I really try to help out the clients I deal with. My expectations of myself are tougher than those I place on my coworkers. Catch the phone before the third ring. Don't let calls sit on hold. Get numbers and keep your promise to call back. Be sure the person you are helping knows what they want and need. It goes on and on.

Today, one of the hardest problems was a couple from out of town that got hit on the freeway. The body damage was minor but the suspension was bent and the wheel was broken. The car needs expensive work to make their 5 hour trip home. We can't get the parts until Monday afternoon, we are out of loan cars, and the rental office was closed.
I ended up playing collsion estimator, service advisor, parts guy, and personal concierge. That fell at a time when the phones were going insane and people were lining up at the counter.

The two of us were having such a hard time keeping up that I gave away some small items with a "Merry Christmas" and a smile. It was easier and faster to bill the stuff to the shop at the end of the day than to go through the normal transactions. To be perfectly honest, it was a bit selfish too. I really needed some kind of positive feedback to offset the day we were having.