The Worst Customer Service Issue I had In The Business

[Bob La Londe <none@none.com99>]

I'm brusque and to the point for the most part.  Some folks don't like
that and I really do not care.  That was never an issue for me when
dealing with managers and owners who weren't trying to manipulate me or
cheat me.  Those who wanted my services and wanted good solid knowledge
of what they were getting and what was happening.  Being brusque was
generally not a "customer" service issue.

My biggest issue was third parties.  Employees, new managers, nosy busy
bodies.  "Whatcha doing."

"I am working on the building, and other than that I can not discuss
it."  You should see a self important person bristle when they hear
that.  Its like watching a fluffy kitten stand off with a rottweiler.
In many cases the person trying to grill me was the person or one of the
people who I was warned caused the situation for which they requested my
services.  OC reports, access control, hidden cameras in "public" areas.

I had a policy of not sharing anything with somebody who's name wasn't
on the contract, or on the primary contact list.  In some cases the
person I was told to deal with whom may not have been named not he
contract.  I always made a note.  Deal with Joe Schmuck on access
control matters.  Deal with John Meh on IT.

In some businesses this was much appreciated.  One large multi campus
access control client always made a point of introducing me to the new
office manager, and the new IT manager so I knew who to talk to and not
talk to about various issues.  In some businesses it cause division and
back stabbing.  More than once I had a secondary manager or floor
employee report me as a rude asshole for refusing to share information
with them.  You would think it was just businesses, but I had this
happen in residential settings as well.  "Hey I am Joe Schmuck's step
mom whom you have never heard of, name doesn't match, and I'm not on the
contact list.  He is out of town, and I am feeding his cats.  You need
to come over here and disable the alarm until he gets back."

"No.  I can not do that.  You are not an authorized party on that alarm
and your name is not on the contract."

As you can imagine I pissed some people off.  I was called an asshole (I
am one) and other other things less polite.

Sometimes I would get caught between a manager an owner or between two
owners with conflicting directives.  While that can be pretty horrific,
generally it never caused me as many issues as refusing to dish out
inside intel to people who were not specifically authorized to have that
intel.

Sometimes it was the manager or owners own fault.  They handed the task
off to somebody else and didn't tell me.  When I would ask to speak to a
known authorized party the person who just got what might have been
their first "trusted" responsibility would bristle and often refuse.
"sorry.  I do not know you.  I need to verify that this IS your
responsibility now."

In retrospect I can see now how I might have handled some of these
better than I did, but there are some that anything, but clicking my
heels and snapping, "Yes sir," in the most subservient tone possible
would not have been acceptable.


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