Why are some call centre staff so blooming rude?

TBeckett100

When I lived at home, a woman used to call every few days looking for David. She wouldn't believe he wasn't there and kept calling. God knows who David was.

In the end, the woman who sounded 40ish and middle class stopped calling when I told her he was in bed with my mum.

topdaddy_2

At the point of beings called a liar I would have said " actually you're right. Iam her." And fob them off for the next x amount of minutes/hours.

wacko911

Prolly debt collector

oscarward

MABLE wrote: »

They pay peanuts and the result is only monkeys apply. :rotfl:

Or are forced by the job centre to take it otherwise be sanctioned.

lincroft1710

TBeckett100 wrote: »

In the end, the woman who sounded 40ish and middle class stopped calling when I told her he was in bed with my mum.

I wonder what happened when she eventually made contact with David.

TBeckett100

lincroft1710 wrote: »

I wonder what happened when she eventually made contact with David.

Grounded for life probably if he turned out to be 14

Barny1979

Sign up to the Telephone Preference Service http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html

geerex

"Why are some call centre staff so blooming rude?"

Because their job sucks, they get crap pay, they have to deal with morons all day long, and their life is a long and slow decline into the abyss of poorly paid unrewarding work.

They hate you, they hate the company, and the only reason they work there is that humans need food.

Just about sum it up?

duchy

You see it in all jobs .
There are simply two types of people.....those who have the attitude that whatever the job and however long or short term it is they are going to make the best of it and do the best they can - and people who make themselves even more miserable by wasting energy hating the job. Few people genuinely love their jobs after all.

Incidently in seven years of working for Sky I never had a customer reduce me to tears -or their bad attitude stay with me for more than two seconds after the call ended. People who behave that way (in either direction) are pathetic little bullies who wouldn't have the guts to say even a tenth of what they say over the phone face to face. I tended to ignore swearing if it's describing their frustration - but try firing it *at* me and I make it clear I can help solve the issue but won't be able to unless they stop the abuse. It usually worked - and I've often got thanks and an apology at the end of the call.

As most companies now record all calls I'd like to see the likes of Virgin/Sky etc have a policy of switching off services of really abusive customers (not just moaning ones but unacceptable abuse) instead of ignoring it and doing nothing to protect their staff.

I caught an episode of Undercover Boss with one of the directors of PaddyPower who after working in one of his call centres was apparently genuinely shocked at the racial abuse the staff have to contend with. I thought it was more shocking (if unsurprising) that he had no idea it went on - HR would certainly be aware of it as people had quit over it but essentially the message most big companies give their staff is just to deal with it. If the directors of the company don't care- why should the employees? The whole culture is wrong from the top downwards.

zagfles

geerex wrote: »

"Why are some call centre staff so blooming rude?"

Because their job sucks, they get crap pay, they have to deal with morons all day long, and their life is a long and slow decline into the abyss of poorly paid unrewarding work.

They hate you, they hate the company, and the only reason they work there is that humans need food.

Just about sum it up?

Exactly. If the call was genuine they'd have said something like, "it's xxxx from xxxx could you ask your mother to ring us on xxxxx please".

The call is likely to be some cold calling scummy company which (if you're on the TPS) has no regard for the law, and employs the sort of people above.

So, there's no point getting angry with them, there no point in moral indignation, telling them off for calling you when you're on the TPS, wasting your time etc. And don't get upset by rudeness, just remember their life is likely to be a lot more crap than yours.

Either get an ansaphone to screen calls, or like I do try to have a bit of fun with them if you're bored - anything from the simple "hang on I'll get her" and just leave the phone off the hook, to a full blown cold caller bingo game!