Joking Around With Customers

[TelephoneAngel]

Doesn't happen often, but what are your stories of a laugh you had with a customer?

The other day I had a customer on hold and he didn't know I was listening to him, he was humming and whistling and singing to himself, made such a nice change from people cursing under their breath at the wait.

When I took him off hold, I said "thank you for entertaining me with your singing, while I'm working"

He laughed and said he didn't know which which was worse, his singing, or the recorded music that plays until the phone is answered when you first call us.

[r2cagle]

Love joking around with customers. Makes you feel like there really are normal people in this world. I would joke around every chance I got with customers.. if they were grumpy - it put them in a good mood. If they were happy - it gave them a good experience. If they were sucky, - it got them off the phone quicker.

When they say laughter is the best medicine... it really is for those of us on the phone. But it sure is difficult to stay upbeat and in a good mood for every call.

[TelephoneAngel]

Not a customer of mine, I was a customer of his, but still made me laugh.

I had to phone a call centre about a query on my bill, the guy who answered apologised that his computer system was slow.I said, don't worry, I work in a call centre too, so I understand.

the guy asked me where I worked, and I replied "Company x".

The guy started laughing and said "oh my god, and I thought only I had work troubles!"

[SourRobot]

A couple years ago when I worked in the department upstairs I was at the register and a customer came up to me with a gift card.
"I found this on the floor and I was wondering if there was anything left on it," he said. Just as I was scanning it he shouted out, "Five HUNDRED dollars!"
That made me laugh and I responded, "If there really was that much on it, what makes you think I'd tell you?"
There was nothing on it, but we still laughed.

[Peppergirl]

I had a customer who was describing a run in that his colleague had with the Royal Candadian Mounties.

I was laughing so hard I was crying. Rarely happens in a call center. He was so cool.

I also have a semi-regular customer who told me about his New Years Eve being ruined because his friend was an idiot and choked on a steak, and the customer had to do the Heimlich maneuver on him. This would typically not be funny, but the way he was describing it was hilarious...like it was a major inconvenience.

Now, whenever this customer calls me, one of us will bring it up and say something like "Hey, done the Heimlich on anyone lately?"

Customers like this just make my day. Too bad they're few and far between.

[Food Lady]

One time I laughed so hard that my sup said, "Hey, it sounds like you all are having way too much fun over there!" It started when my customer was purchasing a T-shirt with a picture of Bob Ross (the happy-tree-painting guy). Her friend mentioned that he'd died within the last few years. My customer deadpanned, "I guess the trees aren't so happy anymore."

[jjc927]

There was one time where a husband and wife came on my line and they were decked out in Minnesota Vikings gear. I jokingly asked if they were big Green Bay Packers fans, and they gave an "excuse me?" followed by a laugh.

[ShinyGreenApple]

I love it when customers can have some fun and act like 'normal' people, they're the best ones. I once had a guy come through the line and all of a sudden he looked at me, really straight-faced and serious, and said "I got on the internet the other night."

Me: "Oh yeah?"

C: "Yeah. I went to peopleofwalmart.com."

[MoonCat]

Had this old lady on the phone once putting in an ad for something she wanted to sell, can't remember what, furniture I think; while she was talking I could hear her husband making some comments in the background.

She says, "And how much to place an ad to sell him?" --laughing a bit.

I said, "Oh, you don't want to sell him, you've had him around for a long time!"

She says, "You ain't kiddin'! FIFTY years!"

He was laughing, too. You could just tell these two had been having fun together for those fifty years.

[XCashier]

I've joked with customers on my job, and have some one-liners I've used a few times.

Oftentimes, a customer's baby will babble at me, and I'll respond with, "That's easy for you to say!" (delivered in a Groucho Marx-style voice.) That gets a laugh from the parents.

Before we got the new card scanners, our registers would print credit card receipts for the customers to sign. To keep our pens from getting pocketed, we taped huge silk flowers or leaves to the end. One customer asked why she had a large frond taped to her pen. I answered, "That's so the pen doesn't leaf the store." She giggled over that one for a while!

[TheMike]

with my wrist wrapped in a Tensor wrap from a sprain (damn the Wii) I got a lot of interesting-rude comments on how i hurt it..until one customer just asked
"how'd you do that? tennis? football?" my reply "Lightsaber!" (force unleashed)
him and the guy behind him just kinda stared a sec.. then lost it laughing it up.