More Customer Questions

“This is Parking Services. How can I help you?”

“This was the only campus number that I could find.”

Okay. So, let me get this straight. Out of the entire campus directory, out of the entire campus website, this was the ONLY number that you could find?


“And I was wondering if you could give me the phone number for (blank) department?”

Aren’t we being a tad bit lazy? It would take you less than two seconds to search for the department webpage and extract their phone number. We do not deal with information services. We deal with parking, ticketing, and issuing permits.

Offices that are usually asked for: Academic Advising, Cashiers Department, Financial Aid Office, University Dining.

Oh, and Office of International Education. I got this one once.


“Could give me information on (blank) major?”

You do realize you were greeted with the message ‘This is Parking Services.’


“Do you know anything about (blank event) going on campus?”

Oh, we have something like that? That’s news to me too.


More obscure questions:

“I heard you are selling fleet vehicles. Where do I find more about this?”

This one staggered me for one moment.
It wasn’t just the question. It was because the guy on the other end had an Australian accent. And it wasn’t just the accent. It made me think a guy from Australia was trying to buy used vehicles from this little old university that’s located in the middle of nowhere. He was actually from a large city in the next state.
Then I had to search for that obscure little department which deals with state vehicles. They were located as a sub-department under Campus Services. Oh, gee, I knew that.