Work was hectic today. We had to get a report printed and out to the client overnight which meant making arrangements with 3 courier services! I was on the phone most of the morning being shuffled from deparment to department. Nobody was willing to take the initiative or responsibility for getting the small parcel from one airline to the next even though they are small independent companies with service counters next to each other in the airport!!!!
No one courier service could do it all in one night and deliver it tomorrow morning either (that's what happens when you live in the Great White North.) I was getting frazzled by the time my coworker and I got to the airport with the package. And it got worse - we had to unwrap the package so the clerk could see what was inside and wrap it back up again. So much for 'presentation is everything.'
The clerk could only charge us for delivery to the first destination. The second courier had told us we could pay their portion to the first courier. The clerk said we could not. She tried phoning the second courier but was put on hold. People were piling up behind us as they had a flight to catch. The clerk gave me the phone number of #2 courier, ensured the package was rewrapped properly (she really was sorry about having to inspect it) and was so gracious in her dealings with us. Back in my customer service days I would have let the customer know in no uncertain terms that they were ticking me off! (That's why I finally left customer service!)
My co-worker and I drove back to work and as soon as I could I phoned #2 courier. Then I phoned #3 courier. Good thing all this was billable time to the project and not on the administration dime! It looked like things were going to work out.
Just before I left for the day with yet another parcel for another courier (but for the same client!) the phone rang. It was the clerk from courier #1. She apologized again for the confusion especially since she had just started her shift when we came in with our package. I assured her all was well and everything was falling into place. I told her she didn't have to phone but she said she wanted to follow up.
You know, in the whole scheme of things my package was just small potatoes to what my friend Shauna and her mom Trudy are going through over the next 24 hours with cancer surgery. That helped me keep things in perspective and from completely losing it. Oh...and by the way...the name of the clerk.....it was Rose.
@)>----;-------
