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Rude people on the phone!
I work for a call answering service. Pretty much, whenever you call a real estate office after hours, you're talking to an answering service. I spend up to 13 hours a day doing this.
My problem: rude people. First off, there are the realtors, many of whom have DIVA syndrome. Then there are the rude customers. Then there are the rude potential customers.
I spend half my day getting thanked profusely for doing my job so well, and the other half getting shouted at for... well, for no reason. Often as simple as asking for the person's phone number so that the person they are calling can reach them.
I love the high points, but I actually ended up in tears this morning dealing with a series of rude people.
First off, does anyone have any tips on how to deal with this? I try not to let it get to me, but the fact that I know I don't deserve it makes it worse, not better!
Secondly, a somewhat rhetorical question. Why do people feel that they are so important that they can be rude to total strangers who are providing a service for them? Why is it socially acceptable to do so?
Thank you for your advice.
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I answer phones at my job and often get the same thing. People call in about simple things; such as wanting to know which room someone is, and all of a sudden they're screaming at me: "What?! He's not in the hospital anymore? Well where the hell did he go then?! He was in the hospital this morning. He was released!? Wtf?" When I have absolutely nothing to do with people being released. Of course I don't even know who the patient is, what they're in the hospital for, the time of the release, or circumstances surrounding it.
You see, people get frustrated because they want to know where the person is. They thought the patient was at the hospital, and it turns out they're not. Now they have to try to call more people and find out where they are.
Same with your job. You probably have little to no control of what goes on at the place where you work, but since you're the person they get in contact with, you're the one that takes the shit from customers.
They're just angry and whoever they come in contact with is going to hear about it. Plus, as someone else mentioned, it's over the phone. They can cuss at you as much as they want and, what are you going to do about it? Nothing. You can't cuss back. They're never going to see you. There is virtually no consequence for their actions.
That is part of the job you have. Any time you answer phones for a company like that, you're going to get angry customers and polite customers. There is nothing you can do about it, except quit.
You have to separate yourself from the situation. Tell yourself, I am getting paid for this. This person isn't angry at me, they're angry at my company. There is nothing I can do to avoid this.
Once you realise that, I mean really realise it, you'll be able to find the humor in it.
I literally crack up laughing all the time and have to put people on hold. Not only can you not hurt them, but they can't hurt you either. You can put them on hold and laugh your ass off at how angry they are, then get back and say, "I'm sorry you're displeased, sir." There is a lot of comedy in a job like that.
Darby(:
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They feel that they are indirectly responsible for paying you and therefore deserve to abuse you. Since it's over the phone they're also not afraid of you choking them to death for their idiocy.
It's a part of this kind of job, and it's unavoidable. Live with it or get a different job.
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