Gratifying
May. 27th, 2009 08:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prosodicIt's been difficult to tell my clients that I resigned. I spend so much time working with a person, getting to know the ins and outs of their account. In some cases, we've discussed bits of our personal lives with each other. I've even exchanged photographs and met some of them. I know about their spouses, kids, dogs, cats, vacations, etc. These are people I look forward to talking to every week, every other week, every month. My largely stressful and thankless job is made just a little bit easier from their kind words, from the way they remember something I told them about in a previous conversation, or just by the way they enthusiastically welcome my call (after all, I am responsible for ensuring they/their employees get paid).
Of course, this doesn't apply to all my clients, but many of them, anyway. Some of my clients have no idea who I am. They don't really care. They just want someone to do their payroll. And that's cool too. Others have no contact with me because they fax or email their payroll and don't connect me to a voice. Those are not people who would be concerned that I'm leaving. Some clients are fairly new to me, and we haven't established a rapport. Other clients have been difficult, with repeated miscommunications and mistakes on both sides. And there are still other clients that just don't care enough to establish a rapport with me, even though we've talked to each other for over a year. I've carefully chosen who I'm going to tell (hint: not the people I just mentioned in this paragraph). Most of my clients will find out when they get a phone call from their new specialist.
So far, the response has been overwhelming. Clients are sad that I'm leaving, but they have nothing but the nicest things to say. About how much I've cared for them as people and for their success with their business. They've been curious about what I'm going to do now. They've asked a lot of questions. They are incredibly impressed when I tell them that I wrote professionally before and that I will be doing so again. A few even asked for my personal email address so they can continue to stay in touch. One client that I spoke with today was really interested in reading stuff that I've had published in the past, so I sent him a few links to my previous work. They are, naturally, concerned that their next payroll specialist won't be as meticulous, as cooperative, as...well, as one of my clients said to me yesterday, I have big shoes for their next specialist to fill.
It's gratifying to hear all this. To know that I did the best that I could. That I did right by my clients. Despite how miserable I've been all along, I still did a damn good job for most of them. I came into contact with some really wonderful and interesting people and I will miss them. And it's humbling for me to finally understand that many of these clients cared about me as a human being, and not just as the person who issued their checks. They've wished me well. One urged me to "Go get 'em, tiger!" They've been supportive, encouraging and very very kind. If I shed any tears at all about leaving, it will be because of this.
Of course, this doesn't apply to all my clients, but many of them, anyway. Some of my clients have no idea who I am. They don't really care. They just want someone to do their payroll. And that's cool too. Others have no contact with me because they fax or email their payroll and don't connect me to a voice. Those are not people who would be concerned that I'm leaving. Some clients are fairly new to me, and we haven't established a rapport. Other clients have been difficult, with repeated miscommunications and mistakes on both sides. And there are still other clients that just don't care enough to establish a rapport with me, even though we've talked to each other for over a year. I've carefully chosen who I'm going to tell (hint: not the people I just mentioned in this paragraph). Most of my clients will find out when they get a phone call from their new specialist.
So far, the response has been overwhelming. Clients are sad that I'm leaving, but they have nothing but the nicest things to say. About how much I've cared for them as people and for their success with their business. They've been curious about what I'm going to do now. They've asked a lot of questions. They are incredibly impressed when I tell them that I wrote professionally before and that I will be doing so again. A few even asked for my personal email address so they can continue to stay in touch. One client that I spoke with today was really interested in reading stuff that I've had published in the past, so I sent him a few links to my previous work. They are, naturally, concerned that their next payroll specialist won't be as meticulous, as cooperative, as...well, as one of my clients said to me yesterday, I have big shoes for their next specialist to fill.
It's gratifying to hear all this. To know that I did the best that I could. That I did right by my clients. Despite how miserable I've been all along, I still did a damn good job for most of them. I came into contact with some really wonderful and interesting people and I will miss them. And it's humbling for me to finally understand that many of these clients cared about me as a human being, and not just as the person who issued their checks. They've wished me well. One urged me to "Go get 'em, tiger!" They've been supportive, encouraging and very very kind. If I shed any tears at all about leaving, it will be because of this.
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no subject
Date: 2009-05-29 02:37 pm (UTC)This isn't contradictory to me at all. I've loved a lot of the customers at places I've worked when I actually hated the job itself.