Customer Service

Customer Service seems to have gone on the wayside. You call on your phone and you have to press 2-8 buttons before you can even get the message to press "O" for operator. You go into a store and if you are lucky, you can find someone to at least take your money after you have spent lots of time looking for the item you needed. You wait in line to only have grumpy people waiting on you.

Well, not at the Tollgate Inn and Bakery.

Phil and I order a special made "All grain, raisin, walnut bread" for breakfast. Besides what the name says, it has wheat flour and is pretty organic. Because of our sensitivity to sugary items, it fits us perfectly. I call to order six loaves so that I can put it in my freezer and to make it cost effective for the business.

I am on my last loaf. I call this morning. The girl answers the phone "Tollgate Bakery". I say "hello" and she immediately says " Hi Teri, are you ready to order your bread?" She says it with a smile and is very personable. It makes me smile and know that I am not just a sale. We chat a few minutes, she tells me the baker will be in tomorrow and will probably make it then. She inquires if I need to have a call reminder when it is ready. She tells me to have a nice day at the end of the conversation. I hang up.

This is so refreshing. She brightened my day, I brightened hers by being friendly. I enquire as to how her day is going (she has been there since 6 am - can't be fun to wake up so early and be friendly to demanding people), tell her to have a nice day. We have had at least one person be nice to us today.

I just saw on the Internet about the airlines raising their baggage fees, long lines, TSA workers taking a long time with checking things, people not putting their shoes on the belt but taking up containers, etc., etc., etc.
The last time I flew - before Christmas - it was busy. I was at PDX by 5 to make a 6:30 am flight. The lines were long, the training meeting ran over, the employees were a little stressed. All I did was smile, have my identification ready, follow directions, be patient and tell everyone helping to have a nice day. My time was stress-free, and I hoped to make their day a little brighter - even for just a moment.

So why this blog: Well, it only takes a little bit of effort on our parts to make not only our lives easier, but others around us. Be kind to those who do have to put up with rudeness. Be patient when they have to continue to ask those dumb questions. They are only doing their job and we can help make their days a little brighter. Who knows - the next time you deal with others, the customer service may just be friendlier than you expected. Have a great day. :-)