When Call Center Employees Collide

Working in the PhoneSmart call center we have a friend. Our friend is the recording system that records our inbound calls. We take calls from a lot of very nice people who are grateful for our information and assistance and well mannered and decent enough to treat us with respect and dignity. Then there are the others.

I found myself on a chilly Saturday evening in a happy mood and nearly at the end of my shift. I had helped some folks reserve self storage units and had worked on my blog editing project. I was feeling pretty good about seeing my gentleman friend and getting ready to teach my Sunday school lesson the next morning. I was caught off balance by the vehemence of my next caller.

Mr. X had rented a storage unit that morning and had not made certain that his personal lock was on the unit door. He was trying to put things in storage but could not get into the unit he had rented. He was demanding that I get the store manager or some manager rousted out at 9PM CST to come and let him in. When I explained in my calmest and most professional manner that I had no way to reach the store manager (it is a facility that does not provide even a non emergency number for us) he exploded into an unseemly and ungentlemanly outburst. He hung up in a fury.

When I am working with a caller and confirming a reservation I try to remember to make the point that they should make sure their gate code is working and that the company lock has been taken off the unit door and their lock is on it. I am, quite frankly, surprised that people do not do this. Perhaps I am an uptight “worrywart” looking for that Murphy’s Law connection (whatever can go wrong will go wrong at the worst possible moment) but it seems to me that if you are renting storage in a gated facility and need a lock on your door that logically you would check that out before you left to load your moving truck.

When Mr. X called again and asked for me and began the same tirade. I asked him if he had his lock before he left earlier in the day and if he had checked to make sure his lock was on the door. His response was that he “shouldn’t have to do that” he went on to tell me that he was a manager and had 28 people answering phones and that they could all solve problems then he took a few minutes to berate and belittle me. I remained silent during this and he hung up again.

He called back a few minutes later and asked to speak with a supervisor. As I was the senior person available at that time the rep he was shouting at transferred him to me. He was not happy to be speaking with me again. He then told me that he was going to complain to corporate headquarters and that my name would be featured in his complaint. I spelled my name for him and then advised him that 100% of our inbound calls are recorded and that my manager could pull the record of his calls and see that I followed procedures and conducted myself exactly as instructed. I added “and everyone will be able to hear how you have conducted yourself”. He hung up again.

Twenty minutes later he called again and asked for me. He was happy to report that a store manager had pulled onto the lot and helped him get into his unit. He did not bother to apologize for his bad manners and bad temper. I was happy that he got into his unit and even happier that I would not be speaking with him again. I am really happy that I am not HIS employee.

Sometimes I think it would be nice to be able to send a copy of the recordings of such calls to a spouse or to the caller’s mother. How would it impact their lives if they could hear themselves? Oh well, it is a new day with new opportunities.

Written by Kay Johnson PhoneSmart call center blog editor.

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