Mommy Moments
Survey Says…
By Melanie Lewis
Recently I was taking a survey following a service performed by a local vendor. At about the same time I had a conversation with another mom. As I was listening to her tell about how she was having to do this and that for the kids, I thought to myself – I wonder how satisfied the kids are about the services they receive from the moms. We really do perform so many services; laundry, homework, meals, transportation, logistics, etc. Are they happy? Or, are they the customers who are never satisfied?
I found the online survey I had taken and applied it to my kids. It has 10 questions of generic orientation that I could ask my kids. Most of the questions they responded the same to the questions. Here’s an example of a question in which the responses differed:
How well did you feel our customer service representative understood what you were saying?
Extremely well
Quite well
Moderately well
Slightly well
Not at all well
Respondent 1 said Quite well. Respondent 2 said slightly well.
This tells me I need to put my “listening cap” on as well. The kids often seem to have “cobs in their ears” as they say, but I’ve been numbed to requests as well. My solution to the problem is the need to look at the person you’re asking. Often the requests are yelled from one end of the house-by both parties. Howard and his mother on The Big Bang Theory might be funny, but it’s not conducive to good communication – resulting in poor marks.
Another area resulting in poor marks was this question.
How eager to help you was the customer service representative at our company?
Extremely eager
Quite eager
Moderately eager
Slightly eager
Not at all eager
Moderately eager and Not at all eager were the responses. No, I’m not eager to fix your broken trinket, or make a snack. Because, I’m already multi-tasking on a few other items or you’re old enough to do it yourself. However, I could answer with a more friendly tone rather than annoyance. It’s always more pleasant if the customer service representative can perform service with a smile, right?
How knowledgeable did our customer service representative seem to you?
Extremely knowledgeable
Very knowledgeable
Moderately knowledgeable
Slightly knowledgeable
On the plus-side, I did receive high marks for being “Quite knowledgeable.” Just as long as I get a few minutes to Google the answer. Likewise, the “customer’s” responses were either; ‘Extremely well’ or ‘Quite well’. I wonder what the results of the survey would be on a larger scale? Do kids in general feel satisfied with the parents “job performance”. On another level, should parenting even be compared to a job? It’s something that we as humans are programmed to do since our offspring are unable to care for themselves. And we do the best that we can!
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Melanie Lewis is the mother of 2 active young boys. She is married and works part-time as a Silpada representative and a weight loss consultant. She enjoys book club, and playing with her Blue-mitted Ragdoll, Percy and Golden Retriever, Rosie. She can be reached atmelaniewlewis@yahoo.com.