Someone taught me to remember this phrase: "there is a person on the end of every transaction." It was said in the vein of keeping kindness in the forefront of one's life. People have bad days, and even though you're the customer, you don't need to fly off the handle. Business demands can be required without being a jerk. This is particularly true in help desk support situations, the type of work I've been doing for the past year.
"I'm so sorry to bother you," someone will say when they call. I tell them it's no bother and that's why I'm here, to help. Sure, peopel can be mean. Websites I visit can promise a lot, and then really not come close to delivering. Write a scathing review? Nah, I think not. Time can better be spent on other things. We so often expend energy on stuff that doesn't matter. Even today I had a difficult time converting a standard HTML skin into a DNN skin. I'm not finished yet, but the end product will look great. I got the CSS file, but it's all chopped up and not looking very good, plus has almost no comments. Fly off the handle? I think not. Patience and character come into play even when doing web design.
So don't forget the next time someone calls you a bit upset on the phone, or the next time the clerk at the store is having a bad day, or the next time someone doesn't do what you expect them to do...there is always a person on the end of that transaction...
