Customer Service... Vent About Customers

I work in customer service, taking orders over the phone and such.

I Really don't understand why people are rude to us, I can't help but think of the old adage, "Don't bite the hand that feeds you" to me being rude to the guy whos writing down what you order doesn't make sense. For example (I work with pizzas) oops, it was hot sprinkles, not half sauce? oops. I bet that burned.

I can understand people complaining for a genuine reason, something wrong with the pizza or it was late or such, but people ringing up and complaining, then talking your ear off "This call is costing me money hurry up," and I respond ok I've done what I need to do you should get a call in X mins, if not call us back and we'll put you through" and then they spout the "I've been a customer for so long, ive never had anything wrong before, but this time grr. etc. etc."

Another thing that annoys me is people that ring up and complain about something, and they say "this is the first time anything's ever been wrong ever and they've been using us for many years, and you know what I'm not going to order from you ever again because of it." I am tempted to say, "What do you do?" and say what if you did a bad job once, and you got the sack because of it? How would you feel about that?" Then the I understand you didn't get what you wanted by but why does one experience have to sour you? if it happens regularly that I can understand... that ANNOYS ME

I really like it when people are just business, I don't mind it. Simple matter of fact, business only tone, thats fine. but being rude, whinging and whining about something then causing the problem (The Hurry up I'm on a mobile, then talking your ear off) really annoy me.

There are great customers too. I remember then just as much as I remember the bad ones...

 

 

 

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Its funny enough but I took a class last semester for HelpDesk support (computers), and surprisingly enough the reason for the bad customer support is the repetition, long hours, rude customers, stress of finishing calls as fast as possible, problems at home and like a myriad of other things. Of course, the big factor is stress, if you can't handle stress easily then customer support is not a job career for you.

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Well my experience teached me that it is almost a second nature of men to complain about everything.
"
For example:
Take the weather for instance. If it is sunny and a bit warm people are complaining "Argh it is hot today",
Or when it is a bit colder or it rains a bit "Argh it is cold and wet today".

In a way we can't blame them.

Altough some people go extreem with theire complaining.

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its not so much the stress, I'm just tired (after working at my current job for over 2 years now) of people not speaking sufficient english to order, and I don't understand the people who are rude to people who are the ones helping them if they've got a comlaint. i can understand anger (its at the situation and you tend to cop the brunt of it but im cool with that) but not plain rudenesss... anyway thats my vent about my job...

I need these every so often

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 Being 57 and in customer service all my life I can see a distinction with the problems arising.  Frustrated customers, frustrated CSR's, and growth oriented push employers.  I have to put the responsibility onto the employers and their incompetence.
I think on the most pat most who enter into customer service do so because they want to be helpful.  Just as the customer wants to be helped .  However, todays business's have made information technology a maze highway going no where, focused on scripting that generalizes doesn't give answers, and in my opinion the higher the position the more out of touch with the customer and more in touch with self & self gain. Any wonder why customers are loosing it. Why a csr job is ranked as being one of the worst to apply for.  It all falls on the company and what they provide and most provide little to next to nothing in the way of focus to info,  systems, procedures training and knowledge  that really focus's on a customer and inner workings of the company they represent. 
Wonder why a customer goes verbally postal, heres the reasons.
They get onto a phone system of blah, blah info music hold recordings and push button requests that has them sitting on a phone for half an hour mentally praying they can reach a live human being before they end up disconnected. (a sound business investment to the employer)

They get a live person who promptly reads the script
Thank you for calling...How can I assit you
That's a very good question but first let me...
I apologize for your inconvenience
Let me connect you to ...Putting them through the hell phone system rotation again.
And US citizens just love to hear a person they can't understand because their call just went to a transfer operator from India or wherever that clearly detests Americans but keeps within the procedural guidelines.
Otherwise the caller is waiting for the csr to go through their maze of information highway and put on hold while the csr finds somemore scripting to read as close to the problem as they can find...Not an answer but a great save response determined by who...The degreed  suit who learned more about higher mgnt to impress then they ever learned about the job they were hired for. Most that require further detail fall through the cracks because if more time is required then the given stat time there is neighter anyone competent above or able to answer the question or they are not allowed without an act of congress and the bureaucracy to call them back.

The increasingly smarter customer already knows, create enough havoc with the csr demand a supvisor/mgr and even though the guidelines and answer may be the same.  The mindset is they are satisfied because they know in the world of business today the pee on csr robot has no mind they use because employers won't let them do what they initially want to do.  And that is actually help the caller /customer . Does it always go the way a customer may want of course not but understanding and knowledge is usually not stat perceptive to have business be bothered with it.

  It's not rocket science it is however a sign of the times and that is American business demise.   Years ago before the advent of so many degreed business leaders in the industry,  there were roll up your shirtsleeve business owners.  They were about being successful but that was realizing it was the customer who would make or brake them.  You got a live person when you called, you dealt with that csr who went to the departments & got the answers and you had a csr who wasn't watching a stop watch to their time on the phone to giving you an understanding of their personal situation with the company. The customer knew they were focused on them not their scripts, not their stats and bureaucracy that loudly and clearly makes it known they are not what is important nor are they what individually matters. It's all about upper mgnt their graphs, reports, their bosses, which is their overeducated vp's ceo's too good to be anything but a company to fill their pockets and stock holders, looking for the same.

I've been yelled at swore at people trying to push my buttons in an attempt to get me over the barrel so they can arm themselves with ammunition in speaking to higher ups with leverage to get what they want.  Why ...It all goes back to the real culprit.  They are self righteous in what they do because they have to push themselves up in importance to business who have ceased to viewing the customer as important just a fool.

 

 

 

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