Me: Thank you for calling Prestissimo Music, how can I help you?
Caller: Yes, hello. My name is Mrs. Ma Non Troppo. My daughter Largo, goes to Canon High School. She plays cello and just got back from solo and ensemble last weekend. She got a blue ribbon! She used to play viola until she fell in love with the sound of the Cello and has played it ever since. My younger daughter Larghetto, goes to D. S. Al fine Middle School. She started playing the violin last year. She took home a red ribbon at solo and ensemble! The both have a concert this week on Thursday at Adagissio Auditorium. I wanted to ask you, what time do you close today?
Me: Six O’clock. Is there anything I may do before you get here that I can help you out with?
Caller: No that’s all I needed to know. Thank you!
Me: Ok… Thank you for calling, have a great day…
Click. (The click was from her. I’ve been taught in sales to always be the last to hang up, just in case there’s that “Oh, one more thing.”)
REALLY?! As a former musician, I am happy to hear about other accomplishments. I understand how proud of them you are (as my father was of myself.) However, as somebody working in customer service, I want to answer your questions to the best of your satisfaction and move on! There are three other calls waiting to ask if I have a G-string in stock, do I have a rare piece of sheet music that hasn’t been in print since 1893 and how do I dislodge a tuba mouth piece out of my Clarinet. It’s my job to take care of all these people like they are the only customer and do it 50 million times per day. (A slight exaggeration, but you get the point.)
Here’s how I would’ve liked that call to go.
Me: Thank you for calling Prestissimo Music, how can I help you?
Caller: What time do you close today?
Me: Six O’clock. Is there anything I may do before you get here to help you out?
Caller: No that’s all I needed to know. Thank you!
Click. (Again, wait for the hang up. It will save call more times than not.)
This is a common call. The plethora of information we give out on the phone before we get to the point is amazing. Some may be due to the self-pride we have in whatever the subject may be. I think more are due to the fact we are somehow trained to give a back story before any question. (Daytime court shows are a great example of this.) As much as this kind of call makes me bonkers, here is a call I made the other day.
Salesman on the phone: Thank you for calling Big Box sound things and stuff! How can I help you today?
Me: Uh, yeah. Um. I recently bought this microphone for my computer at home. It’s a USB mic and I love the quality of the sound. I decided to go with this because I did not want to invest in a mixer to hook up to my computer. Plus, it came with great reviews from your website. I did end up buying it elsewhere because you didn’t have it in stock. Anyways, I was looking for the adapter thingy that hooks the small part to the large part. I don’t even know what you call it. I did find it on your website as well, the part number is ATTD2014.3. Do you have it in stock?
Salesman: (still on the phone for some reason.): Let me check for you…. Yes we do, it’s $3.29. Would you like me to hold it for you?
Wow, I just did the very thing that gets my blood boiling everyday at work. Was it subconscious revenge or do I just get a case of the phone rambles when I’m on the other end? Maybe it goes back to our teenage dating days. “Um, Hi (insert name of person you were interested in) I was talking to Joe the other day and he was talking about how Carrie took his hat at lunch the other day. He had to meet up with her after 5th period to get it back, even though his class was on the other side of the building. He was late, and you know he only has one more time before he gets a mark on his report. So (GET TO THE POINT) I was wondering if you wanted to go out this weekend? (We all know this call went on much longer than this.)
So before you hit send take a minute to ask yourself, what information do I want out of this call? Start with that question. I assume the person you are calling either knows the answer or they will ask the questions needed to get the additional information they need to help you.
So, getting to the main point of today’s post: What made you mad today? Let me know in the comment section below.. ⇓
- Don’t forget to follow me for more umadyetness!
Daily Prompt: Sixteen Tons
Filed under: umadyetness Tagged: anger management, common sense, get to the point, humor, mad, music, personal development, phone, random, sales, self improvement, umadyet, work
