CWs, please answer the f****** phones

[depechemodefan]

From 11-2, there are 3 librarians answering phones. When you come to replace a cw, either someone will say they were there first and you replace them or you just pick a place you want to sit.

So I come in at 11:55 for the noon shift and took a desk I wanted. Another cw (M) came up and wanted to sit at a desk up front. The cw at that desk (from the 11 hour) was still on a call and so M just waited there. The third cw that was there from 11 left because Mtold her to go, even though that left me as the only person answering phones.

So I'm stuck answering call after call after call after call.

One call was a woman who wanted the ph number to the Urban League. I take 30 seconds to find it and spend another minute reading Cracked online. Sorry, but I'm sick of answering call after call, and I'm sick of people thinking we are 411.

So I get back on the phone and the woman tells me to hold a minute, she is trying to pull over. Too much to ask for her to pull over before she called, or at least in the two minutes I kept her on the phone on hold.

Then it's 12:01, and third cw comes in. Then she gets the key and goes to the bathroom, even though she didn't have a desk before this shift. Way too many cws do this, show up for shift but then goes to the bathroom.

Now I have a person who wanted me to find "SHAPE". Doesn't bother to tell me it's a community center; I was finding magazines, gyms, and other things by that name. Thanks for not enough info.

Then another patron wants the Pick 3 pre-test results.

then another person wants a directory of lawyers, but after I give a name of a book, he tells me he wants a directory online. Fine, I lead him to or online resources, and of course he doesn't see any of the buttons I tell him to press, and he keeps on asking, "it hasn't asked me for my user name and password, why not?" At one point I tell him, "sorry, I don't know why not,"; finally it does And it was a pain in the ass to guide him through the various things on the site.

Me: do you see where it says "collegue"? you are on that page. You want to hit the tab that says "not a lawyer?"
idiot: I don't see that.
me: it's right above the thing you are telling me you see, about typing in a lawyer's name.
*long time passes*
idiot: oh, ok, great. *does stuff* but it's not giving me any results.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

I take 30 seconds to find it and spend another minute reading Cracked online.

I SOOOO wish I could do this!!

[PepperElf]

Way too many cws do this, show up for shift but then goes to the bathroom.

That's cos they want to be paid to poop and pee. Instead of you know... showing up early and taking care of business before clocking in.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Ah yes, the phone answering allergy. I used to get really annoyed when I worked at the pizza place at drivers who'd stand there with the brain death stare whenever a phone rang. Especially if I couldn't answer it for whatever reason; for example, if I was already dealing with another customer, had my hands full or was doing washing up. I'm not about to electrocute myself by going near the tills with sopping wet hands, thanks very much. All they had to do was answer the phone and ask the customer to hold. Not... hard.

[Argus]

I am reminded of this:

http://www.despair.com/ap24x30prin.html