There are many jobs that I would not do for any amount of money. Customer Care is one of them. People call you and are pre-p*ssed at you. They are already in a bad mood over something that isn’t even your fault and they want to take it out on SOMEBODY. Being on hold for 45 minutes does not improve the mood.
So I do have sympathy for these people. I jot down their name and use it like, "Hi Marsha, I’m … I’m calling today with a problem with my billing. " I try to be as cheerful as I can.
On one recent call, The agent sounded very perky so, I responded with, “Well, that’s the best hello I heard all day!”
Sometimes during lulls, I will ask things like, “Are you working in the office or from home.” or “So, how is your day going?” Or, “I’ve worked with you guys before. You got a crappy computer system. I can understand the delay.”
I also use humor. One time when working with Direct TV to program a remote (a process that they have since simplified immensely), the agent asked me “How are you doing?” I replied with, “Well that depends on whether I can get this thing programmed or how far I can throw it.”
I try to be a bright spot in their otherwise miserable day.
There are many jobs that I would not do for any amount of money. Customer Care is one of them. People call you and are pre-p*ssed at you. They are already in a bad mood over something that isn’t even your fault and they want to take it out on SOMEBODY. Being on hold for 45 minutes does not improve the mood.
So I do have sympathy for these people. I jot down their name and use it like, "Hi Marsha, I’m … I’m calling today with a problem with my billing. " I try to be as cheerful as I can.
On one recent call, The agent sounded very perky so, I responded with, “Well, that’s the best hello I heard all day!”
Sometimes during lulls, I will ask things like, “Are you working in the office or from home.” or “So, how is your day going?” Or, “I’ve worked with you guys before. You got a crappy computer system. I can understand the delay.”
I also use humor. One time when working with Direct TV to program a remote (a process that they have since simplified immensely), the agent asked me “How are you doing?” I replied with, “Well that depends on whether I can get this thing programmed or how far I can throw it.”
I try to be a bright spot in their otherwise miserable day.