Dream Team Marin

Only one real estate company has guided people home for 114 years. Coldwell Banker, #GuidingYouHome since 1906.

In a world of have your say, dammit, loud and wide! I opt to take a more generous approach to customer service problems. Admittedly, I spent years ranting and... raving on social media and review sites whenever something wasn’t right (or let’s be honest, perfect). Yet after I while I realized that public shame and the piling on factor of too many outlets was not only counterproductive but often caused people real harm: to their esteem, their motivation to improve, and even to keeping their job. The outcomes of such outrage far exceeded the inconveniences of the problems. For who among us hasn’t fallen down in our efforts, whether new at something or an experienced practitioner? This morning I watched a company struggle to fulfill food orders at the airport. A mix of new and experienced staff, minus any management assistance, pretty much fell apart. As the problems mounted and customers grumbled more loudly, staff became more flustered and things got even worse. Even my sandwich was cold by the time I got to the register. Deep breath, I told myself. If I add to the chaos, the staff will feel it. If I just do something simple - like smile - maybe they will relax a little and get back into the groove. I don’t know if it helped, but at least it didn’t hurt further. And then, the decision: Do I go on social media, on the review sites, and loudly call out the failure? Do I play into the constant-outrage complex that is fueled by the cynical-Pavlovian response-design of these platforms, without concern for the fact that there are real people involved? Is one cold sandwich to be the stake upon which someone’s job, or company, or reputation shall be burned? Or, will I be part of the solution? Upon reflection, I decided to write a private email to the customer service address of the organization. I don’t know if they are company-owned or a franchise model, but either way, I opted to let them know, so they could have a chance to take action. Perhaps they will call the manager, or offer more training, or send in more staff to help. Maybe they will review their processes and improve their procedures or their technology or their oversight. Hopefully these failures will be part of the pick yourself up and try again mindset so many of us share online (and hopefully grant others the benefit of, too). I’ll let you know if I hear back from anyone. Maybe nothing will happen. Hopefully by writing to them privately, they’ll have a chance to try; they’ll have the choice to learn; they’ll get a signal to respond; and they’ll have an opportunity to grow. At the very least, they won’t have to deal with being targeted, tried, traumatized by the tyranny of instant-outrage, over a wait, or a staffing shortage or a slow computer or any host of things I couldn’t see or understand. And for me, I will know I won’t be the cause - to them or myself - of any extra negativity than the world needs these days. It’s only an egg sandwich.

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