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My manager was not exactly happy that I managed to generate a complaint on my last dealing with paperwork day, today once again I was not scheduled to work with the public and I have another potential complaint. This time I didn't even see a client either.
I share a little office with one co-worker (it's much nicer than the big offices downstairs but we ended up there because no one wanted it
). It's around 11am and we're both sitting at our computers minding our own business typing up our notes from the rest of the week etc. when my co-workers phone rings. She realises right away that somethings wrong because it's an outside line direct to her extension which shouldn't happen at all.
So I listen to her take the call. Tell the person that's calling that we can't give advice on that number, give the advice line and say it'll be open from 2-4.30pm. Then I hear her politely repeat a couple of times that we can't give advice on an office line, and then say that we have no "emergency line" etc. It takes her about 4 minutes to get rid of someone who basically called a number they shouldn't have, which doesn't offer the service they want, and then argued with us about what our job involves.
About 30 seconds later the phone rings again.
We've had this problem before - and most people will accept it better coming from 2 or more members of staff. So I work out how to pick up the call from my extension (we've never had to do it but we've agreed if anyone insists on ringing 3 times whoever took the call first gets to put on a fake accent and try again).
The SC is very abrupt and rude in tone from the beginning.
SC : Is this line answered only by one person
Me : No, it's an office line (subtle hint ! and slight lie) and can be answered by different members of staff.
SC : What's your name ?
ME : Victoria
SC : Your last name ?
ME : I'm afraid I can't give that out (I normally do give out my last name, but that's when I've met people, and when they haven't instantly given out as many warning signs as this woman) but I'm the only Victoria here.
SC : Did you answer the phone a minute ago
ME : No, that was my colleague XXXX (thinking - my colleague with a strong Indian accent, unlike my moderately posh English accent)
SC : Well XXX was extremely rude to me
ME : I am in the same room as XXX and heard that conversation. She was very polite, and the information she gave is correct - we cannot give advice on this line
SC : Well you didn't here what I said ! She interupted me and slammed the phone down when I was talking.
(My co-worker is very mild and would never do this. Which I why I intercept Sucky Customers for her in the first place)
SC : I do not want advice I merely wish to speak to someone.
(You don't want advice, you want to speak to an adviser and claim you can't wait to 2pm and need an "emergency" line - yeah, right. I ignore the second set of lies about my co-worker, and I ignore that lie. I stick to my strong ground...)
ME : Well I'm afraid that this isn't a public number and you would need to ...
SC : I intend to make a complaint about how rude you and XXX have been and how badly I've been treated
ME : I was trying to speak, if you could not interrupt me for a minute...
SC *slams phone down*
Doesn't ring back !
I tend to hate people who mess with my co-workers (particularly my more timid co-workers, and many people are more timid than me) much more than those that mess with me.
My manager reckons she won't complain. I think she sounded exactly the sort who will. But I'm not worried. As her complaint will basically have to say "I attempted to use a service which doesn't exist and found that service to be unacceptable" I don't think we're going to have any problems.
*sigh* I think I'll have to spend more time with the public. 3 days this week I saw actual clients - no complaints. 2 days of paperwork - 2 complaints. Worryingly next week we have no clients as we're renovating the office and setting up a new computer database system. Think of the complaints I'll generate in a client free week.
Victoria J
I share a little office with one co-worker (it's much nicer than the big offices downstairs but we ended up there because no one wanted it
). It's around 11am and we're both sitting at our computers minding our own business typing up our notes from the rest of the week etc. when my co-workers phone rings. She realises right away that somethings wrong because it's an outside line direct to her extension which shouldn't happen at all. So I listen to her take the call. Tell the person that's calling that we can't give advice on that number, give the advice line and say it'll be open from 2-4.30pm. Then I hear her politely repeat a couple of times that we can't give advice on an office line, and then say that we have no "emergency line" etc. It takes her about 4 minutes to get rid of someone who basically called a number they shouldn't have, which doesn't offer the service they want, and then argued with us about what our job involves.
About 30 seconds later the phone rings again.
We've had this problem before - and most people will accept it better coming from 2 or more members of staff. So I work out how to pick up the call from my extension (we've never had to do it but we've agreed if anyone insists on ringing 3 times whoever took the call first gets to put on a fake accent and try again).
The SC is very abrupt and rude in tone from the beginning.
SC : Is this line answered only by one person
Me : No, it's an office line (subtle hint ! and slight lie) and can be answered by different members of staff.
SC : What's your name ?
ME : Victoria
SC : Your last name ?
ME : I'm afraid I can't give that out (I normally do give out my last name, but that's when I've met people, and when they haven't instantly given out as many warning signs as this woman) but I'm the only Victoria here.
SC : Did you answer the phone a minute ago
ME : No, that was my colleague XXXX (thinking - my colleague with a strong Indian accent, unlike my moderately posh English accent)
SC : Well XXX was extremely rude to me
ME : I am in the same room as XXX and heard that conversation. She was very polite, and the information she gave is correct - we cannot give advice on this line
SC : Well you didn't here what I said ! She interupted me and slammed the phone down when I was talking.
(My co-worker is very mild and would never do this. Which I why I intercept Sucky Customers for her in the first place)
SC : I do not want advice I merely wish to speak to someone.
(You don't want advice, you want to speak to an adviser and claim you can't wait to 2pm and need an "emergency" line - yeah, right. I ignore the second set of lies about my co-worker, and I ignore that lie. I stick to my strong ground...)
ME : Well I'm afraid that this isn't a public number and you would need to ...
SC : I intend to make a complaint about how rude you and XXX have been and how badly I've been treated
ME : I was trying to speak, if you could not interrupt me for a minute...
SC *slams phone down*
Doesn't ring back !
I tend to hate people who mess with my co-workers (particularly my more timid co-workers, and many people are more timid than me) much more than those that mess with me.
My manager reckons she won't complain. I think she sounded exactly the sort who will. But I'm not worried. As her complaint will basically have to say "I attempted to use a service which doesn't exist and found that service to be unacceptable" I don't think we're going to have any problems.
*sigh* I think I'll have to spend more time with the public. 3 days this week I saw actual clients - no complaints. 2 days of paperwork - 2 complaints. Worryingly next week we have no clients as we're renovating the office and setting up a new computer database system. Think of the complaints I'll generate in a client free week.
Victoria J
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