Before we go any further, I KNOW that the title is ungrammatical and horrible.
It's a quote from some bad eighties film. You might well know the one. I can't remember.
Anyway, this is another one of those fictional conversations - a phone conversation this time.
Caller: I'd like to speak to Sir Richard Branson, please.
Richard Branson's office: Can I ask who is calling?
Caller: My name is Fred Smith.
RBO: And may I ask what your call is regarding?
Caller: Yes. I'm flying from London to Miami on his Virgin airline this evening and I need to know if the plane is on time.
RBO: Sorry? Let me get this straight ... er ... sir. You want to know whether one of this evening's Virgin Airlines flight will be leaving on time? And you're calling the founder and the chairman of the company to find out? Is that what you're saying Mr .... Smith?
Caller: Exactly. Put me through please.
RBO: Mr Smith, Sir Richard is the chairman of the company. He won't know. Let me give you a number to call....
Caller: What do you mean, he won't know? He's the boss isn't he? He's in charge, yes? He will know whether his planes are running on time, won't he?
RBO: Well, no sir. There are staff for that. People whose job it is to know. People who are especially employed to answer that sort of query. Let me give you the number ....
Caller: Well, that's ridiculous. What sort of business is he running? He doesn't even know if his planes are on time? Appalling. What a shambles. I'll never use your airline again. And I'll make sure that I tell all my friends that Virgin Airlines is useless and that the boss doesn't evem know what's going on. Disgraceful, I call it.....
What a mad conversation. Not very likely really, is it. Well, I don't know anyone who answers the phone at Virgin Airline's corporate headquarters but if my experience is anything to go by, that WILL have happened.
Caller: I want to speak to [insert name of TSDG principal of your choice].
TSDG staff: I'm sorry, he/she is not available. Can I help?
Caller: No.
Well caller, you're foolish. (And rather rude, actually). It is 99% certain that the person who COULD help you is the person who answered the phone. It is 98% certain that if you HAD spoken to [the principal of your choice] they would have passed your request/comments/remarks/question to the person who answered the phone to deal with.
Comments