Whistle While You Work It Out
I work in a call center for a major bank. I help with anything from balance to lost/stolen cards to online banking. I get a call from an older gentleman who sounds like he went riding with King Richard in the Crusades.
Me: “How can I help you today?”
Customer: “I want to add someone to my bill pay.”
Me: “I can help you with that. Can you please log in to your account?”
Customer: “Where?”
Me: “Are you on our home page?”
Customer: “What is a home page?
Me: “Do you have your computer on?”
Customer: “I need to be in front of the computer? Hold on…”
I hold on.
Customer: “Do I need to turn it on?”
Me: “Yes, please. Let me know when it’s up and running.”
Customer: “I’m on the home screen. Where do I go now?”
Me: “You said you wanted to add someone to your bill pay, correct?”
Customer: “Yes, how do I do that?”
Me: “Log into your checking account on our website.”
Customer: “How do I do that?”
Me: “Double-checking: who are you going to be adding to your bill pay?”
Customer: “My mortgage company says they will accept electronic payments through bill pay. I want to do that.”
Me: “Okay, I can help you, but I need you to log into your checking account.”
Customer: “How do I do that?”
Me: “By chance is there anyone else at home that uses your computer that can help us?”
Customer: “My five-year-old grandson is here. Do you want to speak with him?”
Me: “I’m willing to give it a shot if you are.”
Customer: “Let me get him.”
It sounds like he is missing his front teeth, so he whistles a bit when he talks.
Kid: “Hello?”
Me: “Hi. I was hoping you would be able to help your grandfather with something on the computer. Do you know how to pull up a website?”
Kid: “I go on Grandpa’s computer all the time; Mom doesn’t let me go on the one at home.”
Me: “Well, I can keep that secret if you can help your grandfather with something.”
Kid: “Okay.”
I then spend the next thirty minutes walking a five-year-old and a very old man through how to set up bill pay. The kid was a wiz on the computer and was showing his grandfather where to go and what to push. He didn’t know how to read but knew all his letters, so I could spell things to him and he found them quickly.
It was the longest call I ever had, but still, ten years later, it makes me smile as the kid was so excited helping his grandfather with the little whistle when he spoke.
This story is part of our end-of-year Feel Good roundup for 2022!
Read the next Feel Good 2022 story!
Read the Feel Good 2022 roundup!
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