Last week I had to place a call to a medical insurance
claim office. This was the medical carrier that we had for
last years health insurance and was calling about a claim
for Kevin's knee injury of last year.
Ohhhhhhh how I really dreaded this call. !!!
More often than not, the customer service person is not
all that pleasant just hurrying you along for the next call.
When you dial in, naturally it's an automated computer
until you put in enough information and then hopefully
you get to a human being.
So I had entered some info, and was looking around in a
daze when I thought I heard another automated voice.
The voice sounded so sweet and nice I thought I still had
the machine.....
Then I heard a .....'Hello, are you there, how can I help you' ?
From the VERY moment that Vanessa came on the line,
she was amazing. After taking care of what I needed to,
I thanked her profusely for her great style and manner on the phone.
We chatted for a second and here she was located in the major city
not all that far from me. Sometimes, a person can be quite far
away.
After hanging up, I decided almost immediately to phone back
and ask for her supervisor to relay what a pleasant experience my
call in had been. I got a gal on the line and explained that I wanted
to talk to a supervisor of the call center. She hesitated for a second,
and I said.........'Ohhhhhh this is a GOOD call'. And then I said to her
you know what, how about you give me the mailing information instead
and I will write the supervisor a letter. I just felt a letter would be more
appropriate to express my thanks on the superior customer service.
I composed a letter right away, and went to print it out on white paper.
For Christmas, my daughter Kerri had given me some beautiful and colorful
stationary. I grabbed that and thought...... What the heck, it's not so
professional looking, but it SURE IS FUN. !!!
I mailed the letter out that afternoon.
The very next day I had a call from Vanessa. She was floored that I
took the time to write a letter on her behalf. She said that morning,
her supervisor approached her desk and said.....
"I have something to share with you"..........
Vanessa said at first she thought to herself......
"Ohhhhhh no, what could this be".
The supervisor handed her the original letter, and then said,
"That is yours to keep, I've made a copy of it for your files."
Vanessa said to me.... "Mrs Estep, you have no idea how you
have MADE MY DAY....... no, make that my whole week, or make
that for a long time to come. Anytime I am feeling down, I am going
to pull out this beautiful letter and remember your kindness."
Awwwwwwww I was in tears. !!!! The picture above is a piece of that
FUN paper that I scanned in and made smaller. I just added the word
smile in there so it would not look blank. LOL
Just picture that paper full size 81/2 x 11 and turned the other way,
and you get the idea.
It's amazing how easy it is to uplift another human being. All it takes
is just a little time, and effort. But honestly, the goodness came right back
to me when Vanessa took the time to personally call me and thank me
for writing the letter that I did.
Deb, you are the epitome of what life is all about. You set the standards for what we need to make this world a better place in which to live.
Posted by: Debbie | March 12, 2008 at 09:48 AM
I LOVE this story. Pay it Forward and look what you get in return.
I bet Vanessa will remember this always...
Hallie :)
Posted by: Hallie | March 13, 2008 at 08:44 AM
Awwwww Debbie, as I said to you in an email.
I am hitting my mark then and ~Being the change I wish to see in the world~ Ghandi
Hallie,
Wow... maybe Vanessa will. I never thought about always, but indeed she might.
Dang, where is that post I made...
Soul Graffiti Artist. It all works in with that post... I'll have to hunt for it.
THANKS ladies for your comments. !!!!
Posted by: Deb Estep | March 13, 2008 at 11:27 AM
Soul Graffiti (sol graf - fi - ti) V. the conscious act of performing kindness to another soul, resulting in leaving
an everlasting imprint on another's life.
http://deb_inside.typepad.com/deb_inside/2006/10/soul_graffiti_a.html
Posted by: Deb Estep | March 13, 2008 at 11:29 AM
Deb, I agree with Debbie. You are one of the nicest people that I know. You remind me of my friend Mary S. who taught me about womanly softness. Kindness is one of the many lessons that my friend Mary taught me. Thanks for being in my life.
Posted by: Patricia - Spiritual Journey Of A Lightworker | March 13, 2008 at 11:30 AM
This is a very nice story. Truly these phone conversations can be a great boost to us in our daily lives. This is how we communicate with each other so often. Not face to face.
Imagine how difficult it is for someone to do this on a job meeting a new person every few minutes who is struggling. It really takes a special person to do it well.
Posted by: David | March 13, 2008 at 12:36 PM
Deb,
You are what I wish to be like when I grow up! I will follow your example and like Hallie says "Pay it forward".
Michelle
Posted by: Michelle | March 13, 2008 at 03:41 PM
Deb, didnt it make your week too? I love the "pass it forward" mindset. If more people would think like this the world would be a better place to live in.
way to go!
Tonjia
Posted by: Tonjia | March 15, 2008 at 12:07 AM
Can you tell I havent slept in several days??? LOLOL I meant PAY it forward. What am I thinking of football??? LMAO
Tonjia
Posted by: Tonjia | March 15, 2008 at 12:09 AM
Patricia,
What a compliment that I remind you of a dear friend... I know it's not easy to have friends cross over, but having memories that help us with life lessons is quite a blessing.
David,
I agree, having a job that requires talking over the phone with someone who does not see you must
be one of THEE roughest jobs !!!
Thanks for dropping in David. :)
Hey Michelle,
Your comment made me LOL. Awwwwww HUGS !
Hi Tonjia,
Did you ever get that email, where most of
the words are misspelled but your mind reads the
words correctly ? THAT is exactly what I did with your post. :)))))
I had to GO BACK and read what you said
originally, because I missed the mis word.
XO XO XO XO
Deb
Posted by: Deb Estep | March 17, 2008 at 06:12 AM
Deb, I saw your email on Moms/Dads. I had no idea your stuff was on cafexpress.com! It's wonderful and I do plan to make a purchase in the very near future :)
It's hard to decide what to buy...I love it all!
Posted by: Debbie | March 18, 2008 at 08:09 AM
I must be crazy or half blind. I just now saw on the left of your blog... Cafe Express Shop
A big DUH for me....
Posted by: Debbie | March 18, 2008 at 08:12 AM
Debbie,
You had me busting up... with your second comment....
AND at least NOW you know where to find
the link to the Cafe Shops.
XO XO XO
Deb
Posted by: Deb Estep | March 18, 2008 at 08:37 AM