One of our big issues at work is providing excellent customer care and of course everything we do is geared towards providing an excellent service for said customers. Being a government agency, our life is doubly hard because not only are we representing our organisation but also the government as a whole. Unlike most government agencies, say the Tax Office and Child Support Agency, we are not immediately seen as the big, bad enemy and our customers tend to be more friendly towards us, however we do get the occasional person who thinks we were put on this earth specifically to solve their life issues.

I don’t have a problem with customer service and I strive to do my best to ensure customers have no reason to complain. My main job is on reception so I tend to be the first point of contact for most customers, especially if they don’t really know why they are calling or to whom they need to talk. Our organisation recently attempted to achieve Chartermark status, a fancy award which means we provide excellent customer service, but when the criteria changed we had to abandon it as our work just does not fit into those goalposts. While we were pursuing it, we had lists of things we had to do to prove we provided a quality service and we implemented most of them.

However, not at any time did the criteria state what we should expect from the customer. We were expected to bend over backwards and kiss ass to make sure our customers were happy but at no time were our rights being protected. Is it too much to expect a little respect in return? Yes, if you have a valid problem you have the right to complain but that does not mean you automatically have the right to scream abuse down the phone.

I’ve worked in those govt agencies where you are assumed to be the enemy and I’ve been a target for frustrated and angry customers. I’ve taken that abuse because I’m not allowed to retaliate. I’ve been called names and I’ve had to listen to guys describing in detail exactly what they want to do to me sexually. Not nice. No matter how tough you think you are, those type of comments are always upsetting.

I don’t think you can really understand how unpleasant customer abuse is until you’ve been in that situation for yourself. I have cause to complain about things just like anyone else on the planet but I always, always keep my cool. I know what it’s like to be on the other end of the phone and I know that person isn’t responsible for my problems. Speaking for myself, I tend to go out of my way to resolve issues faster for the people who are reasonable with me than those who rant mindlessly.

My reason for this post? I had to deal with a very obnoxious customer today and it left me physically shaking. She wouldn’t listen to anything I said and accused me of not helping her. As it turned out, I couldn’t help her because she wasn’t even phoning the right place. How stupid are you?!

So, next time you have a problem and your first reaction is to grab the phone and hurl abuse, spare a thought for the poor person on the other end. Take a walk, meditate, grab a coffee or do whatever it takes to calm yourself down. Then you can pick up that phone and talk in a rational manner. While I appreciate some companies are difficult and unfriendly, don’t assume we are all the same. Most of us will work through our lunch or stay late to ensure you are happy.

Respect costs nothing.

There has been a distinct upsurge in the number of violent crimes being committed by teenagers over the past few months and what’s even more frightening is the fact these crimes are being committed for the sole purpose of being recorded on mobile phones. The videos are then passed around to other kids and sometimes uploaded on to the internet.

What does that say about our society today? It scares me to death that people think this is a cool thing to do.

I bought a copy of The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall after reading a recommendation on the website of Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth and I’m so glad I did.

The Russian Concubine tells the story of Valentina, a White Russian, and her daughter, Lydia, who must fight for survival in the International Settlement in China after fleeing the Bolsheviks. Wounded by the loss of her husband, Valentina seeks solace in vodka and pretty much leaves Lydia to her own devices. Lydia finds herself having to resort to stealing to keep a roof over their heads and food on the table. As political tensions in China increase, Lydia falls in love with a young Chinese communist which not only places her own life in danger but also those around her.

The love story between Lydia and Chang Lo is very powerful and so heartbreakingly full of despair and promise at the same time. I’ve always been interested in pre-revolution Russia but never felt the same way about China. The atmosphere in the novel is so striking, I’m now finding myself very curious and that can never be a bad thing.

However, the cherry on top of the cake for me, was discovering the premise is actually based on the experiences of Furnivall’s own mother who was a White Russian raised in China and India. While the events of the story are fiction, the premise and many of the names used are directly lifted from Furnvall’s family tree. Furnivall was unaware of her Russian heritage for a very long time and a visit to her website reveals the story behind the book.

Lydia and Chang Lo’s love affair ends abruptly and we will have to wait for the sequel to find out more, however Furnivall’s next book is also set in Russia and I can’t wait for its release.

A week today, my brother and his family will be moving back to our area and I’m excited because it means I’ll get to see more of the kids at last. We’re also getting the dubious pleasure of looking after my brother’s fish from Monday. He has a pretty small tank with about five little fishes. I’ve no idea what they are but I’ve already informed him I can’t be held responsible for any deaths which he found pretty funny. Honestly, it takes me to water plants, never mind remember to feed fish.

I’ve been a bit absent from the net this week because I bought S3 of Prison Break and just had to watch it. I feel a bit cheated though because it’s only half a season due to the writers’ strike and I’ve seen all the episodes now. I want more! I love Wentworth Miller - he is such an intense actor. A lot of people were disappointed with S3 but I still loved it. It’s very rare to get such a good cast with such good writing.

I’ve had another bitch of a week at work and my cheekbones and jawline hurt like hell. I have a bad habit of gritting my teeth when I’m stressed and I’ve been doing a lot of that lately. I’m thinking I need to try meditation or something before I go insane completely. On the outside, all the problems seem really petty but things like that tend to build up until you are near exploding point. I keep telling myself to keep everything in perspective and not to worry about things for which I’m not responsible. It’s so damn hard though and completely frustrating.

I’ve been reading more lately and it is so good just to escape into a different world.

I started taking a few pics last night of things I thought would be good for my first Show and Tell which is hosted by Kelli Ann but I hit a snag. It was the first time I’d uploaded photos onto my Mac and I was chuffed I didn’t even need to load any software but it was a different story when it came to editing the photos.

I downloaded a trial version of Photoshop Elements and I couldn’t even work out how to resize the photos. It seemed easy enough, Image, Resize, select Size and there you go. Every time I did it - nothing happened. I’m so annoyed Corel are wearing blinkers and refusing to make PSP compatible with Macs. So, now I have to do it all again on my Windows laptop unless I can find a better graphics programme.

Appetizer
What is the nearest big city to your home?
I’m in between Glasgow and Edinburgh

Soup
On a scale of 1-10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets?
Depends on the situation

Salad
Describe your hair (color, texture, length).
My hair is predominately brunette but I have a lot of natural red highlights. It’s long (middle of my back) and straight with a tendency to frizz in rain.

Main Course
What kind of driver are you? Courteous? Aggressive? Slow?
I don’t drive.

Dessert
When was the last time you had a really bad week?
That would be every week