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customer service

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
any custojmer service people? At my current job (which i'm temping at) they've asked if i would be interested in becoming a permenant employee, but in the customer service dept. (right now I just file, type and play computer :p) Now I'm not a big people person so I'm skeptical, but on the other hand, we're just a publishing company, so its not like angry people with phone contracts or car insuance or something. I couldn't imagine it *that* bad. So, experiences? Is it as bad as I'm probably imagining? I would gladly take it as it would be more moola and benefits, but I'm still scared :p

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah Im working in CS. And customers are cunts. I get people moaning all day every day. Cant wait to get out and move away. :D

    Best of luck ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Just get ready for moany, bitchy customers who love to argue.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I've done it for the last four years solid in different roles.

    I hate it, I'm just far too lazy to get a proper job. I'm quite a good talker on the phone and I'm good at my job but I just get absolutely no satisfaction from it. Every day another little piece of my soul wastes away when I hear people getting so angry at the smallest thing. I'm so frustrated when I ask customers multiple times seemingly simple questions like "are you the account holder?" and they proceed to give me their address or start rabitting on about nothing and it takes 10 minutes just to pass the security check with them.

    Then I get my head bitten off because it's taking too long. Oh you don't see the point in having data protection questions, but you'd be the first on the phone to Watchdog if we let anybody into your account willy nilly. And I'm trying my absolute best to understand them and for them to understand me, but then get asked if I can "put them through to somebody who speaks English".

    This is the reason I get grey hair, I need a proper job.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I start a job working as a Customer Service Advisor (I answer the phone :D) next month, but all of my jobs I've had bar one have involved customers so I have some sort of experience and advice to offer you.

    Customers are idiots. Yes I know we're all a customer to somebody at some point but you do get some interesting characters. The worst bit is when it's one of those days when you just want to crawl into a corner and not see anyone, and you've got some prat faffing over the 2p he's meant to have been given off with some voucher thats not even valid and asking to see your manager....

    Then again, sometimes you get customers that are grateful and they're the ones that make you think "Ah I can't be too bad at this."

    Just be prepared to deal with snotty people. Ever taken your bad mood out on some telesales person, or the checkout people when your shopping? Yeah, everyone does it, and they do it well :D
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    In customer service the key is not to take anything personal, you are the face of the company, don't let personal issues get in the way. You are not a person!!!
    Ya know what I mean ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    After 4 years of being allowed to tell people exactly what I think of them going into customer service would make me go insane. My other half works in customer service, and some of the petty, shitty little things people complain about makes me wonder at the state of the British people.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Well thank you for scaring me ;) Bri, I really could feel your pain in that post! :p

    But we get so many vacation days and personal days and they support education so I'd get some perks on that if i need to take time off for an interem and the most important part, insurance :p So I think I have to take it!

    But thanks, at least I know what to expect!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my_name wrote: »
    Well thank you for scaring me ;) Bri, I really could feel your pain in that post! :p

    Nah no need to be scared. You just have to be ready to be a robot :) It's an easy life really once you've got used to the insults. ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Bri-namite wrote: »
    I'm good at my job but I just get absolutely no satisfaction from it. Every day another little piece of my soul wastes away when I hear people getting so angry at the smallest thing. I'm so frustrated when I ask customers multiple times seemingly simple questions like "are you the account holder?" and they proceed to give me their address or start rabitting on about nothing and it takes 10 minutes just to pass the security check with them.

    Then I get my head bitten off because it's taking too long. Oh you don't see the point in having data protection questions, but you'd be the first on the phone to Watchdog if we let anybody into your account willy nilly. And I'm trying my absolute best to understand them and for them to understand me, but then get asked if I can "put them through to somebody who speaks English".

    :lol:

    :yes: basically... if you enjoy listening to people pissing and moaning all day then a CS job is the right job for you... though you tune it out after a bit :(
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I used to do it for a bank. And they would get some real shitty callers but it was the minority of people, and really it was because of the hours that I worked (when banks were shut so people would moan at us because the machine had eaten their card). It was alright the rest of the time, though I wouldn't want to do it forever.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Bri-namite wrote: »
    I've done it for the last four years solid in different roles.

    I hate it, I'm just far too lazy to get a proper job. I'm quite a good talker on the phone and I'm good at my job but I just get absolutely no satisfaction from it. Every day another little piece of my soul wastes away when I hear people getting so angry at the smallest thing. I'm so frustrated when I ask customers multiple times seemingly simple questions like "are you the account holder?" and they proceed to give me their address or start rabitting on about nothing and it takes 10 minutes just to pass the security check with them.

    Then I get my head bitten off because it's taking too long. Oh you don't see the point in having data protection questions, but you'd be the first on the phone to Watchdog if we let anybody into your account willy nilly. And I'm trying my absolute best to understand them and for them to understand me, but then get asked if I can "put them through to somebody who speaks English".

    This is the reason I get grey hair, I need a proper job.

    Woah, do we work at the same place Bri?! :eek2:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You will never understand the vast stupidity of the general public until you've worked in customer services.

    Some people love it, and are great at it, but those people are general happy-smily people-people with a calming manner and skin like a rhino.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kaffrin wrote: »
    You will never understand the vast stupidity of the general public until you've worked in customer services.

    :yes: I fucking hate the general public. You wonder how they actually get by in everyday life being so stupid. Grr customer service
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kangoo wrote: »
    :yes: I fucking hate the general public. You wonder how they actually get by in everyday life being so stupid.


    That's why they're called "The Great Unwashed".
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I HATE the general public!! They ALWAYS think they're right, no matter what it is you're talking to them about, even if its quite skilled and specialised, they will always, without exception, know better than you. Grrrr
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kaffrin wrote: »
    Some people love it, and are great at it, but those people are general happy-smily people-people with a calming manner and skin like a rhino.

    Yeah, it certainly helps to have a thick skin. You have to be able to switch off to the callers, but still help them if you can.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I quit my shop assistant job recently and am working at a switchboard for six weeks. People get much more easily angry over the phone and I personally get absolutely no satisfaction from those that are pleasant unlike my old job. It's totally different than being in person.

    Like somebody said, you need to be a robot. If you can forget your 'identity' and just think how you're fronting a company, that it's not you but the company that is making the people angry, then I reckon you will be fine. I personally am a machine that goes 'good day' and 'just a moment'. That's my function, anything else I get yelled at for has nothing to do with me. I often just let them get on with it while playing online games at the same time going 'aha, yes, that's unfortunate'. ;)

    I don't regret taking this job, you have all those horror stories and grit your teeth over idiots, but as a temporary thing it's not really so bad. This is nothing I'd want to do for a living, but for a summer job I'm content. I go home and that's my work day completely over. It's fairly easy!

    And just as I write this I get some in-house bitch going at me because I don't offer her some premium service. I really hate it when co-workers get snide.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I used to work at the TV Licensing Call Centre answering the phones. Customer Service jobs tend to offer a bit more money because of the crap you have to put up with, it'll probably be OK for the first few weeks until the novelty wears off and you get sick of being shouted at lol.

    Customers ALWAYS say "I know it's not your fault....BUT....*rant*"
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh I don't care (for now) if they rant at me. I just got the job ane more money and good benefits and even things like tuition reimbursment and a division of the company is a huge college textbook publisher and I get 50% off textbooks!

    Im' sure the excitement will wear off soon enough, but still. ;)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my_name wrote: »

    Im' sure the excitement will wear off soon enough, but still. ;)

    It already has for me and its only day one.:D Customers are knobs! I really hate having to listen to them bang on about their energy bills. :(
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    tis great fun :D

    i'm a customer service advisor in a call centre and you'd be surprised how many people seem to think that because they have a problem it give them a right to treat the person on the end of the phone like shit

    I've had people threatening to track me down after work and shoot me (which was fun) and then customers that decided to literally scream down the phone at me

    just remember, never leaugh or start swearing until *after* you have either put the customer on hold or ended the call :D

    doing it before hand may cause problems
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Welsh Jemz wrote: »
    i'm a customer service advisor in a call centre and you'd be surprised how many people seem to think that because they have a problem it give them a right to treat the person on the end of the phone like shit

    :yes:

    If customers get arsey i put them through to a supervisor which takes longer and costs them more, and if theyre nasty to me then i accidentally on purpose spend ages putting them through, oops wrong line - again?!

    Otherwise if a customner is insulting me even when I have what theyre asking for on the screen if they're calling me a bitch or whatever I just keep asking them to spell the name/town etc until they lose the plot and their head explodes or hang up. Tis rather amusing. The nice customers generally get what they want quickly
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kangoo wrote: »
    :yes:
    The nice customers generally get what they want quickly

    Thats why Im always nice when I call up. I know what its like to be on the recieving end of rude and patronising customers.

    The more annoying and rude you are, generally the longer it will take to get your query sorted. :thumb:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kangoo wrote: »
    :yes:

    If customers get arsey i put them through to a supervisor which takes longer and costs them more, and if theyre nasty to me then i accidentally on purpose spend ages putting them through, oops wrong line - again?!

    Otherwise if a customner is insulting me even when I have what theyre asking for on the screen if they're calling me a bitch or whatever I just keep asking them to spell the name/town etc until they lose the plot and their head explodes or hang up. Tis rather amusing. The nice customers generally get what they want quickly

    That sounds more antagonizing than anything else - if you've got an upset customer shouldn't you try to calm them down? I've had my fair share and if they're fuming I just leave them to it (go quiet on the phone). But where I'm working at the minute I get fed up of the guys / girls who answer the phone and then have an attitude with the customer. 'No, we do not deal with that, call the 0845 number.' and hang up. Nice.

    I would disagree with the rest of the people here and say the general public aren't stupid - we're all part of it after all - but they can get upset (like any one of us) when things go wrong. Like my phone contract increasing my call charges - Bri who works for O2 is taking calls from loads of customers moaning to him - obviously it wasn't his decision - but the customers are losing out money that they weren't previously.

    I'd say it's like any other job - its got its perks and its pitfalls. But compared to a lot of jobs its quite nice, sitting down all day with a drink and all you need to do is talk! :p
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ShyBoy wrote: »
    That sounds more antagonizing than anything else - if you've got an upset customer shouldn't you try to calm them down?

    No because I work at directory enquiries and the abuse I get is completly unjustified. I appriciate that customers may get irate when there's been a fuck up or a problem with a service etc but when someones on a train or in a nightclub (it happens) and you ask them to repeat the name of the town because you didn't quite hear them and they scream down the phone 'you fucking thick bitch'. Or when its x-directory and they shout 'what the hell are you talking about its x-directory, what kind of service do you think you're providing?' *rant rant*. If I get an upset customer they can talk with me and try and sort it out or they can fuck off. Customer is always right - what bollocks. If the customers a cunt then so will I be.

    (Needless to say I won't be staying at this job long, estimated time left at job = 4 days)
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    kangoo wrote: »
    :yes: I fucking hate the general public. You wonder how they actually get by in everyday life being so stupid. Grr customer service

    I think there should be compulsorary euthanasia on all people deemed (by me) to be too stupid to co-exist on the same planet as me. Some of the moronic things I had to answer in Tesco didn't so much make me laugh as kinda moved me to tears by their stupidity.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ShyBoy wrote: »
    I would disagree with the rest of the people here and say the general public aren't stupid - we're all part of it after all -

    A large proportion of the general public are morons and idiots, and it tends to be them that ring up more often than not.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    ShyBoy wrote: »
    That sounds more antagonizing than anything else - if you've got an upset customer shouldn't you try to calm them down? I've had my fair share and if they're fuming I just leave them to it (go quiet on the phone). But where I'm working at the minute I get fed up of the guys / girls who answer the phone and then have an attitude with the customer. 'No, we do not deal with that, call the 0845 number.' and hang up. Nice.

    I would disagree with the rest of the people here and say the general public aren't stupid - we're all part of it after all - but they can get upset (like any one of us) when things go wrong. Like my phone contract increasing my call charges - Bri who works for O2 is taking calls from loads of customers moaning to him - obviously it wasn't his decision - but the customers are losing out money that they weren't previously.

    I'd say it's like any other job - its got its perks and its pitfalls. But compared to a lot of jobs its quite nice, sitting down all day with a drink and all you need to do is talk! :p

    See that's what I'm paid to do, take crap off customers and I'll always, always stay professional and do my job the way I'm paid to do it. I'm paid to be the face of the company I work for, I do thankfully get a bit of flexibility to help customers out when things go wrong - personally I love it when I can help a bit and they go off with a better impression of the company.

    It's fine when they can see your point of view even if they are complaning, but when they start "fucking" this and stuff then that's when it really starts getting beyond a joke. I'm the least confrontational person you'll meet, but I don't take shit down the phone and I'm not afraid to bar customers accounts if they become extra abusive (and yes we are allowed to do that)
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