I’m sure we all have work stories about our experiences. I’ve worked in customer service, so my colleagues and I have plenty of bizarre stories. Because today is March 20, I think a great way to celebrate World Storytelling Day is by sharing some stories.
Here are three stories from my colleagues and me:
1. The student who locked his key inside his locker
I got a new job at my college’s gym and it was my second shift. I was at the front desk signing students in.
Suddenly, a student walked up to me and told me he accidentally locked his locker key. I was confused, so I repeated; “Sir, did you just say that you locked your key inside your locker?”
He laughed.
I called security and asked if it was possible for them to cut the lock. While they were on the way, my manager and supervisor came to the rescue. They obtained the lock-cutting tool, and walked to the changeroom with the student. When security arrived, they helped my superiors cut the lock.
It took an hour.
While the student left the facility, he handed me the broken lock.
“Keep it as a souvenir,” he said.
2. The guest who took a picture of my colleague.
One of my colleagues, Sarah, works at a theatre as an Usher.
She worked the scanning position for a sold-out piano concert. While scanning the tickets, a lady approached her and asked, “Is it alright if you can keep these tickets for my friends?” Sarah nodded.
The lady took out four tickets and gave them to Sarah. Then, the lady realized something – she wasn’t sure if her friends could find the usher who had the tickets.
“I’ll take a picture of your name tag for my friends,” the lady said.
The name tag picture ended up being a portrait of Sarah looking confused.
Fortunately, the friends were able to locate Sarah. They also enjoyed the show.
3. Mistakes and customer service misshapes
We all make mistakes. But we can also fix them.
I worked as a customer service representative at a pool near my apartment. During this time, we had to follow COVID-19 protocol. This meant only 10 guests were allowed to enter the pool for a 45-minute session. A maximum of eight guests can reserve for the session prior to entering the pool. However, if the guest does not show up 10 minutes after the session starts, their spot will be canceled.
It was 12 p.m. and there were ten guests waiting to go inside the pool. Eight guests had already reserved the spot. But three of the guests who didn’t were begging to go inside.
“You have to let me in now, or else I’ll be late for work,” they begged.
I decided to let all ten guests in. One of them was a lady who was using the hot tub for 10 minutes.
Suddenly, one of the guests on the reservation list showed up, five minutes after the session started. Uh oh.
“I’m sorry, we already have ten guests,” I told him.
He looked at me in disbelief.
“But I showed up five minutes after the time started,” he reminded me.
“I’ll try to see what I can do, because a lot of folks were in a rush. Can you come at a later time?” I asked.
“No, I’m only available now,” he said. “I’m going to write a complaint if you can’t figure this out.”
I then talked to my supervisor about the situation.
“Call the manager at the back office and say that you made a mistake, and see if she’s willing to make exceptions,” my supervisor replied.
I ran to the back office and dialed my manager’s extension. When she answered, I explained the situation.
“Sure, let the guest know that we’re making an exception and that he can swim,” she said.
I was ecstatic, and I ran to the desk to deliver the good news.
After the session, the guest gave me a Thank You card.
“You really made my day. I’m glad I got a swim. Continue doing what you got to do,” he said.
Not all stories are sad stories with unresolved problems. Sometimes, strange things happen for us to solve the problem. But at the end, we can share some stories on how we managed situations together for World Storytelling Day. And continue the tradition with other stories.
Feature Image by Anete Lusina on Pexels
I’m sure we all have work stories about our experiences. Suddenly, a student walked up to me and told me he accidentally locked his locker key.