It's that time of the year that most of us enjoy, the holiday season. Time when we prepare to get together with family and friends to celebrate and to relax. A time when we are so busy that we sometimes forget about others.
Things don't always go the way that they should in the lead-up to holiday times and oftentimes we are in a rush to get things done so that we can relax. In this busy time when things don't go the way that we hoped that they would, we get anxious and may say things that we wouldn't ordinarily say.
The bearer of our immediate response is often the person who can help us the most, the customer service assistant (CSA).
Those who work in the customer service industry - banks, call centres, shops, restaurants, etc. - do so because they enjoy what they do. They are drawn to their vocation because they want to help others.
It is in these busy times that they work harder than ever with no additional reward. Their reward is simply to help as many people as possible.
Along we come and when things don't go the way that we want them to we take our frustrations out on them. We yell, we berate, and we want what went wrong to be fixed immediately. We say things in the heat of the moment that we later regret.
Know that the person in front of you or who is on the phone is trying their very best to help you with your issue. They don't want things to go wrong for you, they don't want you to be in distress, they didn't set out to make your life hard.
When things go wrong in these busy times, spare a thought for those who work in the customer service industry.
If things don't go as you had planned them to, don't take it out on the CSA. Smile, take a deep breath, listen to the advice that is given to you and accept it.
I am no longer surprised at what occurs when I do this - a solution is found, I get more than I ever wanted, and I certainly don't have that horrible feeling of regret after ranting at someone who was just trying to help.