Behind the scenes of customer care... my day as a slightly unrepentant "eavesdropper": the truth that nobody tells you

Today Milan is a furnace.

And I'm not talking about one of those old-style ovens where pizza is cooked, but the kind of furnace that glues your fingertips to your phone and turns your parked car into a microwave oven.

The sun beats down on my usual desk mercilessly. I resisted exactly three minutes and thirty-seven seconds. Then, with the dignity of a retreating general, I grabbed my laptop, my (now boiling) water bottle, and declared a state of emergency. I moved to the shadow area.

That is, right next to them. My customer care girls.

Yes, I know, "my girls" sounds a bit like a gangster from a 1950s movie. Bear with me. They are my champions, and I am proud of them. And today, sitting in my cool corner with headphones on, between one email and another, I did some innocent "espionage."

Voice & Web: beyond the telephone, the art of truly listening

And as always, they surprised me. Because on the other side, there is always a person. Tired, often discouraged, with only one hope: to find someone who, first of all, listens.

My girls know it.

You can see it in their tone of voice, which changes when they understand that the caller is elderly or a bit disoriented. The voice slows down, becomes softer, almost welcoming. They choose simple words, funny comparisons to explain technical details, and deploy a patience that would put a saint to shame. Or a Tibetan monk.

And today I saw (spied) two scenes that would deserve an Oscar in the "Zen Level: SUPERIOR" category.

The first was dealing with a lady who couldn't read the serial number for registration. My girl tried, tried again, made mistakes, corrected: "Try to shine a bit more light", "Tilt it a little", "Try with your phone's flashlight", with a patience that would put a saint to shame.

Until, suddenly, a muffled cry of joy: "There it is! Ma'am, we made it!"

I didn't find it. It's not done. We made it. Together.

Shortly after, the second. Another was helping a lady find an authorized service center in her area. It wasn't simple, the first searches gave no useful results, too far away or unreachable. But my girl, undeterred, changed search criteria, widened the radius, narrowed it. Then, with a sweetness that would sweeten the most bitter coffee, I heard her say: "We'll try everything, Ma'am, don't worry!".

Four words. Yet in those four words, there was everything.

Customer Care: when support becomes a human skill

That's what they do every day, in silence. They transform a cold practice into a telephone hug. They take someone's frustration and return it as relief. It's not simple. It requires empathy, concentration, the ability to reset at every call as if the previous one had left no trace. And yet it does. But they go on.

Today, sitting in my cool corner, I worked little (don't tell the boss!) and listened a lot.

And I thought that certain things like true listening, genuine care, the ability to make someone feel less alone, are a rare value. Rare like people who still know how to wait their turn without complaining.

But today, I discovered they are not so rare. They are here. They are them.

Thank you, girls. You already know it, but it does good to say it. It does good to remember it. Because one day, when you are on the other side of the phone, you will hope to find someone like you. And I hope you find them. You deserve it!

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Article by Simona Di Iorio Sales Assistant for Voice & Web.

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Voice & Web's scope of activity spans from Customer Care Services, to Customer Satisfaction, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), customer facilitation and guidance in eCommerce activities and processes, to improve the user experience.