Customer Complained About Coworker

[HYHYBT]

Would I be behind the cash register if I wasn't open? Open your eyes for god's sake!!!!

Occasionally, yes... but in those cases it's generally obvious: say, they have all the money sprawled out on the belt, or are attaching or removing cables from its back... we had one off for repair a while back. One day, someone walked right past the line at the other register up to this mostly-empty space (the printer and card reader were still there) and asked if that line was open...

[crinklestein]

The way I looked at it when I worked in stores was that the people that are actually standing in front of me take presidence over someone on the phone asking stupid questions like what prices are or what's on sale or if we have something in stock. And if I was helping a customer before the phone started ringing I would ignore the phone. I can only help one person at a time and it's first come first serve. I got yelled at once for not answering the phone because it was the manager calling. I was the only one in the store because I was working 3rd shift and I had a line at my register. And I reminded the manager that I am a cashier not an operator. My job is customer service not manager service. The physical customers come before the phantom customers do and the managers should realize that we are there to deal with the customers, not hold up the customers while the manager rattles off a list of crap for you to do.

[katie kaboom]

I flat out refuse to answer the phone in the middle of a customer's transaction and i don't care who is calling. It can wait. I think it bugs some people at my work that i won't answer the phone while with a customer, but really, if we are gonna complain that it's rude for customers to take a call during a transaction then it would be hypocritical for the employee to take a call either. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

[Arcade Man D]

Calls are a tricky thing. At the arcade, I am almost always ((Basically, only one day a week am I ever not the only person on.)) the only person on. I will generally excuse myself if I get a phone call on the work phone, or a call on my cell phone that is work-related ((my boss, if he's calling from his cell, and he knows I'm working, will generally call my cell phone as we both have the same provider, ergo it's a free call.)) I will, however, always excuse myself. Thankfully, my customers are pretty understanding about this.

[AFpheonix]

I typically alternate, because our phone calls can be doctors or insurance companies, blah blah.

If it's busy, I'll ring AND be on the phone AND type prescriptions in at the same time.
When we still had a microphone for drivethru, I could be on the phone, type, work drive thru alternating with front counter customers all at the same time. Now I answer the drive thru with the phone, so I can't multitask quite as much as I used to.

Probably a good thing.

[BookstoreEscapee]

If I was ringing up a customer I wouldn't answer an outside phone call, but if it was someone calling on the intercom I would pick up real quick and say I'm with a customer. Plus if they beep the intercom it's automatically on speaker so I can talk without actually picking up the phone. But whatever they want me to do will wait till I'm done with the customer. Usually it was someone who needed a supervisor function or a cashier waiting to get a drawer so they could wait a minute.

If I was helping someone at the customer service desk and the phone was ringing I'd just hit the button on my portable to shut it up. If it rang long enough to go to the landline I'd answer it real quick, tell the person I'd be right with them, and put them on hold. Then I'd page someone to pick up the line and hope they'd get it, or else I'd get it when I was done with my customer.

[purplecat41877]

The other day, a customer complained that the lady in seafood wasn't very friendly and didn't smile. The customer mentioned that this employee intimidated her. In a way, I let the customer know that this didn't surprise me and offered to get the manager which the customer declined. The substitute manager ended up coming up anyway and I informed him of the situation.

[Delphae]

If I am alone, I will answer the phone and serve the customer often because the customer and the phone will ring at the same time. I haven't had one complaint about doing that. Most people understand that the phone person only rings for so long, while they can wait.

[asopu10]

I had a very rude culegee who was complained about and got a verbal, served her right completely. I also had a women complain to me about the stae of the shops basket, I had complained before and nothing had happen, and asked if she'd mind haning on a second as I'd like the manager to hear her complaint direcetly. I fetched the manager, who hates dealing with customers, so I did'nt say what the problem was till he got there, and then it was too late for him to run. He had the baskets cleaned.