The last few weeks have been a significant trial for an impatient person like me. The biggest issue has been my ongoing battle with the Embassy of Kazakhstan to get my passport returned in time to start my travels. Of the three visa trips my passport made to DC, this was the only one I elected to send by Express Mail figuring that although I had 3 full weeks ("usual processing time up to 5 days") I might be a bit tight. The striking characteristic of my 3 times per day phone calls to the embassy to move the process forward was the overall pleasantness of the people involved. While the people were not really doing anything to help me, they were very nice and "sounded helpful." The urgency on my part never translated into action on their part. During the same weeks I struggled to get a jacket repaired under warranty. In a similar manner, the people were uniformly nice and always acted concerned about my problem. They sometimes even called back when they said they would. Yet nothing ever happened - it seems that "Nate" was on vacation, and he was the only one who knew anything. Then, the company was acquired and not allowed to order any new jackets until mid June when the ordering systems were merged. In both cases, caring and concerned employees were thwarted by business systems which prevented them from helping the customer. My final example was a "quick stop" to replace a custom made battery pack. Here I got the "it should take a day - we'll call you." Since they didn't call, I did! And somehow they seemed frustrated that I didn't just wait for them to call me. The key was expectations - had they told me it would take "up to a week," I would not have even thought about it. All of these reminded my of the adage to "under promise and over deliver" to ensure customer satisfaction. Setting realistic expectations, and then meeting or beating them is the best way to ensure customer loyalty. And the message for me for my upcoming trip? Be patient - it'll work out in the end!
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