Superior Customer Service

Although it's quite early according to my teacher's summer watch, I couldn't sleep. I've been up since 4:00 making mental to-do lists to get ready for vacation. Finally, around 5:20, I gave up trying to count sheep and lugged myself to the couch where I watched Julie & Julia. This movie obviously inspired me to get off the couch, cook breakfast, and write.

Last week, my search for kindness was chaotic yet simple. Monday morning, I had several appointments early and rushed around to get to them on time. In between appointments, I made a quick stop at the grocery store for the week's necessities. I used the self-check because, for some odd reason, it made me feel more efficient. After scanning and bagging my items, it was time to pay. Debit card is missing! Sheer panic sets in as I start to imagine some thief with my money running off to Mexico. (Teachers only get paid once in the summer, and our checks had just been deposited... we get two months of pay in one big lump sum... see where this is going...??? PANIC!)
I frantically searched my wallet, twice, and my purse, twice. Still no card. As calmly as possible, I write a check for my groceries and then race to my car to search there. No card. Now, remember, this in between appointments, and I have about 45 minutes to make it home, put groceries up, and get to the dentist. AND FIND MY DEBIT CARD! I turn our house upside down, and still... no card. At the last possible minute, I get in my car and head to the dentist, calling the bank on my way. The lady on the phone was not as helpful or compassionate as I really wanted her to be, but she told me to come in and fill out the paper work to cancel the card. Exactly what I'll do, after my dentist appointment...

Which was fabulous! I absolutely love my dentist's office. They are always on schedule, I never have to wait, and the people who work there are so friendly. My A+ on dental hygiene and their super service helped calmed my nerves about my bank account for a while.
When I left the dentist, I went to one my bank's branches to fill out the paper work to cancel the lost card and order a new one. The teller that helped me was amazing! I think all I really wanted at the time was someone to say, "Oh, bless your heart!" in a fantastic southern accent, to make me feel better about it... and she did. She filed my paper work and within 15 minutes, I was out the door and feeling relieved.

I don't think I could ever make it in a job like these, either a dental hygienist or a bank teller, dealing with adults all day. I do not have the patience or kindness to pleasantly work with grown ups (like me, who are all flustered about something when they come through the door). This is one of the reasons I chose to work with kids... I can be patient with them because they're little, but that's a different story for another day.

It takes a genuinely kind person to work with the public all day with a smile. Those ladies may not know it, but they gave me a sense of comfort I desperately needed that day.

On a lighter note, I later found my debit card when my husband and I climbed into the Jeep to go out for dinner. I saw it wedged between the passenger seat and the arm rest, but I left it there to shred later... without him knowing. I felt too stupid to admit I'd found it right there in the car. If you see him, don't tell him.