André's Customer Service Soapbox: And the Work-Life Balance We Need

By André Wade

Customer service exists in everything we do! It's the action we see on a daily basis that many don't take into consideration. But subconsciously, it can dictate how our days, months, and years unfold! The "action" that is customer service is in need of a refresher. I stand on this soapbox for you, the people! The ones that know improvements to our day-to-day lifestyles is the way to growth.

André's Customer Service Soapbox provides the readers with a different perspective on what customer service is, and how it's applied to our work and personal life. The two share a similar commonality. With light-hearted humor sprinkled in, this read will be sure to grasp your attention as you relate to every section!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tellwell Talent
• Release date: Sep 29, 2023
• ISBN: 9781779410542

André Wade

Born in Dayton, Ohio, André Wade has always been a big dreamer. Humble beginnings surrounded with love, advice, and instruction—the customer service he was used to growing up. Graduating from Tennessee State University, over the years he saw numerous styles of "customer service" unfolding right before his eyes, good and bad. The information gathered and the stories shared will be found in André's newest book: André's Customer Service Soapbox: And the Work-Life Balance We Need, with guide and inspiration on what customer service can be when we put our best foot forward, and the aftermath of when we don't.

Book preview

André’s Customer Service Soapbox

And the Work-Life Balance We Need

André Wade

André’s Customer Service Soapbox

Copyright © 2023 by André Wade

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Tellwell Talent

www.tellwell.ca

ISBN

978-1-77941-053-5 (Hardcover)

978-1-77941-052-8 (Paperback)

978-1-77941-054-2 (eBook)

"Customer Service- It’s more than a prerequisite to success, but a way into life’s rewards!"- André Wade

Many of thanks to:

-My Family: The foundation. And the reason why, I want to empower the people around me. You are the fuel.

-My friends: We are ALL that we have in this world. Make no mistake, you are my family, too. From the good days to dark, may we continue to support each other. Our system is unmatched! For that, I’m blessed #FUPM

-To the people I know personally in my life- making minimum wage. To the people I know, that refuse to sit on the sidelines, and let life’s predicaments be the reason they give up- I’m here to support you!

-To the ones overlooked; the sanitation workers, grocery store employees, EMT’s, schoolteachers, nurses. You are an essential piece to all of our lives. Often being mistreated by the same ones you serve. But let me be the to tell you, your worth is invaluable.

…Even the Inanimate objects

-Books- like the one you’re reading now. The wisdom and gems you can find in them.

-The air we breathe, the water we drink and bathe with, and the sun - all provide a vital service to us.

In an excerpt from William Shakespeare’s, Romeo, and Juliet:

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.

As I see it customer service is in that same boat. No matter the activity you find yourself in, it’s the act that gives customer servicer its life- regardless of the name.

So, what does customer service mean to you?

Table of Contents

Introduction/Preface

Section 1: My Message- The Purpose

Section 2: Communication- Talk to me nicely…

Section 3: Vulnerability- Will it hurt me… or help me?

Section 4: Flexibility- Bend me how you want!

Section 5: Accountability- Admitting your faults.

Section 6: My woes, that made me grow.

Section 7: The Closing- Ask Yourself?

Customer Service Statistics and Facts sheet*

Introduction/Preface

Disclaimer: The names used in this book are fictional. However, the stories used in this book are based on true situations.

Pentagon City Mall- Summer 1999

Crystal City, Arlington, Virginia

By this time, I had become very familiar with the lay of the land, living in the Washington, DC area for my second year straight. I was a native to the Midwest- hailing from Dayton, Ohio. Born in 1986, I guess you could say I was a country boy at heart. But truthfully, I was unaware. It was made clear to me by the local DC natives, as they made a mockery of my accent and joked on the clothes I wore. I cannot begin to explain the cultural shock I experienced when first moving to DC. I was now spending my teenage years on the east coast of the United States, and in an ever-evolving area that (today) has become well known as, the DMV. The District of Columbia, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. To be clear with my readers the term DMV is not to be confused with the place that renews your driver’s license (I also had to learn that the hard way, too). However, still, some of the older DC folks simply refer to their metropolitan as The Area.

To be more specific, I lived in Burke, Virginia. And it was there, where our family of 4 chose to make home. My brother and me, felt like millionaires once we made the move to DC. Compared to Dayton, Ohio; Washington, D.C. had it all! Historical landmarks with exquisite detail; there were more museums than what my little feet could walk through in a day, let alone a whole week if you were visiting. Their food and culture are 1 of 1. The native rhythmic pockets and sockets, of their staple music, Go-go. And of course, with a huge population of almost 4 million (in 1999), you can’t forget about the draining, rush hour traffic, which filled up the capital beltway on a daily. However, my initial cultural shock came when I started to meet, interact, and engage with the people who called Washington, DC home before me. People of all races, ethnic backgrounds, religious and spiritual beliefs. People, who possessed different dialects that were completely foreign to me. Even the native DC tongue had to grow on me.

Yet, there I was inside Pentagon City Mall trying to meet all of the girls there. You know—just being a young boy. But through communication, I quickly found out that they -or their parents rather- were from places I never knew existed. Afghanistan, Pakistan, England, Guatemala, Ghana, North Korea, Cambodia- and they were all beautiful ladies. I couldn’t wait to share this information with my dad over dinner. Within months, DC was becoming everything a 13-year-old boy could thrive on. As for my parents, their reasoning for moving to the DMV (of course wasn’t the girls) was undoubtedly the stellar school system this area has in place. Grades were still king in the Wade household. So, I desperately needed to find focus and balance if I was going to make this transition from Ohio a smooth one.

I will never forget the days I spent inside Pentagon City Mall. Compared to other malls, with exception to Tysons Galleria, there was no competition around. Springfield Mall and Landmark Mall, from what I was told by the locals, It’s just a shell of itself. They had a few stores that helped to keep the lights on and a steady flow of foot traffic- like a JC Penney’s for example. But word on the street was, nobody felt safe there anymore. Personally, I didn’t mind it. For one: I didn’t have the luxury of going anywhere I wanted to. Two: Living in Burke, VA, Springfield Mall was closer to home than Pentagon City was. And three: The prices were affordable and welcomed my teenaged budget.

At Springfield Mall you definitely got your money’s worth! However, on the flipside, most of my interactions (or lack thereof) came from employees who needed a serious attitude adjustment, and perhaps, a valuable lesson in customer service. Even as a kid, I knew I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, being disrespected. I’ve witnessed numerous accounts of customers and employees belligerently cursing at one another. I even saw a full-on fight between a customer and employee inside a shoe store. And these weren’t isolated! These were reoccurring incidents I saw with my own eyes, and it was clear as day the customers and the employees had enough.

Finally, in 2012, the Springfield Mall shut down their doors (temporarily) for renovation, but with valid reason. The lack of mall security and Fairfax County police presence became an overwhelming issue of concern for the customers and employees. 2008 was the straw the broke the camel’s back, after an elderly woman was kidnapped that year. It was a bizarre robbery attempt that ultimately left her killed, as the robbers used her car to flee the scene. So, after 2 years of gutting and revamping the mall- stripping it of its old stores by adding new trendy ones. The owners (The Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust) also felt that changing the name from, Springfield Mall, to Springfield Towne Center would be a welcoming finishing touch for the customers and employees- new guest and old.

Nevertheless (and back on topic), the year was 1999. There I was at the age of 13 alongside my mother, as we scaled up the escalator inside Pentagon City Mall. In my boyish excitement, we began pointing out the store’s we saw in passing. A Lid’s store, a jam-packed Champ’s shoe store. The salty aroma of the popular, Auntie Anne’s pretzels. And of course, the infamous Cinnabon store and their sugary sweets, that managed to sweep across my nose as we made it to the third level of the mall where we got off the escalator. My mother, regaining her focus, quickly disregarded my attempt in pointing out the Lid store I wanted to visit. According to her, she saw another -more important- store that caught her eye, a Macy’s. My mother’s mission at the start of the day was simple, "We’re getting good school clothes for school, and at a reasonable price," AKA, a Clearance Sale.

I wasn’t happy about it, but it was better than hand-me-downs. Since we moved, I assumed my parents were rich- to even consider shopping in this mall to begin with. There’s a Ritz Carlton attached to Pentagon City Mall and