New Year! Oh... Happy

Must be one of those days when I'm down, depressed, sardonic (and everything negative)..

I wanted to start the year right, but a lot of things went wrong today.

By now Im pretty much okay... well, maybe not, since my disposition still hasn't changed. But I'm hoping tomorrow will be better.

The day started pretty messed up. A lot of things to do..

Then, this is what went wrong.. A client complained about my servicing skills, my knowledge, and basically about me.

I've been told that this client complains about everybody, so I shouldn't take this to heart. But I'm friggin mad because it's difficult for me to accept this! Servicing has been my career (if you can call it that). Almost eight years. Corporate Banking, Branch Services (teller and head cashier), Personal banking.

Since this is my blog, I guess I'm allowed to make 'excuses'. I was thrown out of balance when I went down to serve the client. I was told I'd just be accompanying the client to the branch to make some withdrawals, but lo and behold the client started asking about conversion. (my least favorite thing). Then, to make matters worse, she already had this fx rate sheet on hand. First, I am not familiar with that rate format (with its wrong decimal placements). Second, whatever I say, she made it a point to contradict me (like I said, this is indicative, then she said 'no this is the rate now, whatever is here is what I will get [that's the context, but she said it in a bitchier way]). That's my main mistake. I allowed her rattling to rattle me, which messed up my computation skills. I do admit I computed wrongly at first, but the 'first' is what took her to brand me 'incapable'.

So, I asked my relationship manager to help me, and he went down to face the client. As expected, she complained about me, talking behind a raised hand which was holding a piece of paper. She said 'I want somebody who knows what she's talking about blah blah blah'.

To my rm's credit, he did defend me.

(PS for this first case.. Immediately after my first smile and statement, she asked me if I were a Filipino, because she said she could tell by the way I speak. I just hope her hostility got nothing to do with my nationality.)

Second thing: RM from Manila sent me an email to follow up on a transaction (which was supposed to happen 2 weeks ago). It wasn't processed, and my rm couldn't remember it anymore, I also couldn't remember it. Which puts me in a tight position, because the the rm from Manila was chasing ME for it.

Third thing: I went to eat lunch alone, after my colleagues and friends have asked me for the nth time to join them and I had politely told them to go ahead as I was waiting for my rms (to follow up on the transaction that wasn't done). There was hair on my fish soup! I hate hair on/in my food! Okay, this third thing is petty, I know.

Oh well, I better make sure to erase these things from my mind and make believe that January 5, 2010 is the first workday for year 2010.