Good Guy, Bad Guy You Decide.....

Good Morning,

I have an issue myself this week, it's not a new issue but it's one that come up usually around this time every year and maybe I just take things too personally sometimes but it bugs me. I as the Appointed One don't think I'm a mean person unless I have to be. Don't laugh I'm serious, yea I know I'm a girl so I must be moody and whatever but who isn't sometimes....
Anyway there seems to be this ice dam that goes up between office staff and techs which seems to get worse in the winter. Techs think we (office staff) don't understand what they go through nor do they believe that we work anywhere near as hard as they do. To some extent they are right; I know I personally do not fully understand what they face when they are out in the field. All I do know is that I do the best I can to get the most accurate info from a customer and get their schedules to work out the best possible way I can while making sure there is enough work on the schedule as well.
I do work in the office and yes I do work a pretty set schedule as does the other members of the office staff. The techs do work a variety of hours based on what we get onto the schedule for them. I do get to work inside unexposed to the weather and as they like to point out sit and talk on the phone all day while they are outside getting wet and cold, doing physical labor all day. What they don't see is the battling we do over the phone trying to defend them and keep customers somewhat calm while trying to keep the job on the schedule or get more on.
I am NOT unsympathetic to their situations out in the field when they are at a job where the customer misinformed us during an estimate causing the job to double in size and we get on the phone and offer some "ridiculous" deal to keep the job on instead of letting them just walk off and forget it. However if we did this everytime a job went haywire and it was yucky weather out they would complain that they weren't making enough money or "it wasn't even worth getting out of bed" I look at saving a job or negotiating a better deal for the customer as keeping them working making some money as opposed to not working at all making no money. When this happens which thankfully isn't too too often although it seems that way during the winter months when everyone and everything is freezing the techs take it as we don't care and understand. I wish we could make the techs totally understand what we deal with in the office sometimes. I would rather be out freezing and wet at times than dealing with some people and issues inside.
At the end of the day we all get the work done and go our separate ways and come payday when they are making the bigger bucks they suddenly realize that we are not the enemy. Just like mom sometimes we know best... Now you can all laugh.
Have a great week,
The Appointed One