“Hello. This is Charlene Kittredge. How may I help you?”
“Hi. My toilet is blocked and it’s coming up through my tub. I need you to send someone right away to fix this.”
Toilet?This definitely wasn’t the type of call she was expecting to deal with. Then again there were parts of the company Charlene hadn’t been brought up to date with yet. “I’m sorry to hear that. Let me take your information and I’ll have someone call you right back.”
“Did you hear me!? Coming up through my bathtub. This is urgent. I can’t be waiting all day for one of your lackey’s to decide to show up, if they ever do.”
It sounded horrendous and she could understand why the woman was irate. She’d be flipping out as well. “I promise I’ll have someone call you back very shortly.”
“You better. I have your name and number and I’ll be calling you if I don’t hear from someone within the hour.”
The woman hung up and Charlene sat there trying to figure out who she was supposed to call regarding plumbing issues. She opened the laptop and searched the company directory. There didn’t seem to be anyone who fit that description.
“Damn it!”
“Doesn’t sound like you’re off to a good start. It’s not too late to reconsider,” Seth said standing in her doorway.
Grrr.He was the last person she wanted to deal with right now. She had this. Of course she wasn’t sure exactly what this was. “Is there something I can help you with?”
“We have a meeting scheduled,” he replied flatly.
She had an orientation, but she figured that would be with someone from HR. “Oh, I was expecting someone else.”
“Well it’s your lucky day. You get me,” he said gruffly. “I figured this would be brief, but it seems like you’re already in a panic. Maybe we should start with that problem.”
She so badly wanted to tell him she could manage without his assistance. “I received a call this morning. The woman was irate, and I don’t blame her. I promised I’d have someone return her call immediately, but I have no idea who handles sewage problems.”
Seth raised a brow and repeated, “Sewage?” She nodded. He walked over and took a seat across from her. “Maybe you better start from the beginning.” Charlene told him exactly what the woman said and his eyes just got wider. “And you really believe that Lawson Steel would handle such issues?”
Charlene shrugged. “I know there are many things about the company that I’m not aware of.”
“Okay, with that out of the way, let’s get onto our meeting.”
“Wait. That hasn’t addressed her problem,” Charlene stated.
“You said it correctly. Her problem, not ours,” Seth said firmly.
He was right. Lawson Steel wasn’t responsible for her issue, but that didn’t mean she didn’t need them. “It sounds like her landlord didn’t give a rat’s…” Keep it professional, “doesn’t care about her living conditions. You hired me as PR. I think helping her would be great.”
“What do you suggest? Want me to show up at her house with a plunger? Because I can tell you right now, hell will freeze over before that happens. I have too much work to go playing plumber for someone who called the wrong number. Just drop it. She’ll figure it out when she calls her landlord.”
Letting it go was the easy way. Nothing Charlene ever did was easy. It was her way, take the hard path. “You’re not looking at this correctly. When she called, I answered with my name and where I work. When she doesn’t get a call back, how do you think she’ll feel about Lawson Steel?”
“Maybe upset with herself for not paying attention and calling the wrong number?”
She huffed. “I’m calling her back.”
“And stopping at the hardware store for a plunger on the way to her apartment?” he said sarcastically.
“If I must, then yes. My job is to ensure the public has a positive opinion of Lawson Steel. I’m not about to have my first negative comment on my first day.”
“Do what you want, but when this backfires, don’t ask for my help,” he said shaking his head. He got up and said, “I guess we can finish this meeting tomorrow morning when you’re not quite so…busy.”
She wasn’t about to stop him from leaving. That last thing she needed was for Seth to sit there when she made the phone call. Charlene didn’t even have the foggiest idea of what she was about to say. Picking up the phone, she dialed the woman’s number.
“Hello, this is Charlene. We spoke a little while ago about your toilet.”
“Yes. It’s still broken. I need someone to fix this and the right way this time,” she demanded.