After a long hiatus

Last post was on 6th Jan ? Wow that's long. I didn't realise how long it was.

Well I'm still alive and kicking...sort off. Still in the same job, slightly different routine. I am now the Head of Department, which technically means I'll handle anything that have to do with "customer service".

Now how do you define "customer service". This is what I see how others, or rather my customers define "customer service": To perform or do anything that the customer asks or demands, irregardless of time factor, money or situtation. In short, what the customer demands, I must obey. My foot. This is how I define "customer service": To provide good consumer advice on products, to provide value-added service on top of pre-defined service according to house rules. In short, I provide the basics. You want more than the basics, fine. Pay for it.

Ok. Now is the story of the "hamsters". I don't know where I got the idea of calling new recruits hamsters. Anyway, Jurong Point seemed to become a training port. Which reminds me of BMT. A new recruit comes in for training, 50% trained and he shall be shipped out to another place. This company is really ambitious in opening up so so many stores all over the island. But look at the manpower. Borrow here, borrow there end up those who are on the ground suffer. Fair?

I had spent roughly 2hrs making an Excel spreadsheet on my payslip contributions starting from 2009. What amazes me is that I can get a much higher monthly sum, in May 2009 for example than now this year. And the difference lies in the sales incentive. Why the drop?

Yes complain again. Singaporeans like to complain alot. Received an email today stating that the user tried to call in to enquire about something but the call was unanswered. I wish I had a telephone operator. Or probably an answering machine that goes: "Hello. Thank you for calling XXX. For GPS/mobile devices, press 1. For desktop and notebooks, press 2. For peripherals and softwares, press 3. And the list goes on. Or on the company website contact list whereby there are different numbers for customers to dial the correct department for enquiry. Sadly and annoyingly, nothing of this happened. Because the only number on the website for my branch is my dect phone! And ever since the iPad 1 was launched, every 5mins or so, there will be an incoming call. Now tell me, I have to respond to emails, I have to perform servicing of computers, I have to check what are the status of those cases that need my attention, I have to attend to general enquiries from internal staff and customers and top of that, I need to mend the phone. But I'm born with only 2 hands. Mission impossible I could say. So I would rather you drop me an email if you have any enquiries. Because while you are calling in, I might be somewhere out in the store, or hands full packing laptops or attending to customers. And I'm more than happy to let you know the telephone numbers to the different departments out there.
Can you imagine getting stressed up just by phone calls?

Link to full article