Defining Terms

Its recently been just crazy at the office with this new account that we have. It's a seasonal account - meaning it only needs our services during peak season. Due to confidentiality reasons, let's just say that this account deals with flowers.

Last week, I took a supervisor call for this account - me, being one of the Point-of-Contact (POC) Supervisors. The agent went to my station looking totally flustered while nervously saying she needs a supervisor to take her call since my account - a sales account (although we also handle a minimum of servcie calls) usually doesnt encourage sup calls. Since, I wasn't THAT preoccupied 'coz I had only just about a thousand things to do (sarcasm intended), I took the call after I asked the agent what the issue was all about. The agent tried to explain to me that the customer was yelling and very irateand just didnt want to talk to her because "she has an accent" and that the customer was adamant that she wants to speak with a particular person named "Stacey" - who's supposed to be a supervisor as well. Ok first up, there was no supervisor named "Stacey" in our account and even if there was I doubt if the customer can again speak with the same person upon calling back. Second, although the agent did have an accent the agent can still converse in English pretty well and I think she can be understood by even the most scrutinizing American.

So, I took this call " "Thank you for patiently waiting on the line. This is Anthony (my alias). Im the agent's supervisor and how may I help you today?" - and put on this "American accent" which I think I was successful in putting up as the customer said "Thank God I'm finally speaking with an American who can speak English." To which I replied, " I'll take that as a compliment Ma'am but truth be told, I am actually Asian - a Filipino in particular." Silence... She asked, "Where are you located?" And since we are allowed to disclose where we are located, I said "We are located in the Philippines." Ok, I know I was just being honest, but I guess that was a wrong move because the customer started yelling again "You are in fu#?!ng Philippines! You cannot help me! You're not even an American! yada... yada... yada...F?$# Y^o!! - blag!" I never got the chance to assure her that I can help her out. Ok, most sup calls don't usually end that way in fact I was able to pacify an irate customer hours before I handled that call.

That call seriously had me thinking after that. How can some people really be racists?! How can they determine one's capability by one's decent?! How can one assess intellectual superiority by one's nationality?! The customer herself told me that she thought I was an American because I sounded like one but finally didnt wana deal with me after she learned that I am a Filipino. But then again, who are the real American these days? Aren't most Americans immigrants from other countries as well? Even the toughest rednecks in states of Oregon and Texas who believes red meat is the only food for them - all have some sort of foreign blood in them. The only Americans whom I can really consider "real" americans are those of Indian decent who were among the first settlers of the US even before the immigrants all flocked to the "promised land." And what's ironic is that the infusion of multi-cultural races was one of the reasons which led the states to international stature in economic resiliency.
Im actually just blessed that I don't personally deal with think-heads like that particular caller on a daily basis. I am just glad that the Americans I interact with - clients, friends and some relatives think highly of Filipinos who are of their equal counterpart at hindi lang aliping-sagigilid!

Travis - the client who made me realize that not all Americans are uptight, racists idiots.