“Oh no, not that question, again.” Yes, the holiday brings out lots of questions and many to the receiver are redundant, repetitious, silly or just plan head scratchers. Questions I’ve answered repeatedly when working different jobs:
- Where are the bathrooms?
- Are you a “fair-weather friend”?
- How do you _________________ – fill in the blank with anything from start the computer, to finding the exit.
- Where do I send this form?
- Where are the bathrooms?
I could go on, but hopefully you get the point. To the customer, it is the first time they have asked the question, even if it is the hundredth time you have been asked the question that day. It is part of the landscape of some jobs. I find that thinking about the answering of questions as if I were a teacher keeps me in the right frame of mind.
Remembering back to your favorite teacher, most of them were seasoned teachers. Maybe they had taught fifth grade 20 times and still, the children asked the same questions and the favorite teacher acted like each question was the first time asked and treated it respectfully.
During the month of December, when nerves get frayed and tempers get stretched, instead of thinking “oh no, not that question again,” try treating it like the first time you ever heard it and enjoy the chance to dazzle your customer. If you can’t dazzle, then just wear a funny hat – it will help the customer notice something other than your attitude and it might just help lighten your day.
