Making New Friends Wherever I Go

My wife is very forgiving when I am writing if I fail to deal with the minor issues that arise in most people’s daily lives. But once I’ve completed a project, she accepts no more excuses.

Yesterday was one of those–deal with bullshit on my Honey Do list day.

One of those listed things was getting our cell phone account straightened out.

You see, every day there are a dozen commercials showing amazing deals by my cell phone provider. Deals that offer price-points that are lower than my existing service package.

Now, I’m one of those guys that sign on with a service provider and just stay with them forever. I was on Sprint since the 90’s and then folded with them into T-Mobile after they merged. My cell phone service has always been good. I never had a reason to complain.

But Lisa pays attention to things that just escape me, like the cost of services, so she sent me off to T-Mobile to see if I’m getting the best value on our dollar.

Now, I would hate to be in the retail service industry because I can’t be the only husband cajoled into bothering those poor people manning the local company outlets.

I like face-to-face interactions, because I tend to get frustrated waiting in AI cues or constantly put on Muzak hold, while I get bounced between South Asian countries, or trying to figure out what on-screen button I need to push to get the right information or service on a website.

I like to lock eyes with the person I’m dealing with. I always try to be polite and appreciative, unless I get a sense that the techie across the service desk is taking advantage of this old luddite. Then, the old lawyer in me can proceed with a line of questioning–including logical follow ups to responses–while studying the body language and facial affect–the visible expression of emotions through dynamic facial movements–of the person standing before me. Works every time.

Now the trip yesterday was a surprising pleasure. The young man at T-Mobile, Alan, was polite, pleasant and completely responsive to my needs. He answered all of my questions clearly and without technical double-speak and then proceeded to mine his company’s website to find the latest plan available with his company that provided my existing service at a lower price. That gave me the win I needed to return home to Lisa, victorious.

In return for his kindness, after we concluded my business, I told him about my books and promised that if he–or any of his family and friends–ever purchased a paperback copy of any of my books, he can reach out and I will return to his store to inscribe as many of them as he likes. I told him he can tell everyone that he and I are the best of friends. Because we now are. And the above selfie he took shall be proof of that.

I hope Alan leverages his pleasant demeanor, natural people skills and product knowledge to the upper stratosphere of the cell-phone industry. Four decades of legal practice exposed me to the best and worst of people in many lines of business, so I know how to spot a winner when I see one. T-Mobile is lucky to have him.

Good luck, Alan. And thanks.

Well, it’s Sunday, so I expect all of your practicing religious people to respect the Lord’s Day of rest. Not to be sexist, but I know most of the men will be watching football and NOT READING. However, I hope most of the more evolved women will escape into a book. Any book. One of mine if you really want a treat. I promise to be attentive and gentle.

And to those of my fine, five readers who have returned to reading my blog, no matter what else you get up to, let us make today a great one!