Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12
It’s pouring down rain, and I’m sitting in my dining room keeping a lookout for a delivery to be made within the next few hours. We bought a sofa last year and thought it was great. Unfortunately, before Christmas I noticed a tear that went right along the seam in the back. If it was pushed against a wall, it might’ve taken me quite some time to notice it.
The customer service was wonderful from the store we dealt with when I contacted them after the holidays. They offered to give our money back to us or replace the sofa. We really liked the sofa so it didn’t take us long to decide we wanted it replaced. That was about four months ago. Some people might’ve refused to wait that long; I get it!
The sofa was supposed to be here the end of January, but ended up being back ordered. We were again given the option of getting our money back or waiting. We chose to wait since the problem was in the back and nobody could see it except if they were at our computer. To make a long story short, today is the day of arrival!
There is one main reason we were able to remain hopeful the situation would be resolved and stay patient throughout. It was thanks to the wonderful gentleman in customer service. He kept in contact with us the whole time. I didn’t have to call or email to check on things. He was emailing me regularly which reassured me that he was staying on top of things and I didn’t need to get frustrated or worried.
Now there was a guy who knew how to communicate with people! He was polite, kind, and fantastic to deal with. He is a major asset to that company. Without him, I don’t know if we would’ve been able to be positive that our sofa would ever make it here.
How many times could a problem be dealt with in a satisfying way if there would simply be communication and compassion shown? All people want is to be heard and feel respected. The customer service representative understood that concept. He not only saved a sale, he made me want to buy from them again. It may not seem logical, but do you see how logic can go out the window when people are the priority instead of money?
It can go the opposite way too. Something that isn’t a big deal could be blown way out of proportion when dealing with bad service and rude people. Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s enough teaching on how to respond and work with people. It’s amazing how we can get riled up by a small issue because of the way it was handled or we can feel great after a letdown. It’s all in how we talk to one another. It allows for hope!
Be careful in how you communicate with others today. You want them walking away from you in a calm state and feeling lots of hope for life. Even more important, don’t give people that much power over your emotions. Be joyful in hope that God can take care of any situation and make good come out of it. Be patient through all circumstances knowing that you just need to keep on praying and hoping!
