As a fairly new employee at my company, it can sometimes feel intimidating to always provide the best service possible. I have an excellent training program, tons of support, and open lines of communication with my entire department, but I’ve found I will run into situations that just stump me – it’s inevitable. That phone call, the one where I understand so little of what they are talking about they might as well be speaking another language. While I would love to answer their question or provide an explanation, I simply cannot.

Thinking about this topic takes me back to my recent experience as a customer. I was moving: new city, new house, new job. In the chaos of packing, I’d stuck my internet modem in the backseat of my car to box up and ship back as directed by my internet provider. Fast forward about a month; I was settling into my new life and there sat my internet modem. Oops! I called the company in a panic. I understood this was all my fault, but I needed to know what to do to fix it. After spending quite some time on hold, I was finally able to speak to a real person. Unfortunately, she didn’t have the answers I needed.

The customer service representative confirmed I should return the modem as soon as possible, but she didn’t know if I would still be charged a fee. I just wanted a concrete answer; at what point will I be charged and how much? She simply didn’t know. Instead, we went round and round for a good thirty minutes until I finally gave up and ended the call.

Except I couldn’t let it go. I called back, and this time I received somebody else. My new representative was also unsure at first, however he did something completely different. He said, “Do you mind holding while I find out for you?” Finally, somebody that cares! After a brief hold, he came back with all of the details I needed. It was as simple as that. He knew he didn’t have the answer but he was able to find it, and I was thrilled. I spoke with two people at the same company, neither of whom knew the answer to my question. However, their actions left me with two completely different feelings.

I have quickly learned in my new position that almost everyone will accept the statement, “I’m not sure, but do you mind holding while I find out for you?” The truth is no employee, new or seasoned, will ever know all of the answers to all of the questions. But how we handle ourselves in these situations is what matters most.

Have you ever had a positive experience with a customer service representative? What did they do that gave you a lasting impression? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!