Here's an acronym you might not have come across before: INMI
Involuntary Musical Imagery (INMI): According to Wikipedia, this is an earworm, sometimes called a brainworm, sticky music, or stuck song syndrome (I love that one). It's a tune or part of a song that repeats in your mind.
Some random facts from Wikipedia: 98% of people experience earworms. Earworms tend to last longer for women and irritate them more. And earworms can occur with both "positive" and "negative" music.
This week, an episode in a series left me with an earworm. Hooray for YouTube and Spotify, because I can find the song and play it. That saves everyone the agony of hearing me sing it tunelessly with the wrong words.
An unhappy Wednesday
On Wednesday I had the misfortune to have to go into a bank - two different banks, in fact. That took over three hours, most of which was spent waiting. I had time to read 7 chapters of a new Kindle business book, but that didn't make me happier. And I had time to think about my experience.
(Many of you work for banks, so I'm not going to name the banks. But I did notice the amazing similarity of my experience at both.)
The world's worst earwig
At Bank #1, the customer consultant had to phone the credit card division. No special hot-line: she had to phone the same number and wait just as long as I did. And listen to the same tune, played over and over and over again. The line cut out twice, so she had to phone three times. And listen to it each time.
I had to listen to it too, because the call was on speaker. And I felt very sorry for her. I hate listening to the same on-hold tune when I phone a call centre. But I don't phone call centres often. Imagine doing that all day as part of your job. Apparently earworms can be triggered by a tune that you hear repeatedly. I bet that tune echoes in her head for hours.
It could be worse. Instead of the tune, it could be those insufferable words: We are experiencing very high call volumes. Please be patient, your call is important to us.
It's time to move on
Covid-19 changed many things. I'm happy that we are on amended alert level 1 as of last night. But we expect the fourth wave in December, so this is a temporary relief.
This IS our normal. After 574 days of living with the pandemic, it's not a new normal anymore. So we need to stop using it as an excuse for poor customer service. Every company makes claims to continuous improvement. If you still have high call volumes after 500 days, isn't it time to do something about it?
I have so many questions. Why can I empty a bank account via internet banking, but I can't close it? And do interior designers ever sit for more than 10 seconds in the chairs they choose for bank branches (and hospital waiting rooms)? My hours in the queue provoke thoughts, but not necessarily positive thoughts.
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