Customer Service Dilemma (Part 1)

I recently took our van to the dealership for some warranty work. It is convenient that the service department provides complimentary loaner vehicles.

It was the exception rather than the rule that I was not pressured for time that day. After stepping out of our van, the attendant directed me toward a woman with long black hair, jeans, and a leather jacket behind the desk in the open service bay. I clumsily found my way to her area with my laptop, purse, bags, 4-year-old, and other miscellaneous stuff. The woman appeared to be chit-chatting with a co-worker.

She continued talking and talking and talking. Occasionally, she glanced at me and made brief eye contact while continuing to visit.

At that point the straps from my bags, purse, and laptop started to slide down my shoulders and arm. I set all of my belongings on the chair in front of her desk and stood in front of the woman looking at her with greater expectation of her assistance in the near future.

“Oh, do you need loaner car?”

“Yes, I do.”

The woman directed me to sit down and pulled out the paperwork. At that point another co-worker leaned next to her to give her some information about a personal business transaction. She explained to me that in the recent past, she traded her older mountain bike for some repair work on one of her home appliances. I asked her why she got rid of her bike. She explained that somehow as a result of her divorce she was able to get an even better racing bike.

I kept watching with anticipation as that pen was moving within inches of starting to fill out the paperwork. And then she started to whip through the paperwork.

But then her cell phone rang.

It was as if her hand gradually started operating in slow motion, moving towards a complete stop as she talked on her cell phone. Apparently, she now was talking with her partner in her likely post-divorce relationship. After some pleasantries and small talk, she told the person she loved him and hung up the phone.

At this point I was thinking since I have been around, this woman has spent 85% of her time in personal activities not related to her work. I think I was being generous in giving her that kind of assessment. As a small business owner, I know how financially devastating it would be to have one of my employees give me only 15% of the work for the time that I paid them. I asked God, “Should I do something here? Should I say something?”

The direction I heard from God at that moment was to just pray for her. And I did.

Although I did not say a thing, I believe the woman started picking up on my body language. I can–and do–send very intense messages with my body language. She started being more business-like and work-focused and, quite frankly, not unprofessional, After her phone call, the woman was able to complete the paperwork, check out the loaner car for me, and send me on my way.

Throughout our day God, constantly gives us opportunities to be charitable towards others. Sometimes our act of charity is to be silent, but at other times, He calls us to be more active in our charitable response. In my next post, I will write how understanding our roles and being connected with the Holy Spirit can help us respond to others in the most charitable way possible.

Catholic Women’s Guide to Healthy Relationships Tip: If you think God might be wanting you to act in a delicate situation, immediately stop and ask Him what He wants you to do, and be quiet to hear His response.