After retiring I carried a cell phone for my former employer for seven years solving customer service issues. Every service manager in our industry in North America had my cell phone number. Actually, the calls didn’t stop until I had been retired seventeen years. That was probably because the service managers retired. For the seven years I was receiving a pittance and no benefits. But it was all I asked for, the action was more important to me. When the French decided they had one too many employees, and it was me, the calls continued, but no income.
I took the calls no matter what time or where I was, because their problem was more important than anything I was doing. We were on our annual golf vacation in Florida and had just finished a round, when Leo, one member of our group told me that he had heard me do so many of these calls that he could do them. I told him that I was really glad to hear that.
We had just sat down as a group in the clubhouse for lunch when my phone rang. I answered it, listened and then told the gentleman on the other end that I would like to help him, but had no idea how. However, there was a guy here who could help him, and I handed my phone to Leo. I learned something about Leo that day. He can dance! He waltzed this guy all around Robin Hood’s barn before admitting he couldn’t help him. But there was a guy here who could.
He gave me my phone back and I took care of the guy’s problem. Then I told him to never tell me he could do this because he couldn’t. He assumed this was the end of it. Not so, I called Mike my former east coast sales manager and now in my former position and asked him to call at eight am Wednesday morning and here’s what we are going to do.
Wednesday morning, we are loading clubs when my phone rings. It is Mike. I listen for a while and then tell Leo that he can handle this call. All he needs to do is to tell the guy to remove the 3/8-inch line from the inlet of his pump and replace it with a 1/2-inch line. I hand him my phone knowing he is not going to do it. He proceeds to talk and talk and talk. Mike then tells Leo how wonderful it is to call a company and get to talk to a person. Leo replies yes sir. Then he tells Leo how smart he seems to be. Leo says yes sir. Then he asked where Leo had got his degree, from some f—ing grocery store. Leo looked like a calf caught in a hailstorm. Leo in real life was a manager of a grocery store.
Just another fun day in our wonderful golf group.
