Plaster power

For most kids, there is no injury, physical or emotional, that a band-aid can’t fix, and they understand doctors as similarly omnipotent. Eventually, we all come to the uncomfortable realization that not only do band-aids have their limits, but so does medical science as a whole.

Not everything can even be diagnosed, let alone corrected. There is no guaranteed solution to every ill. You might be left managing symptoms, trying alternative therapies, or just finding your own way to cope. 

Good doctors will listen carefully and take you seriously. They will be honest about their limitations, supportive without over-promising. If you find a doctor like that, hold onto them. 

Support professionals are the diagnosticians of the online world. Paid less, certainly, but usually with commensurately less at stake. There are plenty of situations where a solution to a customer’s complaint is immediately obvious, and readily available. We’ll hand out band-aids and Tylenol in the form of knowledge base articles and saved replies.

But there are also plenty of customers with complex issues, unique needs, mysterious errors. Customers who can’t get a nice clean resolution within the prescribed response time. Those people need us to listen well, to consider alternate solutions, to do the research and be aware of the latest technologies.

And ultimately, they may need us to be honest about the reality of the situation. To suggest treatments that manage symptoms, but also warn them of the side effects. To avoid false hope in the form of “we’ll record your feature request” for something we know is never coming.

You’re not on a TV show. You can’t fix every problem. But you can leave every customer feeling heard and respected, knowing you genuinely tried to help them. Assuming, of course, that your work situation allows for that level of care.

Some of my favorite doctors have been less helpful over time because of forces outside their control. Investors in the medical practice require more patients in fewer hours. Regulations demanding different practices, or new technologies replacing human contact. 

If you’re in charge, you may have the power to prioritize good service, to choose where to invest and how to implement new tools. Think about the doctor you’d want to have, and make the space your team needs to do their best work for your customers.