Friday 30 October 2015

Customers are always right

Working in a client-facing customer-servicing job, I've had to apologize to (potential) clients for slow systems or failed transactions due to down times and ATM machines that does not work or even for not being able to promise things that may be impossible.

Why? It's because I know what the problem was and given all information you would need to be able to manage customers. Yes, even if it isn't your fault (may be the system connections that a human cannot solve), I would still willingly apologize because customers subscribe to a certain product and brand for what it can do and never for what it may not be able to do. Managing client is priority because we are expected to provide them with whatever they need. Customers have the right to ask for what they want, and with that said if what they requested for is not available, it is also our duty to properly and clearly explain it to them. Yes, these are all my duty because I am client-facing and at customers' service and you should be protecting the brand that you work for.

At the end of the day, customers are adults and you know that they would be able to understand when explained to clearly.

What I have just experienced recently was pretty terrible. I've had to approach a party (on behalf of Double A) whereby I was the customer. Unfortunately, I'm sorry to say that in an organization such as theirs, they had this fear of cc-ing bosses or letting superiors know of how they work - to me, if you have not done anything wrong, you should not be afraid. In fact, you would want your bosses to acknowledge it in order to gain visibility.

Long story short, he explained A to me which I needed further clarification on. Instead of further explaining, (on a different day) he tells me he has 3 minutes to listen to me and that was all the time he had for me as a customer. Which client-facing person would in the right mind tell customers that? Explained all I could in 3 minutes, he left. Weeks later he called to tell me that I need to explain to him again because his Boss asked him but he did not know how to answer. Come on dude, you told me you had 3 minutes, now you're panicking when your Boss ask you to explain the product that you are selling to me.

So I came over to the office to explain but instead of listening, he said to me "Actually I don't understand coffee. Maybe you can do a presentation to our committee straightaway". Bravo to people who cannot be stretched in their jobs. So I proceeded to table my presentation (on behalf of him) and got everything sorted. Came in to sign papers and was told that when they explained A to me earlier, they actually meant B. Tried calling him to clarify, but never once did he pick up his calls, so in instances like this you naturally would write in to the Boss (who was the other person on the deal) to clarify.

What happens next? He went ballistic because we communicated with the Boss directly. My simple question to him was "but I thought you said you did nothing wrong, so why so scared?". In fact, he went up to my Manager and said "your bosses have made it so difficult for me because they communicated directly to my Boss. But this stays between the two of us don't tell your bosses". Again, if you had not done anything wrong, why then inform only my Manager and made her promise to keep it between the two of you. I hire people who work and would protect the good name of the company, you may have picked the wrong person to share secrets with.

It's puzzling  to see how certain organizations are so hierarchical that one would not speak up when questioned by the Boss but would instead relay their frustration to someone who know nothing about the situation to gain sympathy and votes. Come on Malaysians, we need to have more integrity in the work that we do! Long story short, he told our Manager a lot of things off the records that I would indeed make this known to his boss, only because I wouldn't want another customer to get into the same situation as I did. Customers are always right, unless and until they ask for the stars and the moon.

Tuesday 20 October 2015

The earth stops for 10 seconds

Coming from a family of doctors, you tend to be that over paranoid "patient".

Recently, I've been having this back problem that everyday that I get up it hurts so badly. When I am about to sit down i'd be moving a speed of a snail or like those egg-on-a-spoon game last time when you had to make sure you don't spill any onto the floor do you remember?

Reached my limit when the other day, I sneezed and whoa! There was a sharp pain right there at my lower back, I almost couldn't walk for a few seconds. It's like that one sneeze has locked my back. Couldn't walk, couldn't sit. I just stood still for a moment.

My cousin has advised me against lugging heavy things like my laptop around (especially on weekends when I need all my Double A laptop/notebook/chargers/USBs etc in one bag) nor carry my nephew/niece for along period of time. Yup, I have this habit of picking them up when they cry. Breaks my heart seeing them cry, I cannot even imagine my own kids in the future. *cringe*

Anyway, I really hope that this nerve problem gets better or my (very awesome) colleague may need to continue getting my prints from the printer and Aiman would have to carry my bags in the future #justttttkiddingsayang :D

Thursday 15 October 2015

Professionalism

Past few months have been filled with so many events and so many happenings. So many things to be done and so little time to fill it up! But if there is one thing constant about the past few months, it would be experience.


  1. For a start, professionalism is something that you should be expecting not only in professional jobs, but in everything that you do. Sadly, it is the one thing that you can no longer expect from mankind. Why I say this is because I've spoken to people who continue on doing their work without looking you in the eyes, and I find this extremely rude. And this is the simplest thing in carrying yourself professionally. You may be smart. You may be earning big buck, but hey you're plain rude.
  2. You think you're too good for the job you have. A mistake that many people do. If you're not learning or you're not contributing to the brand you represent, I don't believe you should even take up the job in the first place. A job description is there to guide you, but it was never meant to be too rigid that you choose not to do certain things because it was not listed in your JD. If it requires the extra mile to complete the task, then do it for the brand you represent.
  3. Power hunger. Many a times I see people making comments about others behind their backs with hopes that this would gain them points with their superior hence a faster promotion up the ladder.
  4. Point 3 said, who you know trumps what you know in this world. So there are also incidents whereby one is favoured more than the other because of petty reasons eg he looks more good looking than you or he knows her sister who knows your father who is some big shot somewhere. You get what I mean. 
  5. People don't love what they do. The main reason why someone can say nonsense like "you do it since you're paid more" - when in fact it is their job to do it.
  6. The higher rank you are, the more you think you could do things your way. Even if it is the wrong way.
  7. People don't ask. Instead of asking, they find ways to avoid doing the job completely. That is just beyond me. You will never ever learn how to do it then. Which brings me back to you shouldn't be taking up the job in the first place.
  8. You do not want to be pushed outside your comfort zone. So I say pluck those apples, and unless you climb up the ladder and make shift something long to reach it, then why don't you just wait for someone to donate you a helicopter to get up that few steps higher than your head. Yet you ask for a pay much higher than the mountains.
  9. You don't feel the need to fight for your brand and find solutions for people know your brand. 
  10. You think your job is always more difficult than the rest of the world. That's exactly when you've just destroyed your life.

What I've pen down here are all my own personal thoughts based on my own personal experience :)