Good Morning! May I help you?!


"Customer Service," the phrase alone is enough to strike fear into many a job-hunter's heart. With good reason, especially when combined with the words, "answering phones." These together evoke an image of sitting in a small cubicle, answering phone call after inane phone call, and, horror of horrors, wearing a headset. Just imagine the idea of sitting at a desk all day dealing with the dregs of humanity, the people we think of when we see a bumper sticker that reads, "Hey, YOU, out of the gene pool."

So, I don't really like to tell people that I work in customer service, answering phones, and taking people's orders. But strangely enough, I mostly like it a lot. I think that difference is that I work for a very small company, and that's not my only duty.--I'm not just a drone. They fired the drone-ablitied worker before me on account of her being too drone-like. But oooh, that chocolate milk girl, she went to college and got edumacated! Anyway, it's still really strange being in the customer service world. For example:

This morning I get to work at 8 am, and the phone promptly rings. I answer, using my best "I'm fully awake and alert, I swear!" voice. And I hear a woman's voice say,

"Hi sweetie." Ahh...what the hell? I say to myself, Who has my work number and why doesn't this sound like anyone I know? "I just need to know the price of one of the items I ordered last time."

Oh, I realize that I don't recognize the voice because I don't know this person, and they are calling my work. And before things get too awkward I realize that it's Joanne, from _______, and she feels that she has ordered from me enough times to move us into the 'terms of endearment' stage. I tell her what she needs to know, and she thanks me, again bringing out my special new work nickname. Bye Joanne, and thank you.