The 10 minute phone call.

[Knightmare]

Okay, I know ten minutes isn't really that long for a phone call; it depends upon whom you are talking with. If it's a friend or family member, 10 minutes flies by.
But when it's a customer calling in the middle of a very busy time, it seems to last forever.

I was working with another guy today. Not as busy as we thought we would be this Memorial Day. Last year was much busier. But we were busy nonetheless.
D. and I are in the middle of mixing up separate orders for paint. I'm mixing up about 3 gallons for a customer, and he's just starting a 5 gallon order.

The phone rings, and since I'm not doing anything at that exact moment, I pick up the cordless phone.
"Paint department. This is Knightmare. How can I help you today?"
The guy on the other end is an older (50's) black southern gentlemen (OSG). Manners like you wouldn't believe. "Please" and "thank you" and so on. Called me "sir" more times than I like, though. It was refreshing, actually. Now, OSG was not really an SC.

Anyway, OSGwanted prices on paint. Thinking this would be a quick phone call, I left the desk, and my orders, and went down the aisle to get the exact prices.

However, this "quick" phone call turned into a call that went on and on and on. He asked the prices 5 times. He had no clue how to paint anything, and wanted me to tell him, step by step, how to paint a house. Then asked for more prices.

Meanwhile, the customers are getting backed up; they're getting antsy and fidgety. So I get back behind the desk and help customers. I'm answering OSG's questions while I'm taking orders and mixing paint. D. is smirking at me, and laughs everytime I roll my eyes or sigh because OSG will not get off the phone!

I take a gallon out of the mixer, dap it, and pound the lid closed very loudly, making sure the phone is very close so OSG can hear it.
OSG: "You sound busy, sir. I bet you are. It's a holiday."
Me: "Yes, sir. Extremely busy."
OSG: "Okay then, I won't keep you. But I do have one more question, if I may."
Me: "Sure. Go ahead."
OSG: "I'm looking for a brown color, a red and a tan color. Do you have those there?"
Me: *I can see where this is headed* "Yes, sir, we do."
OSG: "Could you tell me some of the names of those colors, please? Starting with the browns? Thank you."

I couldn't stay on with OSG anymore. Customers that are here, actually buying paint, are getting a little ticked off. I have to end the call.

Me: "I'm sorry sir, but I can't do that right now. I have about 10 people at the paint desk wanting paint, and I'm falling behind. We have thousands of colors to choose from. The best thing to do would be for you to come in and chose the colors you want."
OSG: "I understand. Thank you for helping me. May I ask one more favor, please?"
Me: *AARGH!!* (Thru gritted teeth) "Yes, sir."
OSG: "Could you transfer me to the hardware department, please?"
Me: "Not a problem sir. Hold on, please."

You should have seen how fast I transfered that call! After the transfer, I threw the phone down and started my mixing again. I did get caught up, finally.

When the rush died down, I thought about the call. I thought that possibly it was a secret shopper or a manager pulling a fast one.
An hour later, I knew that neither were true. Here comes OSG up to the paint desk, asking the same questions. I recognized the voice, cadence, etc of his speech. Luckily I was with another customer. This time, however, he was in and out in under 10 minutes. He picked his colors and left with 3 gallons of paint.

I don't think I'm going to carry the phone with me anymore. I'm really starting to resent phone calls. Especially when I'm with a customer.

[HawaiianShirts]

My sympathies. I've had the same thing happen multiple times.

People will call in wanting a new computer but not knowing what to look for. This is fine if they just want to know something like price ranges for "a simple home computer" or "a good photo printer" or simply whether we have laptops. It's quite another when they expect me to go through the specs and prices of every single computer I carry. But of course they're not writing anything down, so I have to go over some things several times over.

Had one guy who wanted to know the differences among the HP A1630N, HP A1640N, one of the HP M7000N series, and three similar Gateway models. He wanted memory sizes and speeds, processor types and speeds, hard drive sizes, prices, and as many other little details as he could come up with. Then he started coming up with his own model numbers and asking if I had them when, as far as I knew, they didn't exist. Even when I told him they probably didn't exist, he'd still ask about their specs and prices. Whenever I suggested he look up this information on our company's website, he'd say, "Yeah, I think I'll do that. One more question, though." And, of course, one question mutated into fifty. He would not get off the phone until he was done with me no matter how often I told him I was very busy and would be able to help him better if he called later; he would call back if I hung up on him and casually comment that the connection must have somehow gotten cut off; and he called about twice a day for a week. So far as I know, he never came in to buy anything because the last phone call I had with him ended with, "Well, perhaps I'll wait another month or two to see what else they come out with."

I've found, though, that it possible to be on the phone with someone like that when customers are waiting. As long as you acknowledge the customers in the store and occasionally roll your eyes or make frustrated sighs as the conversation drags on, very few people get mad, and some will even laugh with you when the call is finally over.