call center folks, this happen to you?

[katyism.livejournal.com]

Okay, I have a question for those of you who work in call centers. Specifically call centers that have a repertoire with particular frequent callers, such that you recognize a previous customer's voice, name, whatever, when they call. Or, such that the customer recognizes YOU as someone they talked to before.

Anyway, the question is: Does this stuff happen to you? Or is it just me?
We have a few frequent flyers at my tech support call center. Most of them are okay, they're just the same old people who call a few times every day with a variant on a simple question, which we get them through. Everyone in my call center knows them by name, we make fun of the dumb ones, bitch about the bitchy ones, etc. You know how it is.

Then there are the ones who we don't remember talking to, but they remember us. "Yes, Katy? I think I talked to you last month, you were so helpful with blah blah blah... " and I have no recollection of them because, fortunately, I guess they weren't problematic enough to merit me remembering them. That's fine and all.

But THEN... there are the ones who remember us and HATE us. This happens to me about one day out of every week. Today it happened twice. I take a call, and do the tech support according to the rules and our capabilities. The user doesn't like the answer (for instance, today was a politely worded version of "No, I'm sorry, we cannot unblock certain blocked ports on the entire campus network just so you can play an online game. We are unable to make that exception for you due to network security reasons, feel free to fill out a complaint form online, etc").

What does the user do? They call back minutes later hoping to get a different consultant who WILL bend to their request. (As if any of us even have that power). What happens when we're having high call volume? That same caller gets routed back to me because I'm next in the phone queue, having just ended their last call. I answer the phone with my name, as usual. The user hangs up. The guy in the next cubicle gets a call. I overhear it: "I'm sorry sir, as the previous consultant said, we are unable to make that change. This is a university network and the secure academic usage of it is far more important than recreational online activities of single users... Hello? Fucking A, he hung up on me." My phone rings again. I answer with my name again. *Click* Phone rings for coworker across room. I hear the same exact spiel about how we can't unblock the ports for his game. Phone rings at my neighbor's cubicle. He answers with his name. "WTF they hung up on me!" My phone rings. I answer with my name. *Click.*

It goes like that for a different type of caller on each day this happens. WTF? There are also frequent flyers who don't call so often, but I vaguely remember helping them with their last problem and having difficulties with it, two-hour call times, the whole frustrating deal. Apparently they remember me from their call last week and don't want to talk to me this time.

"Hi, this is Katy, how may I help you?"
"I'm uh having a problem with my email being too big... wait, did you say your name is Katy?"
"Yes ma'am. Now what does your email--"
*Click*
*Phone rings across room, co-worker answers"
"Hi, this is coworker, how may I help you?"
(can't hear their caller)
"No, Katy was the consultant you spoke with previously. My name is coworker. What can I do for you?"
(caller talks, coworker troubleshoots, caller does NOT hang up on coworker)

Double WTF! I vaguely remember talking to those callers previously. I've got no idea why they hate me as soon as they hear my name. I try really hard not to be rude, and to investigate all options when the solution they want isn't possible. W T F.

Aside from really stupid users, people who hang up on me because they recognize me from previous calls REALLY ANNOY ME. The funny thing is after the unblock-the-ports-plz guy called and hung up on me for the THIRD time in ten minutes, I stopped answering with my name. I just picked up the phoen and said "How may I help you?" It was him. He didn't hang up because I bet he thought he got someone who is not Katy. He states his question. I say "Yes sir, I've spoken with you before about this, as have two other consultants. Would you like to be transferred to our supervisor?..." *Click*

Comments

[jahbulon.livejournal.com]

Hahahaha.. Fuck em.. If they wanna hang up and try again more power to em.. Makes for more short calls on my stats.

[kingogre.livejournal.com]

The worst ones are the ones who bithc and moan untill they get the person they liked. Used to work for an online uni, stupid stupid people trying to get a chincy education online and spending more money per class than most do per semester.. Well this one lady was an utter bitch to everyone but this one guy blah, well blah passes away because of brain cancer and I get her and have to explain I can't send her to him because he passed away. She BITCHES about it, then relizes what an utter cunt she is and then stopes, then the bitch starts doing the same thing to me...Bitched at everyone in the support group untill she got me or would hang up untill she got me. We worked graveyard so only like 6 techs so it was easy...

[ex-prunesnp.livejournal.com]

Wait until you get the ones that will ONLY speak to you. This is a curse.

[jacobine.livejournal.com]

I have a lot of frequent fliers, but then, I'm internal corporate support. We also have all of two people answering the phone (for a company of over 1000 people in North Amnerica) so they know who we are.

Since I've been there for four years, I get a lot of 'Oh, I'm so glad you answered the phone!' or people asking for me. Or IMing me. Or emailing me. Or calling me. I'm trying to train them, but it doesn't always work. I've stopped answering my direct line unless I recognize the number as not a user.

My problem is the people who CC the helpdesk and also cc my boss, their boss, the department director.....

Fortunately, most MY bosses, at least, back me up.

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

"IT Support, the_s_guy speaking."

*click*

"Score! Fear my opening spiel, you mindless minion! Free stat!"

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

"I'm sorry ma'am, $person_you_like has requested never to speak to you again. Would you like to choose a new toyboy?"

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

Yup. Quick IM to all other techs: "If X calls back, read log #12345 before doing anything else."
Quick log file: "Policy is to keep these ports closed - if you open them, Security will have your ass in a sling. User may submit written complaint but is otherwise SOL."

I love that cop-out at work. I work for a large government organisation, so you'll always get the arrogant asshats near the top of the tree who think that the IT policies don't apply to them.

The interesting thing is that almost every IT policy we have *can* we waived given extenuating circumstances, which gives us flexibility. But in order to do so for one person or team, they have to submit enough justifying paperwork to the IT heads to wallpaper a small country. If they actually do have the political power and strength of will to push it through, the IT people have enough of a paper trail to utterly bury the requester if they step out of line with their new shiny toy.

And the decision has to be made many, many levels above me. So I can say to any entitlement asshat "We don't have that access here, but you can certainly request that item be unlocked/upgraded/modified/installed/pooch-screwed by having the manager of your team send a full business case to the following people...", and it's no longer My Problem.

Better still, anything which is not Organisational Standard configuration is not supported by me, so the gimmee-gimmee crowd have to arrange their own (approved) support and service for their toy. HA-ha!

[zercool.livejournal.com]

We've got a few winners like that... They're welcome to call back and re-open a case if they don't like the answer I give them. Usually if they do I'll grab it and put it in my "to-call" queue until the next day, then call 'em and play the game again. It gives me small smiles. They don't *usually* hang up on me, though... small support team means pissing off one rep pisses off ALL the reps.

[samwize.livejournal.com]

Back when I was on help desk, we had a couple of frequent flyers that were....min-bogglingly stupid. As in, they were so dense, light could not escape their gravitational pull. One woman called about every two days. She was a complete technophobe with a royalty complex. She called because "her computer's tv looked funny" (brightness dial), because "her body's bioelectric field was interfering with her mouse" (dirty mouse ball), because her "phone sounded weird" (cord under chair wheel).

It got to the point where the whole helpdesk had a standing rule, fully supported by our supervisor, that anytime you got done taking a call from her, you could take a smoke break.

One time, I spent an hour an half with her, trying to troubleshoot a weird NT error that interfered with her phone system which ran on the computer. Lots of control panel and reboot stuff. Should have taken five minutes to fix. Finally, I noticed that her reboots seemed to be a little too fast so I asked the Worst Question In The Universe: "Ma'am, when you're rebooting, are you turning off the box or the tv?" Answer, of course: "The tv.".

"..."

"..."

"Ok, ma'am, we'll try one more thing. Hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete and click on Task Manager. Click on processes. Now look in the list and click on "phone.exe". Ok? Now click "End Task"..."

*CLICK*

"Huh. She hung up. Guys, I'm going for my smoke."

Possibly the most professionally satisfying moment of my career.

My best to date

[yduras.livejournal.com]

I get those from time to time.

One of my best was the guy who asked for a different representative to call him because he didn't like the other tech's voicemail message (http://www.livejournal.com/users/sarudy/205320.html).

[lordstorm.livejournal.com]

God I love that. Hanging up on me nearly immediately doesn't help you in the slightest, and only boosts my call-stats and number-of-calls-handled, therefore making me look better. By all means, please call back.

[katyism.livejournal.com]

The port guy wasn't even a large important asshat. Just a freshman in a dorm. The part I left out is that when he first talked to me, he lied, saying "we did it for his neighbors." When someone else talked to him again, I informed them about the neighbors bit. He denied it to them, saying he has no neighbors.

[pernwebgoddess.livejournal.com]

Sorry this is so off-topic...

Its rapport, not repertoire :)

Re: My best to date

[the-s-guy.livejournal.com]

"Dear Sir:

No.

- the Helpdesk."

[geekgrrl-ca.livejournal.com]

I wish more people would hang up on me.