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And You're Supposed to Be a Professional?
**Disclaimer**
I'm an admin assistant at the head office of a child care agency, which has several daycare centres located in the city. I am aware of only the necessary details: the name of each centre, the names of the supervisors and employees at each centre, and each centre's location and contact information, because that's part of my job. But knowing anything beyond that is not my job.
Some of those "beyond" details, as I learned this past Friday, are the fact that, from my understanding (or lack of), those daycare centres are involved with schools or other daycare centres. To tell the truth, I am still not clear whether or not that is the case. But like I said - knowing this is not part of my job. However, after this experience, I'm going to make sure that it is!
**Disclaimer**
While covering phones for the receptionist, who was busy with a large photocopying job, a representative from a major bank called.
Rep: Is this the head office for <name of school I've never heard of>.
Me: Actually, no. We're <name of child care agency>.
Rep: I. Know. That. But you're the head office for <name of school I've never heard of>.
Me: Actually, no we're not. We're -
Rep: Yes. You. Are. My information says here that this is the head office for <name of school I've never heard of>. I NEED to speak to the supervisor.
Me: Are you sure it's not for our homework club? Because the names of our daycare centres are <lists off names of daycare centres>.
Rep: No! I need the name of the supervisor of <name of school I never heard of>.
Me: But the only supervisor is -
Rep: Look, I NEED to speak to the supervisor of <name of school I never heard of>. This is concerning a very serious issue. And this IS the head office of <that school>.
In writing, maybe it doesn't sound like she was being that bad, but believe me - her tone was very rude, almost pushy, and very insistent. I was shaking so much that I finally ended up forwarding her to the supervisor of the homework club, just to shut her up. Of course, I forwarded her to the wrong person. Once I realized my mistake, I emailed the person to whom I'd sent the call in error, and the situation was dealt with. My boss even said that it was not my fault at all.
Also, when I spoke to the receptionist, she told me the right information - that the school was associated with a certain daycare centre - one of the daycare centres that I had read off to her. So, the rep was technically wrong - we were NOT the head office for the school in question, but the daycare affiliated with that school. If that makes sense.
Anyway, all I had been trying to do was ask the representative a few leading questions, since I did not have the correct information for her. And if she hadn't been such a bitch, calmed down, and listened to me, I'm sure she would have gotten the information she needed. And she works for a major bank! You think she would have been a little bit more - ok, a LOT - more professional. Yelling and bullying people is not the way to get what you want. In fact, it's just counterproductive, as it was in this case.
If I could've reached out and choke someone...
I'm an admin assistant at the head office of a child care agency, which has several daycare centres located in the city. I am aware of only the necessary details: the name of each centre, the names of the supervisors and employees at each centre, and each centre's location and contact information, because that's part of my job. But knowing anything beyond that is not my job.
Some of those "beyond" details, as I learned this past Friday, are the fact that, from my understanding (or lack of), those daycare centres are involved with schools or other daycare centres. To tell the truth, I am still not clear whether or not that is the case. But like I said - knowing this is not part of my job. However, after this experience, I'm going to make sure that it is!
**Disclaimer**
While covering phones for the receptionist, who was busy with a large photocopying job, a representative from a major bank called.
Rep: Is this the head office for <name of school I've never heard of>.
Me: Actually, no. We're <name of child care agency>.
Rep: I. Know. That. But you're the head office for <name of school I've never heard of>.
Me: Actually, no we're not. We're -
Rep: Yes. You. Are. My information says here that this is the head office for <name of school I've never heard of>. I NEED to speak to the supervisor.
Me: Are you sure it's not for our homework club? Because the names of our daycare centres are <lists off names of daycare centres>.
Rep: No! I need the name of the supervisor of <name of school I never heard of>.
Me: But the only supervisor is -
Rep: Look, I NEED to speak to the supervisor of <name of school I never heard of>. This is concerning a very serious issue. And this IS the head office of <that school>.
In writing, maybe it doesn't sound like she was being that bad, but believe me - her tone was very rude, almost pushy, and very insistent. I was shaking so much that I finally ended up forwarding her to the supervisor of the homework club, just to shut her up. Of course, I forwarded her to the wrong person. Once I realized my mistake, I emailed the person to whom I'd sent the call in error, and the situation was dealt with. My boss even said that it was not my fault at all.
Also, when I spoke to the receptionist, she told me the right information - that the school was associated with a certain daycare centre - one of the daycare centres that I had read off to her. So, the rep was technically wrong - we were NOT the head office for the school in question, but the daycare affiliated with that school. If that makes sense.
Anyway, all I had been trying to do was ask the representative a few leading questions, since I did not have the correct information for her. And if she hadn't been such a bitch, calmed down, and listened to me, I'm sure she would have gotten the information she needed. And she works for a major bank! You think she would have been a little bit more - ok, a LOT - more professional. Yelling and bullying people is not the way to get what you want. In fact, it's just counterproductive, as it was in this case.
If I could've reached out and choke someone...
Beautiful, Skeksin! Simply beyoo-tiful.
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