Whats Your Customer Service Level

What's your customer service like?

Today was a day to run errands.  Today's errand takes G-Pa to the VA for a doctor appointment. Today's drive to the VA was a little different. I saw something that made me think and smile. As I passed Vanderbilt children's hospital I saw something wonderful; there were four men dressed like superheroes cleaning the hospital windows. This quickly got me thinking about levels of customer service. These four men decided to make a kids day by dressing up.

I’m mostly stay at home mother, so I guess my customer would be my son. I started to think about my son as a client and wondered if my level of customer service was up to par. In business when you don't provide great customer service your business suffers but what happens when you don’t give your kids your 100%.

What 100 percent looks like to me.

Recently I went out of town to visit a family member. After getting off a 12 hours shift she came to the airport and picked me up.  It was only 9am and she had already had a parent teacher conference at her twin’s school. After enjoying breakfast and some catching up we got to her house. She went home to a big mess her boys and husband had left for her. She cleaned for an hour kitchen, restroom, and bedrooms. After that she pulled out something for dinner. And finally bed or should I say nap.

By 3pm the twins were knocking at the door. They went straight to the kitchen table for a small snack and homework. This was their routine.  I sat and watched as she helped her 9 year olds with homework and cooked dinner. Shortly after the 9 year olds got home the 14 year old come in. Another snack is made and back to homework. Two hours later homework is done the boys are getting ready for football practice, and she was putting dinner on the table. She drops the boys off at practice where their dad will meet them.  It’s time for work and tomorrow she gets to do it all over again.

I focused on the mom, but both of these parents are wonderful. Dad left work, went to football practice, made snacks, got the boys bathed, and off to bed.  They are both sacrificing for their children. These parents are selfless.  The reward is well mannered, intelligent, and one day successful children who will return this love. 

What I’m Learning

I am not sure yet how great my customer service is to my son.  I have learned from watching my family that parenthood doesn’t get easier it just changes. Every day and every year a little more will be added to my parent plate.  Only as time goes on will I be about to grade my parenting skills. 

I started this blog with a window washer story and I ended with a story of wonderful parents. Both stories were an example of wonderful customer service.  It's good to think, compare, and improve. I ask you what your level of customer service is. Is it up to par?

Superhero Video

The Ups and Downs of Daycare

My little man is not in daycare.

Before I started back working I went on a two month journey asking all the wrong questions to find my son a daycare. The problems I ran into were waiting lists and cost. Nathan is my first kid so I never had to talk prices for a daycare before. After touring many programs I felt like I had found the right one. There was no waiting list, the cost was reasonable, and it was close to my house. After only a few weeks at the daycare, I began to see red flags and got a funny feeling in my gut.

Unlike most parents, I only worked part time (25 hours a week) and my schedule was not set. I often showed up at the daycare unannounced. I quickly saw things I didn't agree with. My son had three teachers of whom two were never introduced to me or even mentioned. When they only had a few infants they would send that teacher home and put the kids in the room with a toddlers. They were leaving the kids in their cribs and let them cry.

Education not just Playtime

The only time I saw the staff interacting with the kids was when they were feeding them or changing their diapers. This really bothered me because I remember telling them that my son was very interactive he likes people talking, reading, counting, singing, and playing with him. Usually if this did not happen he would cry. In my tour they assured me that that would not be a problem that that was their regular routine and my son Nathan would fit right in. I felt betrayed when I really found out how they treated the kids.

For $660 a month I felt like my kid should be learning something it and daycare shouldn't just be a glorified babysitter. Sometimes in the morning a teacher would be late and it would just be one teacher with 20 kids. I quickly realized it was time to take my son home. For weeks I took Nathan to work while I looked for a new daycare.  After a while his grandpa volunteered to watch him for a small fee so I could work.

Recently I went to a women's church luncheon and talked to a lady sitting next to me about our kids and jobs. Come to find out she works for the state and her job is the visit and review daycare facilities. She gave me a list of websites to go to find questions to ask your daycare before you hire them. Those sites are listed below. She has said that pop up visits are the best way to find out what your daycare is really like. She suggests everyone do surprise visits to their daycare as often as they can.

What would you have done in my shoes? Have you experienced similar problems?  Tell me your story and experiences.

Parent Quality Childcare

State of Tennessee

Great Childcare Questions