Hate working with grumpy customers?

[JA2007]

I work in a call center for a bank and I just get so flustered every time a customer bitches at me. I have worked so hard to get over a lot of SA symptoms, but they all come right back as soon as people start yelling at me. My voice gets higher pitched (I'm a chick and it's already young-sounding, which gets me zero respect!). I start shaking a little too and I try not to talk a lot so the person on the phone can't hear it in my voice. I don't know if this is anger or fear or what. I hate getting like this because it means the customer has succeeded, and they shouldn't succeed because they usually are totally wrong and are complaining about trivial freaking things that they caused on their own.

I pretty much get verbally abused because customers are frustrated in general and decide to take it out on a poor, under-paid, nice bank employee such as myself. Where do they learn it is okay to talk to anyone like this? Why don't they see us as human too? They wouldn't want someone talking to them like that. Whenever I have an issue with a business, I just kindly ask an employee to help me (if I even get the nerve to do that) and I usually get what I need from them. They are human just like me and I treat them how I would want to be treated in return. Am I the only one who thinks it is never okay to verbally abuse someone who did not cause the problem?? Is it worth making a little person feel like crap just to get your stupid little way??

 

[Noca]

I never get angry at the low level ppl in customer service as they never are the fault of my problems. However the idiots that run the businesses(the managers) are who i speak with until I set them straight whether it be in a nice manner or not.

For example, my wireless phone company decided they would sell me a phone that is on backorder for months and not tell me at the time of purchase. This angers me a lot and yet I was still nice to them until they denied giving me compensation at my first request. Its only after mopping the floor with the managers did I any compensation at all. Its been nearly 20 days and I have yet to see any phone for my $337 I dished out.

 

[JA2007]

I never get angry at the low level ppl in customer service as they never are the fault of my problems. However the idiots that run the businesses(the managers) are who i speak with until I set them straight whether it be in a nice manner or not.

For example, my wireless phone company decided they would sell me a phone that is on backorder for months and not tell me at the time of purchase. This angers me a lot and yet I was still nice to them until they denied giving me compensation at my first request. Its only after mopping the floor with the managers did I any compensation at all. Its been nearly 20 days and I have yet to see any phone for my $337 I dished out.

Sometimes even the managers' hands are tied. In most of the companies I've worked for, the truly responsible people are the ones who are so high up that they never have customer contact and just pay people like managers and customer service reps to do the dirty work while they enjoy all the profits.

 

[ApRiLGeTsAngry77]

The key to diffusing an irate customer is disarming them. If you remain to be calm and treat them with extra special attention than you will confuse them which disarms them. Pretend you are the customer that is upset and ask yourself what would make you calm down. Props to you for working in customer service - that is an emotionally draining job!

 

[Richey]

I dont like being forced to act a certain way or forced to be around people for hours and hours, it just seems odd to me and that is what happens in most common jobs.

 

[JA2007]

The key to diffusing an irate customer is disarming them. If you remain to be calm and treat them with extra special attention than you will confuse them which disarms them. Pretend you are the customer that is upset and ask yourself what would make you calm down. Props to you for working in customer service - that is an emotionally draining job!

Thanks, but don't give me too many props. I was desperate. I would love to find a job that does not require customer contact with my current skills!

I am always calm and have a generally nice tone, even when people are yelling at me. That is what is so sick about them.

 

[JA2007]

I dont like being forced to act a certain way or forced to be around people for hours and hours, it just seems odd to me and that is what happens in most common jobs.

I agree. It is pretty much torture for me every day.

 

[dtrotter]

Well, they just want to rant all about their problems at you. All you can do is that, just forget it. I mean, it is not your company, who cares? Just let them yell, *hint*hint*, just imagine some dogs are barking at you, but can't hurt you...just look at them as some idiots or so forth..

 

[mimi1988]

I used to work at a call center in the collections department (basically a bill collector). But I quit within the 2nd week, lol. I HATED it! I would get so nervous whenever I had to call someone, I would just forget everything and start stuttering. The pay was nice but I hated the job. I feel like such a quitter ::

 

[Satine]

I take phone calls on a daily basis from customers. It's not too often I get an idiot on the line, but when I do I react in one of a few different ways, most very satisfying:

- if they're doing a roaring rampage at me, I just let them go on and on and on... because eventually, they'll run out of steam. Normally they're happier once they feel they've been listened to. And keeping quiet during their rant tends to give me plenty of time to formulate a good response, which is usually just, 'well, I can do this to solve your problem. Alternatively, that'. The fact that you come in sounding calm after their rant tends to make them be calm anyway.
- if it's someone who just sees me as a lowly servant, I tend to (shock, horror) only have a very limited range of appointments available to offer them. Especially if they're calling to change an appointment time from one already established. If they can't manage and our diary is busy, that's their problem.
- this can be a bit more tricky, but giving an easily-irritable customer polite, though patronising responses tends to wind them up while leaving you smelling of roses. Again, you can get the hang of this just by following company procedure. It tends to be all in the tone of voice.

Generally, if a customer is not nice to deal with, your team and manager probably already know about it and secretly like to wind them up a bit. So if you have a customer like this, just imagine your entire team leaning in to listen to the conversation and snickering over what a racket the customer is making.

Think, 'Ah, yes, sir. We saw you come in last week, and we all thought you were a pillock! Now, may I show you our most expensive range? I'd be only too happy to shamelessly exploit your wallet.'

 

[PunkRotten]

Its ignorance, they act like cutomer service people are to blame.

 

[Remus]

I get a call center call me and I just put the phone down. Why waste energy abusing them

I do wonder how they got my name and number as I'm not in the phone directory

 

[Satine]

I get a call center call me and I just put the phone down. Why waste energy abusing them

I do wonder how they got my name and number as I'm not in the phone directory

I had one call my place of work this morning. He asked whether we had a music licence and at first I thought, 'What?' Then I worked out that maybe it was to do with playing music in a public place, such as an office. I explained that it's just me in the office so getting a licence of some kind would be useless partly because I can't concentrate and work at the same time and partly because it would be a bit anal of me to buy a licence just because I'm hearing music I occasionally play if I've run out of work / lunchtime.

He wouldn't really give up on the issue even after repeated assurances that I wouldn't need one (harder touting for business; response to the credit crunch I suppose) so eventually I told him I'd explained why I didn't want one and put the phone down on him.

 

[bb562]

I wish i can kill people like that and get away with it