Customer service.

It seems to me that customer service is hard to come by lately and therefore should be celebrated. I came to this conclusion in a haze of Xanex induced fog shortly after my laser vision correction surgery. Now for those of you who don't know, Xanex is how God tells us it's alllll gonna be ok.

But back to the surgery. I'd been wearing glasses since the 6th grade. Astigmatism in both eyes. Blind as a bat (not really but close enough to count).

I decided to get the surgery in May. Went to Lasik MD, filled out the form and was on my way.
There were telephone discussions with sales people. There was an assessment appointment. I qualified for surgery and financing and we were booked.
Then the nerves set in. See, I get a little claustrophobic. Just enough to make the dentist and something like eye surgery nerve wracking.  I also needed somebody to drive me to surgery. I was booked for Ottawa, about three hours away by car.

So being a planner I called Lasik and spoke to Sue three weeks before surgery to see if she thought I should book a hotel in Ottawa for how many days? The day of, the next and possibly one more?
Her reply "why don't you just take the bus?"

Now I wasn't interested in climbing on the Grey Hound for a three hour ride home after eye surgery and I told her so. She replied  "We have our own bus".
Ladies and Gentlemen I cannot tell you how much that settled my mind. The transportation issue was taking on nightmarish proportions for me. It loomed.

The day of surgery was well oiled machine smooth. No kidding. On the bus for 8:30, on the road by 9, lunch courtesy of Lasik at 11 and movie on board. To the Ottawa clinic. Sue and Jamie there to answer any questions, calm any fears and instruct us on the use of the Keurig machine.

Sue handed out the Xanex (thank you Baby Jesus). Jamie prepped for the procedure. Surgery by a fantastic kind surgeon (and really how often do we get to say THAT?) then after a slightly embarrassing Xanex induced nap in the waiting room, back on the bus.

All the way home Sue and Jamie prompted caregivers to give certain eye drops at certain times, delivered the drops for those who had no caregivers, handed out cold facecloths, bottled water and snacks. They even looked after my mom with snacks and drinks.

Now you may be thinking "WTH? does this chick work for Lasik MD?" I sure don't. I receive nothing from them for this blog post. I am just so appreciative of the customer service.

As I lay on the bus in the afore mentioned Xanax fog I wondered "where else do I get service like this?" I came up with a few spots. My local Starbucks for instance, they constantly have my caffeine deprived back. Bellevegas Boardroom in my hometown and one shop at the mall.

That is it.
That is all.
And I though about it.

And I feel a little sad about that. You see, I've worked customer service. Did it for years. I've worked in the mall, at resorts and doing home sales. Customer service is not hard. It is not complicated.

In fact, it's fairly rewarding, raging jerks aside. Much more rewarding than getting it wrong, screwing up orders and ignoring people.

I wonder, are people no longer able to do customer service? Do we work too fast for basic communication to take root? That's all customer service is, you see. Good communication. A warm greeting. Listening hard, finding the issue and the solution that makes someone feel they got their money's worth.

Which breeds repeat customers and referrals. Any purchase is mostly about the experience so I would think that companies would train and train hard their front line staff for customer service.

I'm not seeing it, however. Fast food places get my order wrong, clothing stores ignore me when  I have a pocket full of cash.

It's too bad really. Cause I have a big mouth, y'all. I'm sending people to Lasik MD, Starbucks, and Bellevegas Boardroom left right centre and sideways.