Letters: A different sort of customer service

To the editor:

The hallmark of customer service is saying “yes.”

“Yes, we can do that for you.” “Yes that can be done.” But what happens when the answer has to be “NO”?

I was trained as a counselor during the “How-does-that-make-you-feel?” era. The approach to counseling was to discover what the patient wanted and work together to achieve it. Now, with COVID-19 and my de facto position as “protector,” the answer is always “no.”

“No, you can’t do that.” “No, you can’t do this.”

Saying “no” goes against all of my training and, frankly, my identity. However, I’ve discovered that when saying “no” saves lives, it becomes the ultimate in customer service.

So, how does that make you feel?

Janette Simon, Ed.D.,

CMHC Administrator,

Hartley