Thursday, January 8, 2015

Dear customer:

I'm sorry.

I know. You don't want to hear that I'm sorry. You want to hear that I've fixed whatever your problem is. You want to send me an email and get a response within five seconds. You want to pick up the phone, dial my number, and reach me at any hour of the day.

I know.

You don't care when I apologize for the three hour delay between your leaving me a voice mail and my returning your call. You don't care that I didn't get a lunch again, or even time to get up and stretch my legs. You don't care that I've lost vacation hours every single year for the last three years because I honestly can't find the time to take it and you definitely don't care that more frequently than I want to admit I'm working at 10pm or on a Sunday or whenever I can get a few quiet minutes without the phone ringing so I can actually get things done.

I know you want to hear this either, but honestly? I'm doing the best I can.

I really am. I'm sitting at my desk, plodding through tasks even when I'm sick, even when I'm scared, even when I'm worried, even when I'm thinking about things which are, frankly, way more important than you, like my children and my husband and all the crap that I don't talk to anyone about. I'm working when I feel like sleeping, when I feel like crying, when you are being argumentative with me about something that was absolutely not my decision. When I'm so depressed and so down I don't even feel like getting out of bed, I'm sitting in my office chair, trying to keep a smile in my voice. Fixing things that are messed up, even when you are the person who messed them up. Even when I don't get a thank you or even the smallest hint of kindness.

You are the customer, and you are important. I care about your company, I want you to be successful and I promise, I will do everything in my power to help make that so.

However, I am human.

I am painfully, achingly human. I cannot be everything to everybody, as hard as I try.

And I do try. Oh, do I try. I try until the point that I fall completely apart sometimes.

 None of this is your problem. I get that. You are the customer and you are important. You pay for a service and you want it. I don't blame you.


I am important too. I am a human being.You have no idea what my life is like behind the smiling voice.


Please try to remember that.

Thanks,
Stephanie

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I so get this.

Peace out.