The Parable of My Sister and the Incompetent Front Desk Employee

I would like to share to you a story about my sister's escapades when she was then working in Malaysia. She is currently working in Kuwait as a flight engineer in an aviation firm.

One day, my sister went to Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur with her boss to submit some important documents for POEA. They were unaware about the process because it's their first time to do so. She was expecting that since they are diplomats, they are aware of their basic etiquette (She had already learned about this from some Malaysian diplomats prior to their deployment in Kuala Lumpur, thus she knows how they should be treated).

Now there was this Filipino woman at the front desk who checks the documents who's supposed to be guiding them. However, the way she spoke to my sister and her companions seems she treated them like idiots. She simply kept repeating what was written on the requirements list. "Ma'am, please submit two sets, one original and one photocopy," she simply said.

"Even the passport size photo?" My sister replied with a smile. "Who does that?" 

But the woman again replied, pointing on the paperwork, "Ma'am one original, one photocopy."

My sister then said, "Miss, I'm not a retard, so please talk to us very well. You can simply say yes. It's a lot less tiring than reiterating the whole sentence... Well anyway, thank you. You have been very helpful."

When my sister and her companions returned, the front desk woman accepted the documents. She gave them a slip while saying, "Please follow up after 3 days."

"When and where will we pay the processing fee?" my sister asked.

Again the woman replied, "Follow up after three days."

At this point, my sister got irate. "Miss, by repeating your unclear instructions it simply makes us look like we do not understand. Why don't you try clarifying them up one time? I am going to report this incident to your boss!"

Because of what my sister had said, the woman went speechless.

According to my sister, she was not trying to impress anyone that afternoon at the Embassy, it was just the instructions and the process are absolutely unclear thanks to the lack of detailed explanation from the front desk employee. Even the counters where the queue line is at were not clearly labelled. She was supposed to be assisting the Filipinos and their employers, not there to show off and become arrogant. She asked her nicely, and that woman will only reply to my dear sister with sarcasm? 

What that woman did to my sister simply shows how incompetent she is at all. If I am on my sister's shoes, I would definitely find that unacceptable. Because we Filipinos are known by other cultures to be courteous. With her way of explaining the process, she thought my sister already understood what she was saying. Unfortunately, my sister did not, making matters worse.

In order to provide quality customer service, the woman should have provided a detailed explanation of the process to prevent misunderstanding and confusion, leading to an argument. Had she had done that in the first place, this incident would not have happened. This does not only apply to the Embassy itself. It applies in every business, especially since the woman is working at the front desk. Since she was supposed to be at the front line, she must represent the company she is working with great pride more than any other employee working alongside her. She should always be wearing a smile on her face, and would be polite as much as possible, regardless of the customer's nationality.

However, since the woman simply stood by her own ego, she had simply made an enemy in my ever brave sister, that for so many years proved to us that she never backs down from an argument, or a fight. As a result, she had finally met her match.

I hope she had learned her lesson the hard way, because if I would be on that situation, she would have suffered worse.

I, The Pooch, have spoken.