If your in a hurry placing an order over the phone...

[Angry_Hippie]

...DON'T SCREAM AT ME!!!

The company I work for as a phone CSR offers in-store referral orders. Meaning if the brick and mortar store doesn't have the item the store clerk can help the customer order it from us at the online store. It takes 3-5 minutes on average to place an order with me. Per corporate policy I MUST verify ALL information given to me back to the customer, inform them of our shipping timeframe, advise them that once the order is placed it can't be change/altered/or canceled, and I must expressly ask the customer's permission before I place the order.

LOTS of my customers are in a frantic rush and I guess I understand this (no, wait I don't, if you don't think you have 5 minutes to place an order, you don't have time to be shopping for non-essential luxury items)

This horrible woman went from zero to full on SUCK! in 60 seconds. The store associate was super nice to me (a rarity) I had the items the customer wanted and she was happy about it. I get the customer on the phone. I introduce myself and ask "May I have your name please?" customer answers "Kate, Katie, or Katherine" I pick one and use it and she don't seems to mind (after the call it became apparent she though just her name would magically pull up her account with all her info ready to go, NOPE we MUST get all info EVERY time (I like this because I don't trust anyones accuracy but my own))

I get her address and start reading it back to her. She politely stops me midstream and says her address to me all over again. I reread it and she doesn't interrupt (YAY!). She still is nice at this point, I though she just wanted to make sure I heard her right. But after her childish tirade later in the call it becomes apparent she doesn't understand what VERIFICATION means.

**hint** Verification means you give me information I read it back to you and you make sure i have it right. Giving me the information twice in a row as quickly and bitchy as you can making sure i have no room to talk in between is not verification. Its a pointless waste of time.

I start to advise her "Because your ordering inside of the store you receive FREE standard shipping and this will arrive in 3-10 BUSINESS days with your REGULAR MAILMAN". (I know what words to emphasize so maybe this information gets through their heads so they don't need to waste time later calling "who did my order ship with why isn't it here yet")

PREPARE FOR SUCK! she starts SCREAMING at me OVER and OVER "just keep going, just keep going, just keep going" (meaning violate corporate policy and don't give me the info your require to give). I have a blast taking her literally. I just kept saying my required script I even started over to be sure she heard it. **hint 2*** I'm an ass I follow what you say not what you mean in these situations.

I verify her items and idiot lady is going "I KNOW I KNOW" give her her total with her bellowing "CORRECT CORRECT" (I hate when people say correct when I give them the tax on the order, I'm not ASKING you if this is correct I'm TELLING you this is the tax. I don't believe for a second that you are doing the math in you head and making sure its right. I'll trust the computer no the customer as far as tax goes.

She reads her CC number to me as FAST as humanly possible TWICE in a row with no breath in between. I then hear in the background *confused* "is that a 6 or an 8?" so she barks at me 8xxx. (I naturally know she meant "the last four number weren't 6xxx they were 8xxx). Seeing as she JUST gave me the number wrong twice and corrected herself after the fact, I start to verify (as in actually read the number back for the first time). Idiot lady screeches this lie at me "NOOOO! you've already gone over the number with me 3 times DO NOT do it again". I reply you gave me the number wrong and I will double check it, I read it back anyways.

I start into my no change/alter/cancel spiel, Customer screams "thank YOU, THANK YOU" and I can tell she think she is done with the order. I but in LOUDLY "do i have YOUR PERMISSION to place the order?" I wish she hung up before the order was placed it would have been awesome and she would have deserved it. Why do they act like we are stupid and don't know what we are doing when *shock* they are STUPID?

Grrr I'm still angry about this even after my day off today. Good to vent.

[Rattslinger]

Why do they act like we are stupid and don't know what we are doing when *shock* they are STUPID?

Grrr I'm still angry about this even after my day off today. Good to vent.

Because it gives them a little bit of power in their small lives.

[bainsidhe]

Yeesh, impatient much?

For what I'm about to say, please don't think I find this woman any less of a jerk or that I'm downplaying the difficulty of your job. I have to say I understand the frustration during verification and when placing a phone order/payment. Because of telemarkers/funraisers/credit card "offerings" when I call in a payment, I tend towards impatience and I just want the information sumbitted. I mean, she probably was thinking how SHE knew HER address. You said it yourself, she probably assumed you already had her account information at hand.

My first time making a credit card payment over the phone, the CSR starting reading a script, which to me sounded like another sales pitch. Yes, I did interrupt her and told her I wasn't interested and were we done. She informed me she HAD to read it in order to process the transaction. That shut me up. She wasn't rude and I felt properly chastised.

So what I'm wondering is, do you at anytime tell the customer you must read back and verify every bit of information and receive responses to your questions before you are allowed to place the order? I'm wondering if that would have helped in this case? But hey, after reading some of the stories on this forum, my faith in humanity has taken a terminal hit.

[Bramblerose]

She reads her CC number to me as FAST as humanly possible TWICE in a row with no breath in between. I then hear in the background *confused* "is that a 6 or an 8?" so she barks at me 8xxx. (I naturally know she meant "the last four number weren't 6xxx they were 8xxx). Seeing as she JUST gave me the number wrong twice and corrected herself after the fact, I start to verify (as in actually read the number back for the first time). Idiot lady screeches this lie at me "NOOOO! you've already gone over the number with me 3 times DO NOT do it again". I reply you gave me the number wrong and I will double check it, I read it back anyways.

I start into my no change/alter/cancel spiel, Customer screams "thank YOU, THANK YOU" and I can tell she think she is done with the order. I but in LOUDLY "do i have YOUR PERMISSION to place the order?" I wish she hung up before the order was placed it would have been awesome and she would have deserved it. Why do they act like we are stupid and don't know what we are doing when *shock* they are STUPID?

Let's see:

1) I always give my CC# in slow 4 number groups, and I listen to see if can hear the keyboard click in teh background so I know when to go on. ALso because I am easily amused.

2) I would be highly surprised if someone didn't verify teh #s or anything else. I bet even teh Nigerians verify account info!

3) and yes, you *do* need our permission to order. This is a service we provide out of the goodness of our corporate greed- if this were WM, you would be SOL if your item was out of stock (I live in the Heart of Darkness here).

[Sliceanddice]

when i worked in my call center i would her this
"Look i dont have much time can you hurry this up"
The answer is
"The shortest ammount of time for ANY order is 6 minutes. I need to verify, confirm, go over what you wanted especially since our advertising goes over alot of info and we have alot stuff available. I need to go over shipping and confirm the order. Most orders can take about 8 minutes. If you want to take advantage of the offer we can go ahead and finish or you can not."
The sigh and complience.
Or the Damn'it. 'CLICK'
Or fould language happened

[smileyeagle1021]

Let's see:

1) I always give my CC# in slow 4 number groups, and I listen to see if can hear the keyboard click in teh background so I know when to go on. ALso because I am easily amused.

you would hate talking to me at my old workstation... I had a silent click keyboard so you could never have heard the keys.

my new workstation has a keyboard that can be heard two cubicles down (grr, mim moment, lets just rearrange the entire call floor for no apparent reason)

[Slytovhand]

1) I always give my CC# in slow 4 number groups, and I listen to see if can hear the keyboard click in teh background so I know when to go on. ALso because I am easily amused.

Just a pet peeve of mine, but it does annoy me greatly when they start calling out the CC# in a fairly arbitrary manner... such as in groups of 3, or perhaps worse yet, when they try it in 2's - but as 10's - such as '62, 35..41,79' - cos then when they get to '07' they get stuck.....

Let alone the whole - 'how long do you think I can drag out reading a number to you for?'

But - after chatting to my co-workers, it would appear that I'm not the only one with this issue

Slyt

Oh - Hippie - I'm with you... the more of a rush they're in, and the more frantically and potentially rude they will be, the longer I will take I accept, sometime there are emergencies, but as one sig file has - "Your lack of preparation is not my emergency".

[Angry_Hippie]

I'm a stickler for weird things, I HATE numbers read it 10's (60 as sixty instead of six zero). I heard somewhere the proper way to give numbers is single digits instead of grouping because each digit name 0-9 sounds distinct vs "lazy groupings" such as sixty and sixteen sounding very similar. I fear for the younger generation because they all seem to read numbers in groups and they sound so confident and smug about it too (its almost like they've been taught/think it sounds more professional)

I also don't like people that are convinced their street doesn't have a designation (st, ave, pkwy, circle, ln). I'm a huge fan of usps.com zip code finder and and 411 and I will run these addresses though after the call (don't have time during) to see there address in proper official format. I haven't found very many yet that really don't have a designation.

oh, and the people who think an address is just street #/name, city and zipcode. I guess they assume my computer automatically fills the state in but guess what NOPE. A small child could give better addresses than these people.

Oh and the stupid college kids, name of college, a hall name & # and maybe city and state an address usually doesn't make. Most of the time I'm right and the address does need at least the addition of a street name and number often more. But oddly there are some college towns where that streetless address format is valid per USPS.

Yeah I'm picky, but in return the customer gets someone who is "addicted to information" I will do everything to the best of my ability whether you deserve it or not. I know answers to obscure questions most people at my job can't answer, if your unsure of something let me know and I can double check it for you (lots of people don't know their zipcode apparently). I can spell most city names without having to ask, I know all state abbreviations by heart, hell I can recognize an amazing number of places based on either the telephone area code or the zipcode. I also try to type all addresses in standard usps format (not required by my employer and most other employees don't bother) because I'm of the belief that the closer you are to standard format the higher likelihood your package will be machine sortable and will *gasp* get to you faster. I also can translate the weird usps.com tracking page jargon to SC (I explain "shipment accepted" is not the same as "delivered" a million times a day). FYI shipment accepted means that the local po has received the package next it gets sorted to the right mailtruck/mailperson to make its way to you.

I don't get why my customers don't appreciate the thought I put into doing my job for them.

[TryNotToBeThatOne]

Angry_hippie, my college is one of those without street addresses. I had the hardest time convincing someone of that. I finally had to tell her, 'most of the campus was laid out before cars, and is based on a pedestrian-focused lifestyle,' and to give her the website with the campus map. Until I did that I just could not convince her that I didn't have a street address for Jones* Hall because it wasn't even near a road. There is at least one other building between it & any road, if you include parking lots as roads.

*Name changed to conceal my location.

[Emrld]

Growing up I don't know if the address was ### __________ st, dr, ave, etc. Parents were there from the time I was 4 to 24.
Address now . . . since I am on the corner I was able to look at a street sign and know which one it is.

As for giving numbers it drives me a little nutty when they say "Oh" as in the letter instead of zero. We are talking numbers and there is a difference between a letter and a number in communication.

[gerund]

Hurry up

I believe that these people have a mental disorder called "Rushing Syndrome".

Take the people driving their cars who cannot stand anyone in front of them. They will tailgate you, bully their way through, exceed the speed limit by a dangerous margin - only to end up at the stop lights at the next corner just one car length ahead of you.

In the supermarket they are pushing down the aisle trying to run you over with their trolley. Then they get to the checkout and if they can't get to a cashier right this very instant they are complaining about the lack of service at the top of their voices.

As the OP states, they can't spend a few minutes on the phone to ensure their name and address are correct, because they have to go rushing off - who knows where or for what.

As I stated, I think it is a mental disorder. We should pity them or walk slowly in front of them and listen to them go absolutely ape while we ignore their frantic "Excuse me!"

Why? Because it's funny.

[fish3k1]

As I stated, I think it is a mental disorder. We should pity them or walk slowly in front of them and listen to them go absolutely ape while we ignore their frantic "Excuse me!"

Why? Because it's funny.

[applause] *appropriate amount of time* [/applause]

[Angry_Hippie]

Angry_hippie, my college is one of those without street addresses. I had the hardest time convincing someone of that. I finally had to tell her, 'most of the campus was laid out before cars, and is based on a pedestrian-focused lifestyle,' and to give her the website with the campus map. Until I did that I just could not convince her that I didn't have a street address for Jones* Hall because it wasn't even near a road. There is at least one other building between it & any road, if you include parking lots as roads.

*Name changed to conceal my location.

That sucks that the CSR argued with you about it. Those "streetless" college address are one of the few times I'll go to usps.com while on a call. I find if the student doesn't sound confident (especially if they are asking a friend in the background for help) that they left something major out. If they give me a good reason like you usps.com secures the fact for us both. My least favorite college address format that I haven't seen as correct yet is College Student @ university of state/city/zipcode. I bet there is somewhere that might be valid maybe?

I also despise the "proper address" format sheet that some colleges give parents, its often in a format that has nothing to do with the shipping carrier, it seems to be more for the interest of the campus mailroom. Its a format that you could only follow if you making the label in a word processor and not an order entry system.

Here it is: Hall Name and #/Student Name/College Name/street address/city, state zipcode.

Due to our computers it becomes Student Name/hall name and number college name/street address/ city state and zipcode.

Parents worry when I let them know my computer makes it impossible to honor that format. I let them know colleges probably see it all the time from companies with similar systems.

[Sylvia727]

Angry_hippie, my college is one of those without street addresses.

My college isn't quite so bad...the entire campus is one address. I would guess that we have upwards of 40 different buildings/halls on the campus proper, which is a square half-mile or more. About once a week I get asked for directions to <address> which shows on a map as the very southest, westest corner of the entire campus. The individual will get quite dismayed when I reply with a wide arm sweep and say, "You're in the middle of it. Which hall were you looking for?" Even better when they don't know which hall, or even what kind of help they need.

Getting food delivered can be heavenly or hellish. If the cashier and driver understand the campus layout, it goes beautifully. But often they need some address to feed the computer, and if they don't understand the layout it's pretty bad. Ever since I got a phone call from the delivery driver who was at the literal address, half a mile away from my dorm hall, and couldn't understand why I wouldn't meet him there, I give them the street intersection nearest my dorm. Sometimes the computer won't take that, but I have to make sure the cashier understands where I actually am.

I'm one of the people who will give all sorts of information you may never need to know, just in the off chance that it will be necessary. I've gotten burned too many times not to.

[Andara Bledin]

My company just had a couple of orders go out to a university. They gave a hall and a department (it was for the physics department), but there was no street information. I'm pretty used to that.

As for the whole Street vs Avenue vs Road stuff, I have to give my extension. I'm on Nameofstreet Way. If you put Nameofstreet Street, that's one block over and it won't get to me.

^-.-^