My Boss Put Me on Toilet Duty Until a French Tycoon Refused to Meet Anyone Else Chapter 03
Problems erupted on the very first day of the new system.
Mr. Boone planned a meeting with a major client at eight thirty a.m.
Back when I ran the lobby, I arrived at eight o’clock sharp. I wiped down the entire front area, cleaned every cup and brewed fresh drinks before guests arrived. I would then lead clients straight upstairs.
But that morning, I was busy taking inventory in the warehouse.
I finished my tasks close to nine o’clock. As I passed the lobby, I spotted the important client standing in front of the check-in kiosk.
The screen flashed a prompt to scan a QR code. The man held up his phone and tried repeatedly, but nothing worked.
He spotted me and looked relieved. “Excuse me, I need to see Mr. Boone.”
“Just a moment—”
The kiosk’s mechanical voice cut me off mid-sentence.
“Check-in failed. Please try again. Check-in failed. Please try again.”
The flat tone echoed across the entire lobby. The client looked embarrassed.
“What’s wrong with this machine?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll get you connected.”
I hurried to find Nora Fisher.
“You’re no longer assigned to the lobby,” Nora said. “Let the system handle this.”
“The system isn’t working for him.”
“That’s a technical issue. The manual has a support number you can call.”
I stared at her for a moment, then walked back and personally escorted the client upstairs.
Mr. Boone looked surprised to see me, but he said nothing.
This was only the start of the chaos.
At ten a.m., a long-term client called the main line. The automated phone attendant picked up immediately.
“Thank you for calling Horizon Enterprise. Please dial your extension directly, or say the department name for assistance.”
The caller pressed zero.
“Please state the name of the department you wish to reach.”
“Purchasing Department.”
“I did not recognize your request. Please try again.”
“Purchasing Department!”
“I did not recognize your request. Please try again.”
The client redialed, hoping to reach a live operator. But the lobby workstation sat empty. The phone rang over a dozen times before the call routed back to the automated system.
“Thank you for calling Horizon Enterprise…”
Frustrated, the client dialed Mr. Boone’s personal cell phone.
“Your company’s phone system is broken! I’ve been trying to get through for ten minutes, and all I get is a robot repeating itself!”
“I said Purchasing three times! Is my speech really that hard to understand?”
Mr. Boone’s face turned furious. Seraphina had invested heavily in the new systems, swearing they were far more reliable than human staff.
Down in the lobby, more trouble unfolded. A vendor arrived to drop off product samples and stepped up to the kiosk.
“Please scan code to check in.”
“Please fill out guest information.”
“Please upload photo ID.”
“Check-in incomplete. Please contact lobby staff for assistance.”
The vendor glanced around the empty lobby. “Where is the lobby staff?”
The machine repeated the same line over and over.
The man stood there, stuck and unsure what to do. Eventually, Mae Holland, our janitor, pointed him toward the elevators.
“Just head upstairs and find the sales team.”
The vendor went ahead without completing any official check-in. No one logged his arrival.
He reached the elevator area and found his access badge would not open the doors. He waited for five minutes until a passing employee let him inside.
Mr. Boone learned of the incident and confronted Seraphina.
“The guest entered the building without checking in.”
“The system records show he never completed check-in,” she replied.
“Exactly. He got inside anyway. What exactly is your system keeping out?”
Seraphina fell silent.
The package lockers quickly filled up. The system sent automatic text messages.
[Your parcel is stored in Locker B3.]
Employees headed down to collect their items, but no one could find Locker B3. The new lockers had not been fully labeled yet.
Staff posted questions in the company group chat.
[Who is in charge of the lobby? I can’t find my package.]
No one replied. The lobby was now fully run by automated systems.
An hour later, an opened empty parcel was found on the floor beside the lockers. Its contents were gone.
The machines could not answer who had stolen the items.
