When you share your problems with a friend, or with the team, or even the organisation whom you think is at fault, are you venting or trying to come up with a solution. In reality, a problem always bifurcates into two separate issues, one being the actual fact of something unresolved, and the other being the worries, projections of the future implications of the unresolved problems weighing down on one emotionally.
Often, we need to deal with the emotional aspect of the problem before we can deal with the physical aspects. And that is the reason customer service is so important, the sense that someone is on the other end of the line, listening, empathising and working with you to move towards something helps lay the foundation for solving the genuine problem. But then we have to be frank and open to ourselves and those we are engaging, that we are venting, and not in the mode for working on solutions yet.
Because there will be people who don’t want to deal with your venting nonsense; they prefer to get down to the problem rather than dance around it. They would be really happy to work with you to get to a solution though. So be clear what are your objectives – to yourself, as well as others. When you are ready for the solution, and to get on with the hard work, you can then get on to the real problem-solving.