We Didn’t Think Customers Knew How!

I used to work in customer service at a now-defunct electronics retailer. We handled the returns, and it was also the point of entry for the service center. I dealt with people at their worst, frustrated with their broken computers.

One time, a man who had been in multiple times was very angry. (I don’t remember why now; it was nearly thirty years ago.) I was the “lucky” one who got to deal with him this particular time. I bore the brunt of his frustrations, and some of it got directed at me personally. I kept my cool, and by empathizing, I got him to calm down. I got the store managers involved, and we finally resolved the issue to his satisfaction.

Later, the store got a letter from him. He apologized for being angry, thanked the store for solving his problem, and complimented me as an employee, basically giving me credit for all of it and thanking me for being the catalyst for his issue being resolved.

My boss gave me a copy of the letter. I used that for future jobs for a long time!