The Moments That Matter

I work for an essential business that services 80 percent of the city's population. My coworkers and I take thousands of calls a week assisting our customers so that they can continue being serviced during the pandemic. Our company decided to jump on what many customer service operations have now implemented in their business, "moments that matter". What happens is that we speak with a customer ( for whatever reason they are calling for) and during those calls a lot of customers share their current experiences and problems in their lives. When one stands out an employee sends a card and/or an extra gift just to remind our customers that we are here and that we understand. Below are a few stories that have touched my heart and showed me that there are really genuine loving people in the world.

1.) The Tooth Fairy

A co-worker received a call from a woman who had just moved into her home and was calling to get her service set up. During the call the woman's child was crying saying that the tooth fairy had forgotten her again. The mother, on the verge of tears, was coming up with numerous excuses as to why the tooth fairy hadn't picked up the tooth. Lets just say the rest of the call was an emotional one. She explained that she was a single mother and times were hard. After the call ended my co worker sent the child a gift and a card posing as the tooth fairy and explaining that she had been so busy and sorry for the delay. It was the most beautiful thing and sometimes all it takes are small acts of kindness to remind someone that they are not alone in their struggle.

2.) Death and Birth at the Same Time

This call i'd taken personally and I still tear up just thinking about it. A woman had called in to remove her husband from their account. He had recently passed and she was taking it hard as they had been together for 65 years. She was explaining that he had passed due to Covid and it was the saddest thing. She spoke of her husband in such high regard that I felt her love through the phone. She explained that within a hour of him getting the symptoms he was asking to be taken to the hospital and then 3 hours after that he was gone. She was so upset and in disbelief by how sudden it was but this woman then chuckled and told me how about 5 minutes later her daughter in law called her to tell her that their granddaughter had been born at the same time as his death. It was such a devastating and beautiful moment to hear about that we were both in tears. She was very positive and hopeful of what was to come that her energy and vibe just flowed with me through out the day. So I ended up sending a card and some flowers both for her loss and the new addition to her family.

3.) New Baby, Single Mother, No heat

Imagine, you're home from the hospital with a newborn and your furnace and water heater is out. No hot water, no heat, and the temp outside is below 40. That's what a young mother was going through when she called speaking to a co-worker. She was upset and scared yet so respectful and patient. It was such a sad situation and while there wasn't anything that could be done to help with her faulty appliances my co-worker did send her two space heaters, a gift card for Wal-mart, and some flowers welcoming her new addition.

Although not all of these were of my situations and I didn't speak with some of these customers directly I was still impacted greatly. It not only encouraged me to slow down and take my time with my customers but also it was a great reminder that everyone is going through something. Whether its the person who cut you off in traffic, the angry sales person at the grocery store, or the drive-thru employee that got your order wrong. We are all trying to live and to survive and sometimes all it takes are kind words, patience, and understanding to shift someone's day around. It also puts people into a good space to pay it forward.

Love everyone, be kind, and just maybe we'll be able to change the world, one smile at a time!