Service Hell

I work in a small but proud information and referral center, we are one and half people and we are always struggling but we get by. We are not service providers in the sense that we have clients that we provide service to. Our motto is “one call that’s all!”. We hopefully give the caller what they need to know, tell them where to go and then dispatch them. A couple of weeks ago we took a call from someone who literally had cases of adult sized diapers they wanted to get rid of. The caller did not want to list the diaper on our web site and the caller could not find anyone else who would take them. I told them we would take them—I would store them under my desk if I had to rather then loose the diapers. BECAUSE I knew that sooner or later we would get “the call”. Well, today was that day. This morning we got a call from Russ in a city 40 miles to the north of me and he was down to his last diaper and he needed some more. Russ had been referred to our Center by his local 211 operator. I don’t know if Russ knows who we are or what we do but he wanted me to drop these off at his home. I told him there was no way that me bringing the diapers to his home was going to happen but I would see what to ship them up in the next couple of days. TT took the call and somehow the call got handed over to me.

Since we are housed and work in the Capitol city of this State many folks from up North travel to Salt Lake everyday. I was hoping I would get lucky(or rather that Russ would get lucky) and we could find someone traveling North and throw a couple of cases in their trunk and drop the diaper off as they pass the city. I sent out a couple of emails and made a couple of calls but none of the folks I make the trip had come to the city today. I was discussing this with my staff round the copy machine just by chance and one blinked her eyes and said the driver of the independent living center in that area( and who Russ has been working with) was in our building even as we were speaking an would be soon returning and would drop the diapers off as he went. Another miracle for the month! I could not believe it I am going to become believer yet. TT and I were feeling pretty confident and assured as sent the diapers away to Russ. TT had left for the day when I got another call Russ. Russ wanted to know if the diapers we were shipping North were Depends. I immediately put the call on hold and screamed an appropriate
inappropriate expletive and let Russ know the diapers coming up were NOT Depends but would work just fine and he had better appreciate them when they got there and disconnected the call. Russ called a final time about forty five minutes ago indicating the diapers had got to his apartment and they would work just fine. I felt relieved and then he said, “Oh and tell that lady thanks for talking to me.” Russ said this is a small squeaky mouse voice kind of cracking but sincere. Russ has been one of jut a few who ever calls with thanks.