Talking With Children and Small Compliments

Have you ever worked with young kids who think, since you're an adult, you know and can do everything and anything they need? Sometimes, even when there's nothing you could do, they insist that you fix their problem. Since you're an adult and know a lot more than them, you're supposed to know everything. The possibility that you might not is almost unfathomable. Talking with young children is, essentially, what I do for a living now. 

The job I've been working lately has not been the easiest job I've ever had, for sure. I work at a call center called Vivint doing tech support. In other words, customers call in and need me to fix something for them. They're a lot like children, since they think you must know all the answers and can fix every conceivable problem. And they're not always in the most patient or happy of moods, since it's usually the case that their alarm system has been malfunctioning somehow or their service has not been good. Every day, there's a lot I have to deal with. Sometimes I wish I could just tell them there's nothing I can do and walk away. But yeah, I'd probably get fired for that one. haha

However, yesterday actually ended up being pretty good. It wasn't anything that happened during most the day, the shift was mostly just normal. But, at the end of the night, right when I was exhausted and about to go home, somebody else called in to my phone line. At this point, I was pretty unhappy that I couldn't leave and didn't want to answer the call. If I answered it, that meant I'd get out late, and I really just wanted to be done. 

I ended up being surprised. The individual calling in wasn't happy with his situation, he had been having continual troubles with the system and didn't know what to do. In fact, he seemed to understand that I was having trouble helping him. And yet, while on the call, he actually became happier. He said that I was the nicest person he had ever talked to about his security system, that he was about ready to have it taken out if he didn't get somebody friendly this time. It wasn't necessarily that I was the best, it was just that he said it seemed like I actually cared and wanted to help him. 

That last call made my week, since it was the first time at this job that I actually felt successful. I'd never felt confident that I could even be competent working at the call center, and I was given just a little bit of hope last night. If you ever get the chance to give somebody a small compliment, you might be surprised at the effect it could have. In this case, it made the difference to where I went home in a good mood and felt good about my work for the first time since I started there.

The best thing about talking with small children and customers is that, once in a while, even when you don't feel that you're good enough to anybody else, they can give you the confidence to feel that you're great at what you do.