Telephone Gripes

[Jaena]

As some of you may have known, I work for a local telephone company. Now that I have gotten through my INSANE training, I have been placed in teh cubicle next to the stupid woman who doesn't know how to open Word, and dealt with some VERY stupid things. I am a customer sales and service rep, meaning I sit there all day and answer questions, and sell phone service. Some common issues I have come across:

1. We have to print the bills ahead of the date on them so that you get them in what seems to be a timely manner. So, if the bill comes out April 1 according to the date on it, that means that sticking your payment in the mail or even calling our call center to make a payment will NOT be reflected on your bill. I get calls EVERY SINGLE DAMN DAY about this. The info for the bills has to be pulled, the bills have to be printed, address, stuffed in envelopes, postage put on them, and THEN they get mailed out, to be received by you like a day or two after the date on teh bill. Not to mention that we are doing this for over 100k customers, and that's just the Eastern call center's customers. Send in your payment earlier if you don't like it showing that you have a "past due" balance on your bill.

2. Just because you are someplace where the weather is gorgeous does NOT mean that I want to hear about it. We got snow again last night. I don't give a damn about your 80 degree weather. Shut up.

3. "I got a phone call yesterday and got a number on it, but when I called that number it had a half hour hold time" Again, you are not our only customer, and our collections department is TINY. As soon as disconnect notices come out, those poor guys get inundated with calls.

4. You do not have any one person who takes care of your account (unless you're a business with three lines or more). So calling in for one specific person is going to get you put on hold while I "find" that person and then come back to ask for a message or how I can help you.

5. Supervisors are held by the same regulations I am. End of story.

6. This one is for our lovely collections department. I had a bit of a discussion about this with one of them today. Collections has MAJOR hold times. CSSRs have a certain call time they are supposed to average, a certain number of calls per day to take, and a certain number of sales to make per day. This means we do not want to do a warm transfer (warn the receiving party). Telling ME that you're irritated abotu gettign cold transfers doesn't make me feel sorry for you. And stating that your supervisor makes you hold no matter how long it will be does not change my feelings toward you. MY supervisor said if it's longer than a minute or to to just transfer the customer to the queue. And besides, I know you specifically do cold transfers all the time. You did TWO IN A ROW yesterday. I got the first one, and Amanda, in one of the cubicles next to me got the other. Guess what, I verified with my supervisor. I will continue my cold transfers. Kiss my ass.

7. We told you when we set up your order that the reason it had to be dated out three business days is because there are MANY steps that go into preparing for the order. So calling on Tuesday night, right at 5 pm, to cancel your order that is scheduled for the very next morning is not cool. Especially not when you keep me on teh phone past 510 when I need to go get my son from daycare.

8. Regulations = I HAVE TO DO IT or I CAN'T DO IT. Don't try to get around it.

9. How do you avoid disconnection notices? How do you keep from gettign temproarily disconnected for nonpay again? PAY YOUR FUCKING BILL!

10. For those who were right there when I was told that talking would help my anxiety: if I stand up suddenly and start jabbering, that means my heart is racing and I'm lightheaded and am distracting myself. Please remember that.

11. The woman I can't stand: today I heard "My kingdom for a tulip" waaaaaaay too many times. I fixed her phone for her so that she doesn't have to yell into the phone anymore, THANK GOODNESS. However, I have noticed that she still talks loudly. And I cannot STAND the "It's going to sound like I'm gone but I'm really not". Put the customer on hold like a normal person, don't just mute them. That way they get to hear our crappy hod music, but they KNOW they're on hold. They KNOW if the call gets dropped because the music drops out. You're pissing Amanda and I both off with your constant muting customer and standing up for help and acting like the rest of us and our customers are shit on the bottom of your shoe. I HATE YOU!

[FawkesFyre]

I guess your last bit stuck in my head the most. Our local IT will do the mute button routine...pisses me off! They will take over your computer via remote access and then put you on mute while you sit there and watch while they screw around on your computer.I've actually booted one off before when they started doing what I just told them not to do...

Its only sadder when you know more than IT...

My only problem with cold transfers is that you have to give them all your info again and reexplain the problem...and sometimes you have to do this 3-4 times until they get the department right.

But I get the whole number of calls/sales and time limits. I've actually opted to talk to the CSR's manager and put in a good word when they're willing to go over their time limit to fix my problem...but that's within my own company regarding my IRU.

[ScrumYummy]

[Graillik Tur]

Depends on the industry. Certain times a sup or manager will take the liberty of making an 'exception' dependant on how comfortable they are with risking their job, or being able to talk their way out of it with THEIR boss.

[Ming]

I would think that in some industries the supervisors have more power to do more or make exceptions, or go a little further than the regular reps are allowed.

[ScrumYummy]

Well, I will admit that once, when I was a manager, I made an exception for a customer. And it came back and bit me in the ass when she screwed us over, so I stopped making exceptions after that.

[Robb]

[FawkesFyre]

[Jaena]

Today had a great customer. He had called in twice earlier in teh day, and verbally abused a couple of the other reps. He wanted tro have somethign done that absolutely possitively has to be dated otu three days.

Him: I wanna do xxxxxxxxx with my account and it needs to be effective immediately.
ME: Can I put you on hold a minute while I verify what information I need?

I went and got a supervisor, and verified the three day thing. If anyone can push it through, it's a supervisor. Because of the actual wiring that had to be done though, and our techs being overbooked as it is, it HAD to be at least 3 days out.

Me: Thank you for holding. Now, you're wanting to do xxxxxxxx?
Him: Yes.
ME: That is going to take three days to take effect.
Him: *profanity* What do you mean? I need it done NOW!
Me: Well, I'm sorry sir, but it cannot be done any sooner than 3 days from now.

At this point, the supervisor had put a team lead behind me to help me with the actual order. Who was stifling laughter, as he and I went back and forth for literally five minutes with "But I need it now" "I'm sorry, but it takes at least 3 days"

Him: So disconnect it then! I'll call back in and get it reconnected as blahblahblah
Me: Sir, the disconnection will take three days, and then teh reconnection would take another three business days after that.
Him: *profanity* But you guys disconnect people all the time! *more profanity*
Me: Sir, that is for non-payment, and is handled by a different department with different regulations. Those orders usually are dated out a couple days as well.
Him: *More profanity*
Me: I'm sorry sir, but it can't be done any sooner.
Him: Well then I'm going to switch all of my phones ot Vonage! And then I'll disconnect all of my numbers with you!
Me: Ok sir.
Him *pause* Well.... that's exactly what I'll do, I disconnect all of my phoen accounts with you because you can't fucking put an order through faster than three days.
Me: Whatever you decide to do sir, I will put an order in for three days out.

He swore at me some more, and then I went into the account and put my notes. Including numerous mentions of the order needing to be out three days, and the whole vonage threat. Now tha tI think of it, his internet accounts will no longer work once his phone is disconnected after he gets vonage. Because he has to have one of our phone lines to have our DSL. And cable isn't available where he is.

I also made a smartass comment in the note about how when he calls back to disconnect after switching to Vonage that it will still take three days to disconnect. And then printed out the entire 7 pages of past notes, and handed them to a team lead as warning that he would probably call back again.



Because I'm a bitch like that.