are nice and friendly, and some of them are more distant toward me than when I was a student! I appreciate working in the department I graduated from because I am gaining a new perspective of my department. I'm amazed at how many things this department does and I'm even more amazed that our department secretary knows all the things she does. It's impressive. It's one thing to be taken for granted by faculty, but by students? Heck. No. We do everything we can to help you out and make your life easier. So, if we give you advanced notice and reminders, do not show up here like a maniac demanding results. Sorry, we have other things that are more important than fixing your procrastinating-self.
Okay, vent over.
PS I truly love my job and feel so blessed to have found this position. It is perfect for me at this time in my life and it's going to be so hard to leave once Tyson graduates and finds a full-time position.
1 comment:
People can sometimes be difficult to work with! I'm glad that you still like your job even with those crazy students! I bet this is giving you a good perspective on what it is like working with students. As I read your blog post I kept thinking "Wouldn't it be great if we all could understand each other's perspective without going through a similar experience to gain that perspective?" You're awesome and amazing! Love ya!
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