tears in my eyes… at work?

This morning started like any other work morning. Alarm goes off at 7:19, 7:30, and 7:49. At 7:49 I actually get up. At 8:25 we’re in the car… Matt’s supposed to be at work at 8:30, but I end up dropping him off at 8:35. I’m at my desk at work by 8:45.

Turn computer on. Run report. Check to see the data is correct. Format report, finish report. Check email. Send report to company. Answer phone. Answer questions. Check productivity reports. Check voicemail. Enter customer orders. Answer phone. Continue throughout the day.

Phone rings. “Hello, JHB, this is —-, how can I help you?”
“Hi —-, this is Shon from CustomerA.”
“Oh, hi Shon.”
“We have a big problem…”
“Oh?”
“…with your orders. They’re never ready when you say they are…”

And thus the chewing out of me began. Nearly 10 minutes of him nearly yelling at me, and me trying to interject my reasons. Nope, he talked all over me.

The conversation was over before I could have a chance to do anything. Bascially, he said the way I was doing this particular accounts orders for the past year has been wrong. Now, all of a sudden, it was a problem and they’re going to start fining my company for this problem! This is my largest account – probably a $1.5 million account. Why if I dedicate several hours a week to this account every week for the past 60 weeks am I suddenly notified that I’ve been doing it wrong all this time? No one has complained or said anything about problems and fines.

Needless to say, I was just in shock. I could not believe that I’d just been landblasted like that. That just doesn’t happen to me. I’m very careful with my job, especially with this account.

So, when I got off the phone, I was very angry. I got tears in my eyes, I was so incredibly frustrated. What could I do? I’d say everything I could think to say. All I was left with was the thought that they change I was being asked to initiate would change the way our largest, busiest warehouse would work – and they would not be happy.

I have a meeting with my boss tomorrow to discuss how to act on this – because, as my company president reminded me when I spoke with him one-on-one this afternoon, “the customer is always right.” Crap.