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Thou shalt be prepared. Have necessary account numbers, identity verification info, note-taking materials, and so on, ready before your call is answered. If you do not care about your own time or that of the agent who is being scored on such things as how quickly they can handle your call, and whose job depends on satisfying management on this point, consider that the reason you had a long hold time was that someone before you was as disorganized as you are. You really do not need to pay this forward. A part of being prepared to make a business-related call is that you should also be sober when making the call. Being drunk, high, or both will just make the whole thing even less efficient and more unpleasant for all parties.
Thou shalt get to the point and stay there. The agent you are speaking with does not need your biography, medical history, etc., as explanation for why you need routine tasks performed. The agent just needs to know, clearly, directly, and concisely, what task you need him/her to perform.
Thou shalt proceed in linear fashion instead of jumping all over the possible topics of the call, allowing each question to be answered in turn before proceeding to the next. This will make it much easier for the person at the other end to keep track of what you have asked and efficiently answer all queries.
Thou shalt be mindful that thou art speaking to a fellow human being. Use of normal social courtesies will make life more pleasant for all parties. Courteous behavior also frequently motivates the agent to do more on your behalf than the absolute minimum necessary to get rid of you.
Thou shalt control background noise to the best of thine ability. If you are in a noisy environment such as a bar or bowling alley, and background noise is as loud as your voice, the call will not go well, especially if you have a low tolerance for being asked to repeat yourself because the other party cannot clearly hear you. Also, TURN DOWN THE TV OR MUSIC if you are calling from home.
Thou shalt pay attention to thy call and not be carrying on multiple conversations, especially if one involves yelling at those in the room with thee. Respect for the agent's time and basic politeness both come into play here.
Thou shalt pay attention to the questions thou art being asked, and answer them succinctly. This is necessary to accomplish the purpose of your call.
Thou shalt listen to the answers thou receivest, and shalt not interrupt while thy question is being answered. Hark back to earlier remarks about "normal social courtesies". This will also render the call more efficient.
Thou shalt not consider thyself above policies, laws, and reality. Whining, bullying, cursing, tantrums, and personal threats do NOT motivate the person at the other end of the conversation to jeopardize employment or risk legal sanctions to bow to your sacred whim, even if what you want is physically possible. When you are one of a hundred callers the agent handles in a day, you are just not that special.
Thou shalt not flirt with, hit on, ask out, or proposition the agent thou art speaking with. You know nothing about that voice on the phone. Even if you're right about that person's gender, you do not know their marital/commitment status, age, orientation, or geographical location, much less anything about him/her as a human being. You probably do not really want to be the subject of breakroom mockery for being THAT pathetically desperate.
Thou shalt not call while driving. This is dangerous for all parties, including the person at the other end of the phone who is now dreading hearing a crash.
Thou shalt not call while in the restroom. Others in the restroom do not want to hear your phone call and the agent REALLY does not want to hear biological sounds or flushing.
Thou shalt not call while eating. You really wouldn't want to hear someone crunching or chewing or smacking in your ear, so why do you think the person you're talking to wants to hear that?
Thou shalt get to the point and stay there. The agent you are speaking with does not need your biography, medical history, etc., as explanation for why you need routine tasks performed. The agent just needs to know, clearly, directly, and concisely, what task you need him/her to perform.
Thou shalt proceed in linear fashion instead of jumping all over the possible topics of the call, allowing each question to be answered in turn before proceeding to the next. This will make it much easier for the person at the other end to keep track of what you have asked and efficiently answer all queries.
Thou shalt be mindful that thou art speaking to a fellow human being. Use of normal social courtesies will make life more pleasant for all parties. Courteous behavior also frequently motivates the agent to do more on your behalf than the absolute minimum necessary to get rid of you.
Thou shalt control background noise to the best of thine ability. If you are in a noisy environment such as a bar or bowling alley, and background noise is as loud as your voice, the call will not go well, especially if you have a low tolerance for being asked to repeat yourself because the other party cannot clearly hear you. Also, TURN DOWN THE TV OR MUSIC if you are calling from home.
Thou shalt pay attention to thy call and not be carrying on multiple conversations, especially if one involves yelling at those in the room with thee. Respect for the agent's time and basic politeness both come into play here.
Thou shalt pay attention to the questions thou art being asked, and answer them succinctly. This is necessary to accomplish the purpose of your call.
Thou shalt listen to the answers thou receivest, and shalt not interrupt while thy question is being answered. Hark back to earlier remarks about "normal social courtesies". This will also render the call more efficient.
Thou shalt not consider thyself above policies, laws, and reality. Whining, bullying, cursing, tantrums, and personal threats do NOT motivate the person at the other end of the conversation to jeopardize employment or risk legal sanctions to bow to your sacred whim, even if what you want is physically possible. When you are one of a hundred callers the agent handles in a day, you are just not that special.
Thou shalt not flirt with, hit on, ask out, or proposition the agent thou art speaking with. You know nothing about that voice on the phone. Even if you're right about that person's gender, you do not know their marital/commitment status, age, orientation, or geographical location, much less anything about him/her as a human being. You probably do not really want to be the subject of breakroom mockery for being THAT pathetically desperate.
Thou shalt not call while driving. This is dangerous for all parties, including the person at the other end of the phone who is now dreading hearing a crash.
Thou shalt not call while in the restroom. Others in the restroom do not want to hear your phone call and the agent REALLY does not want to hear biological sounds or flushing.
Thou shalt not call while eating. You really wouldn't want to hear someone crunching or chewing or smacking in your ear, so why do you think the person you're talking to wants to hear that?
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