assigned to a job with greater responsibility where you will  find  more  satisfaction. IT’S THE CUSTOMER’S TIME TOO “What’s   your   hurry?   You   are   not   going anywhere!“ This line, or variations of it, is heard often by customers. The implication is that time is a factor only for the customer service representative and never for  the  customer.  Ordinarily,  customers  should  be helped without having to wait an undue amount of time. There will be times when you are snowed under, but   the   customer   can   usually   see   this   and   will understand. Several methods, such as appointments, special counter   hours,   or   specifically   designating   an individual to handle certain problems or issues, can be used to speed up service and reduce waiting time. Any system that serves this purpose is valid for routine visits, but it should also be flexible enough to provide for emergency situations. Remember: any system that is used to speed up service and reduce waiting time must accomplish these goals. It must never be used as a  device  for  limiting  service. TOO BUSY It  is  Friday  afternoon.  Before  Chief  John  Doe departs the ship, he tasked PN3 Door with completing some filing that has not been done in 5 days. Also, because PN3 Door does not have duty, the chief has asked him to make some page 4 entries before leaving for  the  weekend.  Before  leaving,  the  chief  informs PN3 Door that he will be back on Sunday morning to take care of some important matters in preparation for the  ship’s  underway  period  that  will  start  on  Monday morning. Just as PN3 Door is starting to make the page 4 entries, BMSN Christmas shows up asking for help. PN3  Door  stops  for  a  minute  and  reluctantly  (and somewhat  rudely)  asks  BMSN  Christmas  what  he needs.  BMSN  Christmas  tells  PN3  Door  that  there  is a chance that he may not be able to get under way with the ship on Monday morning because his wife, who is in   the   local   Navy   hospital,   is   having   medical complications associated with an illness. The BMSN asks  PN3  Door  what  he  has  to  do  to  inform  the commanding  officer  about  his  problem.  PN3  Door tells him that he does not know and asks the BMSN to come back on Sunday and talk with the chief. PN3 Door says nothing more, nor does he acknowledge that the  BMSN  is  still  standing  there.  PN3  Door  just continues to make the few remaining page 4 entries he needs  to  make.  BMSN  Christmas  leaves  the  office very angry, frustrated, and disappointed because he was not helped by the PN3. Because PN3 Door, the only  PN  on  board  was  not  able  to  help,  BMSN Christmas will have to leave his wife at the hospital on Sunday to comeback to the ship and talk with the chief. Well,  PN3  Door  (that  liberty  hound)  certainly looked very busy making the page 4 entries and was in such a hurry to go on liberty that he did not take care of BMSN Christmas’s problem. Of course, taking care of BMSN Christmas was PN3 Door’s responsibility. Was this appropriate conduct? Certainly not! In this   case,   PN3   Door   should   have   contacted   the command duty officer or even called the chief at home. But no, he decided that his liberty was more important than taking care of the BMSN’s problem. Have you ever appeared to be too busy to take care of your shipmates? It is very possible that you have. How would you feel if you were the one who needed help and the person behind the counter was in such a hurry to go on liberty that he or she did not take care of your problem? As a PN, you should understand that helping your shipmates is your most important job. Your shipmates depend  on  you.  You  should  do  everything  in  your power to provide them with the best customer service possible. SUMMARY In this chapter, we have tried to acquaint you with the general requirements of the PN rating. We have mostly described how important it is for you to provide good  customer  service  to  all  individuals.  We  stressed that if you have a good attitude, pride in your job and in  yourself,  these  qualities  will  contribute  to  your ability to provide good customer service. Remember, if  you  are  providing  good  customer  service  right  now, the Navy appreciates it and thanks you for your efforts. Remember  also,  that  there  is  always  room  for improvement. The most important thing you should get out of this chapter is that you should put yourself in the customer’s shoes. Ask yourself, “How do I want to be treated?” In answering this question, you will most likely say, “Well, I always want to be treated with courtesy and respect.”    You see, that is just how all customers  want  to  be  treated—with  courtesy  and respect. You should always treat customers the way you want to be treated. 1-22