morale. I talked to him one day and found out that he was
flunking another class. He ended up withdrawing from the
class and program. I felt bad that I couldn’t help, but appar-
ently he had just taken on too much. The rest of us had to
pull together and complete the project without him, but
we managed and received a good grade for our efforts.”“How do you deal with conflicts you have with
customers?”
■“I truly believe that ‘the customer is always right.’ Some-
times I have to bite my tongue and hold back what I would
like to say, but I have never insulted a client. I always keep
in mind that I represent the company and any action or
words that I use reflect on the company—good and bad.”
■“When it comes to clients, I know that they are my main
customer and that they pay the bills. It is sometimes
difficult when the customer is very demanding, but I
always try to hear what the problem is and to let the
customer know that I heard. If I can’t accommodate the
request, I try to communicate in as professional manner as
possible.”
■“One skill that I am very proud of is my patience. This is the
skill that sets me apart from my colleagues when it comes
to customer service. It sometimes takes great patience to
listen and explain the policy or procedure to the customer.
I always treat people the way I want to be treated even
when they are nasty to me. I try to put myself in their shoes
and address the issue from that point of view as often as I
can.”