National Customer Service Week (NCSW)

In any and every job we find ourselves in there will always be things we take pleasure in doing and things we do because it is our duty.

I think few people would say they have pleasure in everything they do at work. Of course, looking for ways to find pleasure in the 'duty' side of things is what I believe most people who are generally happy with their jobs do.

It may seem to you that being a 'caller agent', as few of my colleague and friends call me, is less important or meaningful than other jobs, but it could be they are not looking enough to the positives. I am in a position to help people, at least as far as I am able, if I am doing my best.

This is as noble a job as many others.

Plus, I am helping people all around the country. It does not matter where they are calling from, what is their race, sex, colour or education. I treated them, help them equally. Sometimes, I have to raise my voice disturbing other people around me because the person is calling from both or bus stop and cant hear me. I don’t say ‘call me later’ or ‘come in the quite place’, nope….I help them by deliberately yelling in the receivers.

I sometimes had to deal with the people who don’t understand English…don’t understand Urdu…. Even they don’t understand what I say to them… I have to explain every single terminology I use. I sometimes has to bear some angry customers complain cursing me, though I know that after when I calmly listen to them, it naturally helped them feel better. I always make myself gentle reminders about positive side of my job.

I always think that each person who enters in contact with me is an opportunity for me to be kind to, and sometimes, believe it or not, even when I am not able to respond to the caller's needs, just being kind and demonstrating willingness can make a whole difference in a caller's day, or even life.

At the end of the day, that's what drives me. Being kind and hoping that even the smallest things I do can touch someone in a positive way, I already consider my contribution to others and almost a reason for being.

But it always hurts when I sometimes heard people complaining that they are standing outside the gate of British Council, even after all the hope and desire to see someone coming from inside to help them out I always have to say NO to them. That British Council is closed for public access and we can’t entertain them. It really made me wild for a while.

So when I heard that we are celebrating our National Customer Service Week (NCSW), and asked for our suggestions, I readily said that I want our security guards to be trained to treat our customer nicely and enthusiastically. If we can’t go outside for them at least our guards should know how to treat customer in humanitarian way.

So, my Line Manager, Khadija Hussaini (being the Customer Service Champion) took the liberty and gave our security guards a training session of one hour and trained them how they can also be the customer service provider.

As it was my idea, I felt proud and most of all felt much relax that now when customer would come at ACTON GATE, they will be entertained as our valued customer no matter what enquiry they have.

When one tries to do the best one can, this is noticed by others and good things can happen to our lives, without us even expecting them.