serving the public

[deird1]

You know how you ring up a government department to complain about something, and you get shuffled from phone to phone by guys who have no idea what you're talking about and just want you to go away and keep forwarding your calls to the wrong people? And by the end of the fifth phonecall you just want to punch something and SCREAM but you're still being sort of polite in the hopes that they'll be more helpful if you are, but then you also gave up on being helped about ten minutes into phonecall three when the guy asked you your name AGAIN and then said "And you're wanting to talk to someone about traffic congestion, right?" when your problem is parking tickets and they're STILL NOT GETTING IT, and any minute now you're going to have to start your explanation over AGAIN, and you HATE THE WORLD?

I love dealing with people who are having a day like this.


Mainly because I usually am the person they need to talk to. And because, normally, my phonecalls go something like this:

Mez:
Hi!
Can I help make your life easier?
:)

Irate Citizen:
You guys suck!
Trees exist!
Life is hard!
TAKE THE TREES AWAY!

Mez:
I'm so sorry.
:(
I'll stop the trees existing for you.
...all better?

Irate Citizen:
Yeah, well... I'VE STILL HAD A BAD DAY.
YOU SUCK.
TREES EXIST!!!
HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME!!!!



Whereas, with these poor people I described above, it's more like this:

Mez:
Hi!
Can I help make your life easier?
:)

Irate Citizen:
You guys suck!
Trees exist!
And I'm never ever going to find anyone to make it better ever because no-one loves me and they all keep forwarding my calls to the wrong person...
*grumbles*

Mez:
I'm so sorry.
:(
I'll stop the trees existing for you.
...all better?

Irate Citizen:
You...
:O
You can...
:$
You can...
:)
You mean you're actually going to listen to me??
:)
And DO SOMETHING???
:D
SERIOUSLY???
YOU DON'T THINK THIS IS A STUPID PROBLEM??? YOU ACTUALLY CARE?????
\o/
\o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/ \o/
*\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/* *\o/*
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
*starts dance party devoted to love of Mez*


They're so pathetically grateful not to have their call forwarded on again, that you instantly become their best friend in the whole universe, and they'll do anything just to make you happy.

And that makes me feel so nice.

Comments

[velvetwhip]

I'm not government, but I've been that person and it is really neat when you can be helpful and make someone's life easier.


Gabrielle

[trouble]

I used to have that job!

I kinda miss it. I can't help people much anymore. :(

[glorious-pancake-morning.blogspot.com]

You are the hero of the telephone.
One day I will have a worthwhile job.

[deird1]

Heck, if you think my job sounds worthwhile, you can have it. I'll go and find a nice job editing things...

[glorious-pancake-morning.blogspot.com]

No movement on that front? :(

Hey, where'd you get those business cards done by the way?

[deird1]

Not so far. :(

I got them done at Vistaprint. Go google it...

[glorious-pancake-morning.blogspot.com]

Hehe. My brother got his done there too! Except, his say:

John Reynoldson
a bit of alright
(he got that free option)

[vass]

As a person who's been on the other end of that conversation, I thank you.

For the record, the last time I had a phone call like that, it wasn't a government department, it was the Commonwealth Bank. This did not make it any better.

[next_to_normal]

Haha, one time I had to call about my internet not working, and I got transferred to four different people and around in circles and finally I got to the point where the fifth person answered the phone and I just started to cry. And he was extraordinarily nice and helpful and fixed whatever was wrong, even though technically it wasn't his job, but he felt so sorry for me that he didn't want to transfer me AGAIN!

I learned my lesson. Now I just cry as soon as I get the first person. :)

[stormwreath.livejournal.com]

So basically your job is like, "Death to trees"?

In fact, wasn't it you who once posted a video of your giant helicopter-mounted tree-destroying chainsaw death machine?

So, if ever I have a problem with pesky trees, I know whom to call! \o/

Also, Treebeard says "Hhhrrrrooooom."

[deird1]

That's the one. Environmentalist Public Servants are my archnemeses. :)

[silver_galaxy]

The worst thing about these calls (when you're the one answering it) is when someone tells you that department x referred them to you to deal with the issue and really it's something that has nothing to do with you and department x should have answered the question in the first place. And then you have to tell them to go back to department x. At this point I usually tell them to firmly remind department x that we do not deal with these issues!