THAT BLASTED _ _ _ _ _ _!
I want to tell you a true story, which I’ve titled:“That Blasted _ _ _ _ _ _ !"
I want to challenge you to read closely and see if you can fill in the 6-letter word following, “That Blasted”.
Customer service has always been one of the most stressful, difficult and unfulfilling of any job on earth. We all know that. And that’s what several clients have told me over 40 years. Here’s a composite description of these “customer-service” counselees as I grew to know them.
The date they were hired they were eager to please, cheerful in disposition and possessing a gracious personality. Given some time and dealings with customers many were altered into a glazed-eyed, muttering-psychopathic, snarling brain-dead zombie after serving their months behind that counter of infamy.
One such zombie I actually observed, where he didn’t think he was being noticed, was tapping his forehead into a wall and stammering, “Rab...it, Rab...it, Rab...it.” Whether you’ve been an automotive service advisor, or a refund clerk or a postal employee or anyone of 100’s of such positions… you know what I’m talking about.
One of my new Counseling clients, Darrell, worked as an Automotive Service Department Manager. He’d been doing it for 7 years and his health was deteriorating. His family physician recommended he seek counseling and/or change jobs.
When he arrived he dragged his shoes across the carpet and almost collapsed onto the couch. His face was lock-jawed and his body was so tense I guessed his blood pressure was higher than a kite. To say he looked stressed is a gross understatement.
After a few sessions Darrell could even crack a grin... a momentary one. This was only when he focused on home life, being with friends, going to church, etc. But if I asked, “How’s work going?” it erased his grin, his face hardened and the symptoms of stress returned.
I often prayed for my client’s well being and sought the Lord’s wisdom to guide me. But with this honest, industrious and decent man I felt like I was letting him down. Nothing I recommended seemed to improve his work experience.
Well, let me add a little more information. Realizing the high stress and casualty rate of employees working in customer service, many Psychologists have devised miracle programs and conducted seminars to train employees to improve their conflict management skills.
They’d lecture and draw circles on white boards showing how to have genuine empathy for the customer and so on. The efforts were aimed at the employee because it was hypothesized that customers became difficult because employees provoked them. Or that the employees, through ignorance or by projecting as being disinterested, infuriated customers even more. “Mrs. Jones feels like you have a non-caring attitude.”
I had held Seminars in schools, colleges, on military bases, for retreats, churches and large companies. But the customer-service training only provided slight improvement and a very minor reduction in reports of dealing with difficult customers with these newly acquired skills.
It was apparent that I couldn’t train the irritated, difficult customer. I walked through every scenario, without even a thought as to how the difficult customer’s behavior could be changed. So, I went back to the drawing board to redesign the Employee Training modules. It still hadn’t dawned on me about “That Blasted _ _ _ _ _ _ !”
I decided to visit his work site and observe like a quiet little church mouse, you know, out of sight. What I saw was that Darrell was not causing his stress, he was being shellacked by utterly abusive, furious customers some of whose faces looked demonic and whose angry voices resonated like fighter jets taking off.
It was high time I take on one more project. A real-life, people-helping project. If I couldn’t make a difference for highly-stressed-out-customer-service employees like Darrell then I was not giving it my best.
I scratched my noggin, which is easy to do since the hair has long since whispered goodbye. There has to be a way to get consumers to let up on these customer service reps. If only they could see themselves: with smoke pouring out of both ears and their nostrils resembling a dragon’s fiery appearance. And their voices yelling ear-piercing curses at the bewildered employees.
Sarcastically I thought, I should take a picture and hand it to them. That’d do it. Then they’d stop. Right? Probably they’d just punch me in the nose for interfering.
I shrugged and continued to ponder. If only they really could see themselves... as they really were. But was there any way it could be done?
That night my scripture reading was in Luke 22. When I got down to verses 61 and 62 something struck me.
I want to challenge you to read closely and see if you can fill in the 6-letter word following, “That Blasted”.
Customer service has always been one of the most stressful, difficult and unfulfilling of any job on earth. We all know that. And that’s what several clients have told me over 40 years. Here’s a composite description of these “customer-service” counselees as I grew to know them.
The date they were hired they were eager to please, cheerful in disposition and possessing a gracious personality. Given some time and dealings with customers many were altered into a glazed-eyed, muttering-psychopathic, snarling brain-dead zombie after serving their months behind that counter of infamy.
One such zombie I actually observed, where he didn’t think he was being noticed, was tapping his forehead into a wall and stammering, “Rab...it, Rab...it, Rab...it.” Whether you’ve been an automotive service advisor, or a refund clerk or a postal employee or anyone of 100’s of such positions… you know what I’m talking about.
One of my new Counseling clients, Darrell, worked as an Automotive Service Department Manager. He’d been doing it for 7 years and his health was deteriorating. His family physician recommended he seek counseling and/or change jobs.
When he arrived he dragged his shoes across the carpet and almost collapsed onto the couch. His face was lock-jawed and his body was so tense I guessed his blood pressure was higher than a kite. To say he looked stressed is a gross understatement.
After a few sessions Darrell could even crack a grin... a momentary one. This was only when he focused on home life, being with friends, going to church, etc. But if I asked, “How’s work going?” it erased his grin, his face hardened and the symptoms of stress returned.
I often prayed for my client’s well being and sought the Lord’s wisdom to guide me. But with this honest, industrious and decent man I felt like I was letting him down. Nothing I recommended seemed to improve his work experience.
Well, let me add a little more information. Realizing the high stress and casualty rate of employees working in customer service, many Psychologists have devised miracle programs and conducted seminars to train employees to improve their conflict management skills.
They’d lecture and draw circles on white boards showing how to have genuine empathy for the customer and so on. The efforts were aimed at the employee because it was hypothesized that customers became difficult because employees provoked them. Or that the employees, through ignorance or by projecting as being disinterested, infuriated customers even more. “Mrs. Jones feels like you have a non-caring attitude.”
I had held Seminars in schools, colleges, on military bases, for retreats, churches and large companies. But the customer-service training only provided slight improvement and a very minor reduction in reports of dealing with difficult customers with these newly acquired skills.
It was apparent that I couldn’t train the irritated, difficult customer. I walked through every scenario, without even a thought as to how the difficult customer’s behavior could be changed. So, I went back to the drawing board to redesign the Employee Training modules. It still hadn’t dawned on me about “That Blasted _ _ _ _ _ _ !”
I decided to visit his work site and observe like a quiet little church mouse, you know, out of sight. What I saw was that Darrell was not causing his stress, he was being shellacked by utterly abusive, furious customers some of whose faces looked demonic and whose angry voices resonated like fighter jets taking off.
It was high time I take on one more project. A real-life, people-helping project. If I couldn’t make a difference for highly-stressed-out-customer-service employees like Darrell then I was not giving it my best.
I scratched my noggin, which is easy to do since the hair has long since whispered goodbye. There has to be a way to get consumers to let up on these customer service reps. If only they could see themselves: with smoke pouring out of both ears and their nostrils resembling a dragon’s fiery appearance. And their voices yelling ear-piercing curses at the bewildered employees.
Sarcastically I thought, I should take a picture and hand it to them. That’d do it. Then they’d stop. Right? Probably they’d just punch me in the nose for interfering.
I shrugged and continued to ponder. If only they really could see themselves... as they really were. But was there any way it could be done?
That night my scripture reading was in Luke 22. When I got down to verses 61 and 62 something struck me.
“The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter, and Peter remembered the Lord’s words: “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.” And Peter went out and cried uncontrollably.” (Luke 22:61-62, CEB)
Jesus had forewarned Peter that he’d deny Him three times before morning. But resolute Peter swore he’d never do that. But he did. Jesus turned and looked right at Peter. And at that moment seeing Jesus’ eyes "Peter went out and cried uncontrollably.”
I happened to read the first chapter of James that night and paused at these two verses:
I happened to read the first chapter of James that night and paused at these two verses:
“Those... who look at their faces in a mirror. They look at themselves, walk away, and immediately forget what they were like.” (James 1:23-24, CEB)
Had the Holy Spirit connected Luke and James’ verses to guide me into the long-sought solution. Slowly I kept reading these accounts. What was the key?
In Luke, Peter had the warning of Jesus in his soul. When he denied Jesus and saw Jesus look him square in the eyes his memory resurfaced creating massive guilt and shame that led to a violent tearful event.
Then in James, we see a man who looks straight in a mirror but walks away forgetting what he looked like. But what he had seen was himself - he forgot it because no one reminded him as the Lord’s glance at Peter did.
BINGO! I had the answer. And suddenly it all made sense.
I went to the dealership owner and told him I had a great cure for his service department’s maximumly-stressed-out employees. And this time I knew it would work… to greatly reduce his employees’ stress and maybe even almost eliminate it. Best of all I said, “It will cost you less than $200.” I told him I didn’t want one penny for doing it. He looked at me somewhat skeptically, pondered it and said, “Go for it!”
The cool thing that the Holy Spirit was showing me was that I should not focus on changing the employees anymore. Instead, now I was focusing on diffusing the customers.
I met with the dealership janitor when the shop was closed. He and I installed the $200.00 item.
When Darrell showed up for his next appointment I asked how things are going. He smiled and replied, “The Janitor had a clever idea. It really is helping.”
“What was it, Darrell?”
“Yesterday the Dealer said, “I don’t hear hardly any yelling anymore at your service counter. What has changed?”
Darrell said, “Ever since they saw themselves they calmed down.”
The dealer said, “I can’t believe that blasted m i r r o r could make so much difference.”
Epilogue:
None of us wants to look at our mirror image with smoke pouring out of both ears and our nostrils resembling a dragon’s fiery appearance. Nor seeing our bloody-red vocal cords yelling ear-piercing curses.
James, the Lord’s brother wrote a very wise statement: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:19-20, NIV)
In Luke, Peter had the warning of Jesus in his soul. When he denied Jesus and saw Jesus look him square in the eyes his memory resurfaced creating massive guilt and shame that led to a violent tearful event.
Then in James, we see a man who looks straight in a mirror but walks away forgetting what he looked like. But what he had seen was himself - he forgot it because no one reminded him as the Lord’s glance at Peter did.
BINGO! I had the answer. And suddenly it all made sense.
I went to the dealership owner and told him I had a great cure for his service department’s maximumly-stressed-out employees. And this time I knew it would work… to greatly reduce his employees’ stress and maybe even almost eliminate it. Best of all I said, “It will cost you less than $200.” I told him I didn’t want one penny for doing it. He looked at me somewhat skeptically, pondered it and said, “Go for it!”
The cool thing that the Holy Spirit was showing me was that I should not focus on changing the employees anymore. Instead, now I was focusing on diffusing the customers.
I met with the dealership janitor when the shop was closed. He and I installed the $200.00 item.
When Darrell showed up for his next appointment I asked how things are going. He smiled and replied, “The Janitor had a clever idea. It really is helping.”
“What was it, Darrell?”
“Yesterday the Dealer said, “I don’t hear hardly any yelling anymore at your service counter. What has changed?”
Darrell said, “Ever since they saw themselves they calmed down.”
The dealer said, “I can’t believe that blasted m i r r o r could make so much difference.”
Epilogue:
None of us wants to look at our mirror image with smoke pouring out of both ears and our nostrils resembling a dragon’s fiery appearance. Nor seeing our bloody-red vocal cords yelling ear-piercing curses.
James, the Lord’s brother wrote a very wise statement: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:19-20, NIV)
"Man In The _ _ _ _ _ _ "
Performed by Joyful Noise
Performed by Joyful Noise
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