Microsoft And Deference
Greetings!:
For a blog "dedicated to the basic proposition that dignity, decency and deference need not die," I have been doing a _JOLLY_-poor job of bringing up those
"core values" since my first two posts. I am here going to rectify that somewhat, yet would that what is currently going on in our society might not render
such necessary!
I had a computer problem which was hopefully solved yesterday (I may possibly go into detail as to what that was some other time), and, in process of trying
to wrap up the solution to this, it was necessary for me to telephone Microsoft. When I gave my identifying information to the first person with whom
I spoke, that individual immediately started addressing me by my first name. When I expressed displeasure/reservation about that, she informed me that
this was what she was trained to do, and, when I ended up with another, I was merely asked for said first name. I gave that latter person only my last.
I have not re-read my initial post for quite some time, but in it I feel confident that I asked if it would not be better, in a business situation such
as this, to begin by addressing the customer/client by his or her title and last name, the caller obviously then having the option to ask the representative
to use the first name should one wish it so. If not, I have now done so here. I obviously wish we were a larger number, but there are still at least
a few of us who like some old-fashioned _DEFERENCE_, thus this being part of that basic proposition to which this blog is dedicated! I am _VERY_ tempted
to say something cynical here, but I will forebear in the name of hopeful dignity and decency.
Hoping this finds my visitors well,
J. V.
posted by JVaughan at Wednesday, October 18, 2006
2 Comments:
I would have chewed that person out and asked to speak to her supervisor...it's one thing to say your first name because that's her training, but it's quite another to ignore the customer's wishes and keep calling you by your first name when you have asked her not to. That is very rude.
In fairness to that first woman, I do not think she persisted after telling me that she was trained to address customers by their first names so far as I can recall. As I wrote in the main post, the second person merely asked for the first name.
This may or may not be significant, but I was on the CBS page for _The_ _Young_ _And_ _The_ _Restless_ this morning, and decided to complete their feedback form. On it, I was initially asked for my first name, and then came the comment field itself. I was not asked for my last name until after that comment field. We can only speculate here, but could that format possibly suggest that, should CBS decide to send me any sort of acknowledgement, they would wish to greet me in it by my first name only? It goes without saying that I hope _NOT_!
Thanking our Honourary Patroness for her thoughtful response, and again hoping this finds my other visitors and her well,
J. V.
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