Wow, its been awhile since I've shared any stories of my own. This one is a wonderful one from today. I'm still at the same prepaid cellular service call center. I work in technical support now IE issues where someones phone will not work for one reason or another come to me.
Anyway our phone system has this wonderfully strange glitch in it at the moment. Our main Land Line number, not our toll free number, apparently routs calls to technical support by default if no choices are picked and or if the department picked has no one available to take the call. So that means at the moment I am getting everything from subpoena requests to our employees calling off sick. Management is aware of the glitch, it juts happens to be low on the totem pole of things that need fixing. This is important to the story....
Me:
SSL: Sucky Sales Lady
Me: Intro Spiel, this is Chanlin how may I assist you (the intro spiel included the words Technical Support Department)
SSL: I want to order some phones for my store.
Me: Ok, you've reached the wrong department I really can't help you with that. IF you like I can transfer you to sales or you can e-mail sales @companyname.com
SSL: But I picked sales, why can't you help me.
Me: Mam, you've reached the technical support department. If you want I can do a credit card order for an individual phone sale, but if you need to order in bulk you need to speak to someone in the sales department, or e-mail sales@ companyname.com
SSL: Ok, whos the master distributor in my area?
Sensing where this was going I just had her hold and called over to the sales department and warm transfered the call to the guy that picked up. About 30 minutes later I get the same lady again.
Me: Same intro spiel as before.
SSL: I want to order some phones for my store.
Me: (recognizing her voice) Did sales not take care of that for you?
SSL: Well he gave me the number for the master distributor in my area and said I needed to contact them.
Me: Ok... if that's what he said then that is what you need to do.
SSL: But I need phones for my store.
Me: Ok, you can speak to the sales department again, or e-mail them at sales@ companyname.com
SSL: Ok, I want to speak to your supervisor.
Me: *WTF look on my face* Ok... Mam, this is the technical support department, my supervisor can help you with technical support issues. If you don't have a technical support issue he can't help you.
SSL: Well you haven't been helping me at all, and I need to order some phones for my store.
Me: Look mam, I can not help you with this. You need to either A: Speak to sales, which you already did. B: Follow the advice of the sales department and call the number that they gave you. C: E-mail sales@ companyname.com and they will answer any questions you have. Again this is Technical Support that you are speaking to now, if you do not have a Technical Support issues I Can Not Help You (I stressed the last words hence the bolding)
SSL: Well what should I do... if you can't help me how do I get some phones for my store?
Me: Mam, I've told you what you need to do. If you can't follow those instructions then no one here can help you.
SSL: Well... who is my master distributor then?
Me: Mam, do you have a technical support issue?
SSL: What?
Me: Is the issue you are calling about related to a technical problem in any way?
SSL: Well no one seems to be able to tell me where I can order phones for my store....
Me: So you do not have an issue that requires technical support?
SSL: Well...
Me: If not I can not help you.
SSL: Well f*** you then and f*** your company I'll just take my business elsewhere.
Would be nice if some people could grasp simple instructions, but then of course my job security would be right out the window.
Anyway our phone system has this wonderfully strange glitch in it at the moment. Our main Land Line number, not our toll free number, apparently routs calls to technical support by default if no choices are picked and or if the department picked has no one available to take the call. So that means at the moment I am getting everything from subpoena requests to our employees calling off sick. Management is aware of the glitch, it juts happens to be low on the totem pole of things that need fixing. This is important to the story....
Me:
SSL: Sucky Sales Lady
Me: Intro Spiel, this is Chanlin how may I assist you (the intro spiel included the words Technical Support Department)
SSL: I want to order some phones for my store.
Me: Ok, you've reached the wrong department I really can't help you with that. IF you like I can transfer you to sales or you can e-mail sales @companyname.com
SSL: But I picked sales, why can't you help me.
Me: Mam, you've reached the technical support department. If you want I can do a credit card order for an individual phone sale, but if you need to order in bulk you need to speak to someone in the sales department, or e-mail sales@ companyname.com
SSL: Ok, whos the master distributor in my area?
Sensing where this was going I just had her hold and called over to the sales department and warm transfered the call to the guy that picked up. About 30 minutes later I get the same lady again.
Me: Same intro spiel as before.
SSL: I want to order some phones for my store.
Me: (recognizing her voice) Did sales not take care of that for you?
SSL: Well he gave me the number for the master distributor in my area and said I needed to contact them.
Me: Ok... if that's what he said then that is what you need to do.
SSL: But I need phones for my store.
Me: Ok, you can speak to the sales department again, or e-mail them at sales@ companyname.com
SSL: Ok, I want to speak to your supervisor.
Me: *WTF look on my face* Ok... Mam, this is the technical support department, my supervisor can help you with technical support issues. If you don't have a technical support issue he can't help you.
SSL: Well you haven't been helping me at all, and I need to order some phones for my store.
Me: Look mam, I can not help you with this. You need to either A: Speak to sales, which you already did. B: Follow the advice of the sales department and call the number that they gave you. C: E-mail sales@ companyname.com and they will answer any questions you have. Again this is Technical Support that you are speaking to now, if you do not have a Technical Support issues I Can Not Help You (I stressed the last words hence the bolding)
SSL: Well what should I do... if you can't help me how do I get some phones for my store?
Me: Mam, I've told you what you need to do. If you can't follow those instructions then no one here can help you.
SSL: Well... who is my master distributor then?
Me: Mam, do you have a technical support issue?
SSL: What?
Me: Is the issue you are calling about related to a technical problem in any way?
SSL: Well no one seems to be able to tell me where I can order phones for my store....
Me: So you do not have an issue that requires technical support?
SSL: Well...
Me: If not I can not help you.
SSL: Well f*** you then and f*** your company I'll just take my business elsewhere.
Would be nice if some people could grasp simple instructions, but then of course my job security would be right out the window.
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