Garage Wars.. The Saga Continues!

We last left our hero battling the insurance company with nothing more than this blog and a sharp whit.
They caved in and sent a paltry sum for the items that burnt up and let me start with the contractor selection. We found the one we wanted and with all the paper work submitted I am Pleased to announce the demolition started this morning. I can’t wait to see what else will happen. There is much planning in the works and some cash to take care of it plus I squeezed a little more out of the evil dominion of the insurance company.
I know that there will be more excitement when they take their time to pay out but waiting is becoming commonplace with us. I don’t like being a pain in the ass but having all this customer service experience is paying off handsomely, you see I can be a good customer that rolls over when the cheats say so or be as stubborn as hell when I desire. I desire a lot. I demand a lot too. When you are met with someone like myself what do you do? If you have been following the story here I hope that you have learned a thing or two about the customer experience. How we treat them is as important as how we face their issue.
If you greet them with contempt they hate you from the first words and there is no recovery from that. If they become annoyed with the process (just not moving as fast as they like) and it is within your control to stick a fire under the department that is handling the issue do it and make a star out of yourself. We do this at home, so why not at work?
Whining won’t help! We have some clients that call in , they have an issue that requires special assistance, they get upset that it cannot be resolved over the phone and will have to wait (sound familiar?) you handle the call then dispatch the issue to where they will get the assistance they need. They in turn call the person responsible for the product and tell them “I don’t think they (us) are taking my problem seriously and the are blowing me off. The fact of the matter is you are doing exactly what you are supposed to do and everything that can be done is being done…just not right now. As they demand. I worry about these people! They can make life difficult, but the are at the same time making the problem more difficult for themselves by saying to their supervisor I don’t feel important enough. When they find out the solution is a whole system wide detail and involve more than their issue and would be best served in a complete solution (not a partial one) they have just placed egg on their faces and feel the fool. Now they really hate you for doing your job. I go home each day confident that I have done all I can do to please these people, that is all I can do. They go out of their way to make it harder to do what you do, in the long run have made them selves tired by making more work causing trouble for everyone involved. My recent experience is no exception, I am tired of the fighting but in order for my family to get what was ours back in good working order and as nice as it once was. I have to fight and yell to the windmills in order to accomplish what I need done. So have I walked in these customers shoes? Do I know their frustration? Can I be of better service to them? Yes!