Missed Calls

I absolutely detest poor customer service.

I was going to use the word “hate” but “detest” is more befitting of the intellectual distaste, emotional revulsion and mental anguish that stirs inside of me whenever someone who I have decided to give my money to treats me as though I am doing them a favor.

My detestation of poor customer service is not just personal. It is also professional. As a veteran of the Hospitality Industry, I have never understood why so many people decide to work in customer service jobs who don’t like customers. While I was in graduate school, I worked as concierge at a four star hotel. It remains one of the best experiences of my life. We were trained to imagine that every customer who walked into the hotel had a sign on their forehead that read “I’m worth a million dollars.” That simple exercise transformed how I interacted with people. Now of course, many of the guests who walked into the hotel weren’t millionaires. But many of them were. And I learned that if you treat people like they are worth a million dollars it can yield some incredibly positive results.

Let me say it again. There is nothing that boils my insides like poor customer service. I absolutely detest it. And I often punish those who give it. I have been known to leave a penny as a tip with written instructions on how to improve. Conversely, I absolutely delight in superb customer service. And I often reward those who give it. I have been known to leave a tip ten times the amount of the bill and to write extensive letters thanking those who give it.

So you can imagine my delight when earlier this week I called a store in New York City to purchase a hat. This particular store has only one location in the United States, and has only been open for one month. I decided to take a chance to see if they had an item that was out of stock on their online store. I called twice, and there was no answer. Moreover, leaving a voicemail was not an option because the voicemail system had not been set up. Needless to say, I was disappointed. But my disappointment had less to do with the hat and more to do with the fact that my call went unanswered. I would have preferred a busy signal to no answer! As my disappointment was slowly metastasizing into detestation, my phone rang. It was the number I had just called. A voice on the other end said “Hello, this is Joe. I see that you just called our store. I apologize for missing your call. I am the General Manager. How can I be of assistance?” I was blown away. That experience easily ranks as one of the most impressive displays of customer service I had ever received. And it all came down to how they handled a missed call.

We miss calls all the time. We miss calls because we are often missing in action. And guess what? Missed calls often result in missed blessings. I don’t know about you, but I know I have probably missed a ton of blessings because I’ve failed to return a ton of missed calls.

Question: how available are you?

If a blessing was trying to find you, could you be located?

There are two instances in the New Testament where Jesus is said to have wept. The first is in John 11:35 when he arrived at the tomb of his friend Lazarus. The second is in Luke 19:41. Here are the details of that second occasion:

But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognize it when God visited you. (Luke 19:41-44)

God is always visiting us. And far too frequently, we miss his visitations. Every unopened letter, unread email, and missed call might be a divine opportunity in disguise. You never know what someone wants. They may want to bless you. Instead of viewing people as intrusions, interruptions, or inconveniences, we should start imaging an invisible sign that says “I’m worth a million dollars” on the forehead of everyone we interact with.

Now.

Look at your phone.

See how many missed calls you have.

And call them back.

P.S. I bought the hat.