Customers
So I started my new job as a call center agent for Teleperformance for their Figi's project. For those who don't know what Figi's is, it's a company that sells mainly candies, meats, cheeses, and a variety of other gifts. So today is my 3rd day working with Teleperformance. I thought I'd really like this job. Taking orders and helping people all day over the phone. Well, I am starting to kind of like this job less and less. A majority of the people I get are elderly. And for the most part, they're nice. But some people I get right off the bat just want to yell at me and demand I fix something I can't fix. For instance:
Me: Good evening, my name is Bethany, how may I help you?
him: *wants to place an order*
so we get to the payment screen and this went down:
Me: ok sir, your order comes to a total of *gives him the total*
him: Wait wait wait...what?! You're telling me...that shipping is that much?!
Me: sir, Figi's shipping prices vary depending on the total amount of your order.
him: I should be charged $10.99 for shipping and handling! Is that how you guys do this?!
*he's using a catalog with a shipping chart that's WAY out of date*
Me: I do apologize sir, that is the way our system processes things. When an order total comes up, that base shipping/handling fee is automatically added to your order total. We do not charge tax with orders. I can go over the order for you and tell you the price for the items and the base shipping/handling charge.
him: Your company is ripping people off! I'm gonna complain about this! Forget about the whole order!
Me: I do apologize sir, that is the way our system processes things.
So basically, his order went over a certain amount, his base shipping/handling fee is 19.99. I can't change shipping prices or alter it in any way unless his catalog source code offers a form of discount on shipping I talked to my supervisor and she said I did the right thing. But I can't help but feel bad that he was not satisfied. I simply read off the current shipping/handling chart. I read back his order to him. I apologized for the issue and told him that is the way our system processes it. I did what I could. Did I do something wrong? Do a lot of customers get like this in call centers? I've never worked for a call center before. Sorry for the long post! ;A;
Me: Good evening, my name is Bethany, how may I help you?
him: *wants to place an order*
so we get to the payment screen and this went down:
Me: ok sir, your order comes to a total of *gives him the total*
him: Wait wait wait...what?! You're telling me...that shipping is that much?!
Me: sir, Figi's shipping prices vary depending on the total amount of your order.
him: I should be charged $10.99 for shipping and handling! Is that how you guys do this?!
*he's using a catalog with a shipping chart that's WAY out of date*
Me: I do apologize sir, that is the way our system processes things. When an order total comes up, that base shipping/handling fee is automatically added to your order total. We do not charge tax with orders. I can go over the order for you and tell you the price for the items and the base shipping/handling charge.
him: Your company is ripping people off! I'm gonna complain about this! Forget about the whole order!
Me: I do apologize sir, that is the way our system processes things.
So basically, his order went over a certain amount, his base shipping/handling fee is 19.99. I can't change shipping prices or alter it in any way unless his catalog source code offers a form of discount on shipping I talked to my supervisor and she said I did the right thing. But I can't help but feel bad that he was not satisfied. I simply read off the current shipping/handling chart. I read back his order to him. I apologized for the issue and told him that is the way our system processes it. I did what I could. Did I do something wrong? Do a lot of customers get like this in call centers? I've never worked for a call center before. Sorry for the long post! ;A;
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Sounds like you did just fine. In my experience, no matter what you're gonna be the bearer of bad news in this scenario. And whatever the details might be, when you boil it down it's always this: customer believes what they want is n amount of dollars. But the TRUTH is what they want is actually n+ amount of dollars (customer vision always interprets n+ as N+, resulting in stronger reactions than are warranted).
Now here's a fun fact related to people- they tend to prefer lower prices to higher. Or free, actually. If we're talkin' about what they really want.
Me too. I want things to be free, but I get a kick in the balls instead. But hey.. that's life. I live with it, accept it best I can. But alot of people seem to walk around with the notion that they're different from the rest of us somehow, and should only have to pay as much for stuff as they've worked out in their little fantasy worlds. And you're pissing on that world with the reality you're bringing to it.
Even if you're able to show why things are as much as they are, in as much as you get something like,
"Oh, yeah..duhh. What was I thinkin'? Shoulda read further. You're right, of course. It's this much. Sorry for bein' such a pain in the ass."
You're still leaving the customer in a less happy place than they were before they spoke with you. But that's life. That's everyone's life sooner or later, no matter who.
It's not the fault of the one conveying an unpleasant truth that the unpleasant truth exists to be conveyed in the first place. So don't let yourself get stuck running the incident over and over and over again, imagining if you'd said this or that, or whatever. That's draining of the brain, and time you can't get back that's been wasted, that is..
Now here's a fun fact related to people- they tend to prefer lower prices to higher. Or free, actually. If we're talkin' about what they really want.
Me too. I want things to be free, but I get a kick in the balls instead. But hey.. that's life. I live with it, accept it best I can. But alot of people seem to walk around with the notion that they're different from the rest of us somehow, and should only have to pay as much for stuff as they've worked out in their little fantasy worlds. And you're pissing on that world with the reality you're bringing to it.
Even if you're able to show why things are as much as they are, in as much as you get something like,
"Oh, yeah..duhh. What was I thinkin'? Shoulda read further. You're right, of course. It's this much. Sorry for bein' such a pain in the ass."
You're still leaving the customer in a less happy place than they were before they spoke with you. But that's life. That's everyone's life sooner or later, no matter who.
It's not the fault of the one conveying an unpleasant truth that the unpleasant truth exists to be conveyed in the first place. So don't let yourself get stuck running the incident over and over and over again, imagining if you'd said this or that, or whatever. That's draining of the brain, and time you can't get back that's been wasted, that is..
Agreed! Some people that call in think they know how my job works but they really don't. We have policies and procedures we have to follow. We as the agents have no control over Figi's policies. I tell them it is Figi's policies. We can't change their policies. I hate it when people will lie and complain to get things for free. It's ridiculous. If they don't like the prices, they can take their business elsewhere. We aren't forcing them to buy from Figi's.
I feel this. I work at Starbucks, home for the pickiest, coffee deprived assholes on the planet. :/ customer service sounds a lot more rough though.
;-; Starbucks is awesome but...sometimes the people that see me walk in feel they have to judge
Oh do they? I'm sorry to hear that 
I hope it's not the baristas who are giving you problems. ><
I hope it's not the baristas who are giving you problems. ><Meh xD they don't know me so how can they judge me? lol.
My family and I were at a Dunkin Donuts once. My mom can get pissed easily when the service isn't top notch. So anyways, the other day the cashier messed up our order a couple of times(I think she was a new employee, 'cause I've never seen her before), and my mom got super angry she forgot that they could only understand English and started shouting Chinese at them, in front of everyone. Needless to say I pretended like I didn't know her.
Oh god o.o did the manager step in?
when i was in the city i used to work at McDonald's. Oh gosh, the customers were all kinds of stupid! I even learned to stereotype certain customers because some of them are just that much more likely to get mad over nothing. One time a guy cussed me out because our ice cream machine was down and he couldn't get a sundae. After a while I began to look at them like some sort of entertainment and it became interesting to deal with them when I found them funny. 
i know what you mean with people that take out their entire day on you. Unfortunately it's like that everywhere, if it's not a customer, it's your client or management. *cringes*
i know what you mean with people that take out their entire day on you. Unfortunately it's like that everywhere, if it's not a customer, it's your client or management. *cringes*Oh god...over a sundae? 
Yeah. I've gotten some stupid calls at the call center. best one I had today was a lady that bitched at me over not being able to send a bulk item to her PO Box address. she kept sitting there telling me "It's not a PO Box! It's a Post Office Box!" She then calls me dumb after I repeatedly told her that is considered a PO Box and I cannot ship bulk items to PO Boxes. So then she asks to speak to a supervisor and the supervisor told her the same thing lol.
Yeah. I've gotten some stupid calls at the call center.
best one I had today was a lady that bitched at me over not being able to send a bulk item to her PO Box address. she kept sitting there telling me "It's not a PO Box! It's a Post Office Box!" She then calls me dumb after I repeatedly told her that is considered a PO Box and I cannot ship bulk items to PO Boxes. So then she asks to speak to a supervisor and the supervisor told her the same thing lol.that is probably the best hah-in-your-face-moment! i used to love it when i told the customers that they had to pay for sauce (because we would get written up for it but no one other than us knew that). the customer would make a fuss, threaten to call corporate, blah, blah, blah. then "i wanna speak to your manager, or the store manager! Now!" store manager comes and says the same thing, i'd be nodding in the back matter-of-factly. 
was the lady old? I can't imagine someone not knowing what PO box is. *imagines trying to fit giant box into tiny mail box, thing shatters to pieces and she sues anyway* ugh.
was the lady old? I can't imagine someone not knowing what PO box is. *imagines trying to fit giant box into tiny mail box, thing shatters to pieces and she sues anyway* ugh.
xD I think its funny how this lady thinks she knows how to do my job. When she doesn't even know what a PO Box is lol
Congrats, you have the world's most thankless job. You are the front lines, the cannon fodder for angry people, whining people, people who have had bad days, people with the wrong idea and people who are straight up out to rip you off.
When you do it wrong, the customers will scream. When you do it right, they don't care.
Develop a thick skin. You'll need it.
(I spend all day on the damn phone with angry stupid people.)
When you do it wrong, the customers will scream. When you do it right, they don't care.
Develop a thick skin. You'll need it.
(I spend all day on the damn phone with angry stupid people.)
Ha ha. Agreed.
With some of these people, I just kinda laugh after the call.
It's like this one call I got today where this lady was bitching at me over a bulk shipment that I couldn't send to a PO Box. She yelled at me and said her address wasn't a PO Box even though she kept telling me "It's a Post Office Box!" Lol I kept telling her "Maam, that is a PO Box. We cannot ship bulk items to a PO Box. If you have a home address, we can ship it to your home address." The lady then calls me dumb and wants to speak to a supervisor the supervisor pretty much told her the same thing. After the call I just laughed.
With some of these people, I just kinda laugh after the call.
It's like this one call I got today where this lady was bitching at me over a bulk shipment that I couldn't send to a PO Box.
She yelled at me and said her address wasn't a PO Box even though she kept telling me "It's a Post Office Box!" Lol I kept telling her "Maam, that is a PO Box. We cannot ship bulk items to a PO Box. If you have a home address, we can ship it to your home address." The lady then calls me dumb and wants to speak to a supervisor the supervisor pretty much told her the same thing. After the call I just laughed.
Ahhh customer service. Where we don't give a fuck, and the customer can eat a bucket of dicks.
Yup. Pretty much customer service in a nutshell
Customers? Cripes I hate those disgusting creatures.
Ha ha. xD I hate certain kinds. The rude ones, the cheapskates, the ones that think everything is your fault. Lol
unless his catalog source code offers a form of discount on shipping
So you could have given him some sort of discount? If so, then you should have in my opinion. Better to keep a customer than lose one over a few shipping dollars. Also, too many bad customer reviews these days can sink a company.
So you could have given him some sort of discount? If so, then you should have in my opinion. Better to keep a customer than lose one over a few shipping dollars. Also, too many bad customer reviews these days can sink a company.
Unfortunately, our policy doesn't allow us to give discounts unless they have a source code for it. I felt bad and wish I could. But then I'd get in huge trouble for it
I felt bad and wish I could. But then I'd get in huge trouble for it
I think in time and experience, you'll come to the realisation that you're right, and you're faced with a bunch of dicks. 
Yeah true. I just don't understand why people think bitching at a call center agent over something they have no control of would solve anything
Honestly, that applies to a lot of human beings who take their anger out on someone.
Agreed.