I called a busy Doctor’s office and got an expected request “Leave your name, number and a brief message” from their voice mail, so they could call me back. What I didn’t expect was the rest of the message “and I will return your call at my earliest convenience.” Did I misunderstand or did they make a mistake in the recorded message? Have our customer service standards deteriorated that far? What happened to “as soon as possible” or at least “as soon as I can?” I forgot about it until I heard it again in another business voicemail message. I know good customer service and that isn’t it! Who wants to feel their request isn’t a priority? I know people can get busy or have a bad day, but that recorded message was left for everyone who calls! With so much competition out there, businesses can’t afford to run people off because of bad service. Customers are your business and should be treated with respect.
I served in the Air Force for 23 years and with the State Department for 16 years and knew it was my job to provide good service. I also knew my customer service, including being courteous and respectful, would reflect in my performance report. It’s so engrained in my thinking; I’m surprised when others don’t return the same level of service and treatment. No, everyone can’t always be courteous in an emergency or due to time constraints, but they should return to good service when they can. Even an apology or explanation would be appropriate.
From what I see in the news, this lack of service is becoming engrained in our culture. It’s no longer what can I do for others but what can they do for me. Perhaps the “at my earliest convenience” recording was their true intentions, and all their boss can get from them? Heaven help us because we can’t help ourselves with that attitude!
Sadly, that attitude has infected the Church. It’s like a deadly disease and the opposite of what GOD commanded! When (if) people come to Church they expect to be get what they want, or they will go where they can get it. When asked what the greatest commandment is, “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself’ (Mat 22:37-39 KJV). Both those commandments tell us to serve and placed loving your neighbor on the same level as loving GOD! JESUS raised the bar under grace to “love one another; as I have loved you” (John 13:34) and helps us do it! It’s a commandment so shouldn’t we be doing it? Yes!
Service is part of the nature of GOD because it’s a result of love. He didn’t have to serve us but “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17 KJV) and JESUS loved (by serving) GOD and us when died on the cross to save us from the death we rightly deserve. How could we do anything else but love and serve GOD by loving and serving our neighbor as ourselves! Not at your earliest convenience but right now!
Wayne Lance (2022) – That’s Good News to Share!