Let me speak to a manager

[shanarocks]

Oh, how I loathe hearing that phrase. Some SC's really think that speaking to a manager is going to get them what they want.

A little background: I work for a huge bank. I work in their call center, servicing exiting credit card accounts.

So I get this call tonight:

ME: Good evening and thank you for calling card services. My name is Shana. Who am I currently speaking with?

SC: How do you spell your name?

ME: S as in Sam, H as in Henry, A as in apple, N as in Nancy, A as in apple.

SC: Ok, I need to speak to a manager.

ME: Sure thing. Now, while she is making her way over here, what seems to be the issue?

SC: Nuh-uh. I need a manager.

ME: Ok, you'll hear a brief silence. One moment.

So, I transfer to my manager but stay on the line to see what was soooooo important. When a customer fails 3 security questions, we have to get them over to fraud for additional verification before we can service them. This is exactly what happened. SC claimed our rep hung up on her. Now, I'm not saying that doesn't happen but I'm not saying that it does, either.

So, a situation that I could have easily remedied was passed on to my manager, wasting her time, for no reason. Gotta love customers....

[Teefies2]

I got that today and I honestly have no idea why.

I run the photo department of a well-known drugstore. It's two days before Christmas. For whatever reason (a whole nother rant), our AM has decided to schedule me to come in at 1:30pm, with no one scheduled in the department before I get there. Okay, so I arrive and see that there are 8 photo orders pending. Now, some of these are small - 1, 2, 10 pictures - but some of them are large - over 100. It takes a certain amount of time to print that many pictures. In addition, both of our kiosks are in use with people placing MORE orders.

In walks SC. She comes up to the counter and says "I need one picture printed." I tell her "Ok, but I have 8 orders ahead of you and you'll have to wait until a kiosk is free so that you can place your order." Oh, she does NOT like that, but whatever. She eventually gets her turn.

Meanwhile, I am desperately printing photos as fast as the machine will go. I can see that she's getting frustrated by the kiosk - I don't know exactly what she was trying to do, but she keeps hitting "Start Over". I'm printing and ringing up customers, but I finally get a minute to run over to her to see how she's doing. Cue this conversation:

SC: "Why isn't this working?"
Me: "I'm not sure what you're trying to do, but quit hitting 'Start Over'."
SC: "I AM hitting 'Start Over' !!!!!!"
Me: "I said quit hitting that and let me help you."
SC: "Well maybe I need to go somewhere else and I need to see a manager RIGHHHHHT NOOOOOOWWWWWWW!"

Okay, I have no idea why she's gone off like that, but I call the manager. He takes her off away from the photo area and talks to her for a while. Then he comes to see me and says "What was that all about?"

I tell him I honestly have no idea and describe what I've just told you here. He says "Well it's Christmas and people have no patience." I laugh and ask him if he told her he would fire me and he says "Yes but you cannot leave!"

So I guess I was fired today, but strangely enough, I'm still working there

[HawaiianShirts]

Oh, how I loathe hearing that phrase. Some SC's really think that speaking to a manager is going to get them what they want.

Because, unfortunately, it often does get them what they want. And it makes them feel more powerful or something, going over your head like that.

When I worked retail and got those calls where the customer demanded a manager the moment I picked up the phone, I'd reply, "Sure thing! However, I have five managers in this store. Could you give me an idea of what you're calling about so I can transfer you to the right one? I'd hate to bounce your call around the store for half an hour." That usually got them to give me at least a clue as to what they wanted. I'd say four times out of five, it was something I could help with (usually asking whether we had a particular item in stock), and the other one time in five was a genuine problem.

[bankworking]

At my bank, talking to a manager is worse than talking to me, more often than not. My manager's job is to do all the managerial duties. She did work her way up and she will fill in as needed for my position, but the fact is, she is not the one opening accounts, loans, IRAs, etc every day, and it has been many years since she did do that work day-to-day. If there is something wrong with your account or loan, she is NOT the person to go to. In fact, she will come get me to help figure out what happened.

The only thing my manager can do for you is listen to you complain (which sometimes is all a customer wants) and authorize fee refunds (which frankly, I can do also in any case that's reasonable).

[shanarocks]

Because, unfortunately, it often does get them what they want. And it makes them feel more powerful or something, going over your head like that.

In the banking world, I'd say 8 out of 10 times, it DOES NOT get you what you want. The customers usually want us to do something that we cannot do due to legal reasons. They demand a manager and get the same answer. No. Sorry, assholes, you can't get your way when it comes to federal regulations. Not breaking them.

[Sapphire Silk]

So, I transfer to my manager but stay on the line to see what was soooooo important. When a customer fails 3 security questions, we have to get them over to fraud for additional verification before we can service them.

The customers usually want us to do something that we cannot do due to legal reasons. <snip> Sorry, assholes, you can't get your way when it comes to federal regulations. Not breaking them.

That's true. Prostitution is illegal in all 50 states, except for a couple of counties in Nevada.

[wolfie]

So, a situation that I could have easily remedied was passed on to my manager, wasting her time, for no reason. Gotta love customers....

Don't you wish the system was set up (with managers having the appropriate authority) so that if a "first line" problem was passed on to a manager because the customer demanded to speak to a manager rather than have the "first line" person deal with them, the manager would say "I'm sorry, that's not a manager-level problem. I'll transfer you to someone who can deal with it", presses a button, and the customer is put back at the beginning of the queue, as if they'd hung up and redialed.

[NecessaryCatharsis]

I don't think I've ever called a bank asking for a manager, but I have called a number of retail stores asking for one, as soon as the phone is picked up. Over half the time I'm calling to tell the manager about a particular employee who went above and beyond, was extra knowledgeable, helpful or kind. We also get a fair few calls asking for the owner/manager at my work and over half of those are compliments on either the workers or the work done. I always assumed that would be who you should ask for.

[shanarocks]

Don't you wish the system was set up (with managers having the appropriate authority) so that if a "first line" problem was passed on to a manager because the customer demanded to speak to a manager rather than have the "first line" person deal with them, the manager would say "I'm sorry, that's not a manager-level problem. I'll transfer you to someone who can deal with it", presses a button, and the customer is put back at the beginning of the queue, as if they'd hung up and redialed.

That would be awesome. Quite often, our wait time to speak with an agent can be up to 45 minutes long. Imagine how mad they'd be if they waited that long, requested a manager for NO GOOD REASON and then had to wait again to get back to the same level agent they had to begin with?

[notalwaysright]

Yeah, at my work if someone gets a manager they will nearly always give in. If they don't, the SC complains to corporate and corporate tells the manager to do what the SC wanted. The great part is when someone is too lazy to do something easy, like get a coupon, yet they have the time and motivation to call or email corporate to complain that we wouldn't give them a coupon.

It's interesting how some SCs assume those of us in non-manager positions have TONS of power to do whatever we want, and other SCs assume we can't even answer a simple question.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Where I work, SCs who demand a manager usually do so for two reasons. One, cuz they think that a manager can override company policy (nope!) or cuz we've passed the buck, saying that we do not have the authority. The second is cuz managers get paid more than we retail drones do, so therefore ought to deal with SCs whenever possible. I have to say this, it's so satisfying whenever a nasty SC is dealt with by a manager who cuts them down to size, which happens more often than not as we seem to only have managers here who are blessed with spines. XD

[justhere]

I will admit to calling my bank and asking to speak to a manager.

I had a question using my online bill pay, and used their online feature to ask the question, and the CSR refused to talk to me because I wasn't my DH, even though it was a joint account*. Turns out online bill pay is run by a 3rd party, and the bank doesn't like the company they are using, and I was told they'll be switching to a new company at the beginning of the year - and one of the reasons was because they insisted on only looking at the first name on the account, even for joint accounts and not acknowledging the second name, unless a special request was put through by the bank, which the manager then did so for me.

*yes, I then did lie to her and say I was getting my DH, made her wait about a minute and then told her I was my DH. It was words typed on a screen - how would she know if I was who I claimed to be?

[fireheart]

I've brought up the management issue all of 2 times and purely because the operator is absolutely clueless about something, but not to bitch about the employee's lack of knowledge or skills, but rather to get the manager to answer my question

[shanarocks]

Yes, there are times when a manager is necessary but give the CSR a chance to help you with what they can before a manager is called in. More often than not, they can and will help a cooperative, respectful customer.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Yes, there are times when a manager is necessary but give the CSR a chance to help you with what they can before a manager is called in. More often than not, they can and will help a cooperative, respectful customer.

Definitely. I've found, as a customer of that ilk, that being nice gets you a hell of a lot more than bitching and shouting does. In fact, shouting and screaming will push people to do as little for you as possible. You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, after all.