The past few days have been an incredible learning experience for me. Amanda and Liz, who help me out here in the office, have been on vacation, and so I have basically been covering the phone duties while they are gone.
As President of momAgenda, I have been fortunate to get along with nearly everyone I have worked with. People are respectful and professional when they speak with me, and I try to always be professional and respectful to others as well (even when I feel like being otherwise!).
Well, I have learned this week that the person answering the phone is not always extended the same courtesy. I have had people be rude, insensitive, and condescending to me because they think the person answering the phone is probably just a low-level staffer that they can vent to. Now I know most of my customers are kind-hearted, wonderful people; I know this because so many of you write to me and as a result I feel like I have thousands of freinds out there. But there are a couple of people who I have spoken with this week who have absolutely shocked me with their bad behavior.
This was a real wake-up call for me. I am now going to pay special attention to how I treat others and make sure that I treat everyone equally, whether they are the person who answers the phone or the person who runs the business. Who knows, that person may be one and the same. And regardless, it does not really matter. I always tell my kids that they should be treating everybody with kindness and respect (except strangers of course:) and I think that adults should follow that principle as well.
So true! It’s easy to get caught up in your own life and forget what other people are going through.