Today was just one of 'those' days. I hate to use such a cliche and overdone expression, but it seems to be the only one that fits in this case.
This morning I sat down ready to catch up on e-mails sent over the weekend, issues waiting to be solved, etc. only to discover that the server was down, thus not letting e-mails in or out. Fine, I thought, they will have it up and running in no time. NOT SO. I only started getting e-mails at 11:45 and to this second have yet to experience 100% functionality in that regard. Our server is just nuts today. It is currently 3:40 pm and my desktop clock (which is sync-ed with the server) says 9:36 am. Before lunch it had said 3:14 am. Scary really to look down at your desktop clock as per habit and see that time. I hope to God I am never in the office at 3 in the morning.
It's astounding how much a simple thing like e-mail glitches can effect your productivity. We have become so reliant on electronic means of communication that when they fail, we stare dumbfounded at our computer screens feeling useless. That's my initial reaction anyhow. After a few minutes it clicks back in that there are things to do that are physical, on paper or in person but that is not the top of the mind thing to do. Days like today are valuable in that sense. It serves to remind us that we cannot work solely electronically. There are aspects of almost anyone's job that must be more personal than staring at a computer screen.
Due to the failures of our system, I have had a chance to follow up on a few existing issues with customers, calling to make sure the customer is satisfied, that I probably wouldn't have done immediately if my e-mail had been working well this morning. Which makes me wonder, are we losing a valuable facet of customer service by relying too heavily on e-mail and computers? Now, I love e-mail for the convenience it provides and I shop online for almost everything so I am a huge advocate for electronic means but I'm wondering where the line is. Sometimes being unplugged makes us realize that we are people, not machines and therein so are our customers. Customer service has to go above and beyond concise e-mails and order input in order to be effective. It's that extra little bit of 'je ne sais quoi' that comes from the people behind those phones and computers that makes the real difference both to the customer and to this company.
Perhaps being unplugged for a few hours isn't the worst thing that could happen on a Monday, though I must admit it has taken me all day to realize it.
So don't be afraid to unplug once and a while....In great shoes.
Today a pair of leather flats with zipper detailing, bought in Belgium.
