Emails

Emails. We all get them. But….when they become a give and take of barbs and nasty comments, well, I just get angry.

For instance, this exchange of at least 20 emails happened today, between customer service people, both who work in the same company.
I will call them A and B, for obvious reasons.

A: Good morning. I have submitted 8 print orders. Our customer is asking when they will be completed. They are all urgent. Can you give me the best date for completion?

B: I don’t know what you mean. I have been on vacation. I just returned today. So I have no knowledge of these orders.

A: Here are the items that need to be printed. Can you check and let me know?

B: If you submitted the orders, what date did you put for completion?

A: I gave them a week to be finished. Can you expedite? And give me the best date for completion?

B: We require 10 days. Like I mentioned, I have been on vacation. I have no knowledge of these orders.

A: I understand, but didn’t someone else take responsibility for these orders when you were gone? We need to get back to the customer.

B: Can you provide the order numbers? I will check later when I get caught up with my work.

A: Of course. Here are the order numbers.

B: I see one of these orders is not complete. You need to provide specs. We can’t work on these orders without specs.

A: But it is a repeat order. Can you just print them as you did, last month?

B: You don’t understand. Is there someone who understands what we need? We have to have specs. Please re-submit, with specs.

A: You mean you don’t have the specs from the last order? We are asking for a repeat of the same order.

B: I don’t have any knowledge of how you submit orders. Can you talk to someone who does? And resubmit?

A: Just what is it you need? To complete these orders?

B: It is obvious that you have very little knowledge of your job. We need complete specs.

A: Excuse me? I have been entering orders for many years. I resent that you are saying I have no knowledge of my job. What is it that you need to complete these orders?

B: I am not familiar with your job. You need to find out and send an updated order with complete specs.

A: Can we have a conference call? This is getting ridiculous. Can we discuss just what it is that you are missing?

B: I have just returned from vacation. I am very busy. If you want to discuss this on a call, I am available tomorrow.

A: Isn’t there any way we can talk today? This is urgent.

B: Look. Just send an updated spec. There is no need to discuss.

A: My Manager insists on a call today and is including your Manager. What time are you available?

B: Like I said, if your Manager is there, find out what is required and resubmit your orders.

At this point, there were 12 people included in the exchange of Emails, that originally started as a dialogue between 2 people. One of the co-workers, who had been included in the ongoing saga, picked up the phone and called A.

“Hi. How’s it going?”

“I am not happy. I am about to go off on B.”

“Well, I have your orders and they are only missing one detail. Do we need to trim these documents to a specified size?”

“Yes. Just like before, 6×9.”

“Super. I will note that. And you can expect all the orders to be completed by this Thursday.”

“Thanks! Can I call you in the future? With any problems?”

“Sure. And let’s make a pact. If we can’t resolve something with an email, let’s talk.”

“Thank you. My sentiments exactly.”

Communication:  Is talking old fashioned?  Outdated? Is Email really progress?  Hmmmmmm.

Wolf