I Forgot To Remember

I was leading a customer service exercise the other day and a woman asked for solutions on how to deter the same customer from asking for their password over and over. We crafted some solutions as a group (One of which was to make it more difficult for the person to reach her. We did NOT encourage that idea!)

In this case, sometimes people give themselves permission to forget things because the answer is so readily available somewhere else. How many phone number did you have memorized 10 years ago? How many now?

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​This situation reminded me there is often an emotional aspect to customer service that sometimes alludes us. It put me in mind of this story I heard from a 20-year veteran staff member from the Boston Public Library.

Every week for several months, a man would come in asking for information about radios. He seemed distant, unfocused, a little "off,"  Even though she repeatedly served him, he repeatedly asked for the same information.  Of course, after multiple visits she became quite  frustrated.

After being absent for several weeks, the man finally returned and approached her. He said, "I was on medication for the last few months. I don't remember much, but I do remember that when I was here, I was helped."

It's a touching story and a good reminder that what might seem a nuisance for us, might be priceless to someone else.