Resisting the urge to scream at work

Beetlebum

I bounced into work this morning in a great mood...the sun was shining, I get paid today and to top it off it's Friday.
However, my mood has started to deteriorate due to the volume of calls I've received this morning from absolute retards..

I've devised a list of the top 5 things that annoy me about being a Receptionist -

1) When I answer the phone with ‘Good Morning X Company’ and they say ‘Hi…who am I speaking to?’ That’s my line jerk, you don’t get to ask me that!

2) When I ask who’s calling please and they say ‘Well, I’ll tell ya…I’m calling from blah blah blah and it’s in relation to blah blah blah and I called last week too blah blah blah…
Whoa there cowboy…I didn’t ask for your life story, a simple name will suffice.

3) When they ask to speak to somebody who happens to be on a call and they ask ‘Will he be long?’.
How the h*ll am I supposed to know. You think he gives me an estimated length of call everytime he phones somebody?

4) When I say ‘Good Afternoon X Company’ and they say ‘Hi Emma…it’s Miriam from AIB, I didn’t receive that fax you sent me so if you want to re-send it….insert boring bullsh*t here…blah. I’m not Emma you moron. You called a large Company an expected to automatically speak to the person/department you’re looking for. Surely you’ve heard of a Receptionist, no?

5) When I answer with ‘Good Morning X Company’ and they say (usually really loudly with a headwrecking accent) ‘Hi, is that X Company??’.
I normally hang up when this happens.


How about you guys, what really grates you about your job?

chin_grin

Welcome to humanity. Let me show you around.....<please hold>

big b

Boasting that you have a job is pretty poor form.

Big Vern

What drives me mad in my job, is when you ring up a section asking what to do with a job(that involves them), someone in that section tells you what to do, you do it and then someone else in that section tells you that you have done it wrong!!!! And they then deny that they told you anything at all!!!!!

Beanstalk

When I answer the phone with ‘Good Morning X Company’ and they say ‘Hi…who am I speaking to?’ That’s my line jerk, you don’t get to ask me that!

That doesn't bother me as much as when people say (normally in a posh airy accent) 'umm hoi....to whom am I speaking'...thats rubbish that is...

Wazdakka

Just a thought..

"Good morning X company, Beetlebum speaking" ?

beerbaron

X Company ?! What a cool, mysterious name for a business

Beetlebum

Wazdakka wrote: »

Just a thought..

"Good morning X company, Beetlebum speaking" ?

Hmmm...I like your style and wish to subscribe to your newsletter..

nah, I don't like giving out my name like that. Plus I have an unusual name and people are always like..what? Is that really your name? So that would merely add to the confusion..

Acoshla

I work part time, 3 days a week in a little Furniture shop, 3 days is all they can afford to have me working and it's usually only 5 hours a day, but hey, it's a job so I count my lucky stars that I have it. Because of this I get part time Job Seekers Benefit, so between the two of these I get a half decent wage (well I can live on it anyway).

Every single day I get customers giving me hell saying "Jaysus that's expensive", "X Shop is offering me a much better deal", "There is a recession you know?" and my favourite, "I would have thought in this current climate ye would be doing anything to secure a sale".

Firstly, I don't have any control over the feckin prices! I do not look like I own the shop, hell I can't even afford to shop in there, so why assume I can give anything to you half price just because some massive Nationwide store can match it?

And my God, I know they don't know my hours, but every time they say "There is a recession you know" I just want to shove my pitiful paycheque in their face, tell them I work no more than 20 hours a week and scream "D'you think I don't know there's a feckin recession??"

/Rant over

TheZohanS

Beetlebum wrote: »

How about you guys, what really grates you about your job?

Ringing large companies only to be put through to someone with a bad attitude.

TheManWho

Your Charles Xavier's receptionist, that's just awesome.

Snowie

the sore feet the cuts the burns the yelling the stress, the tiredness the waitress's. the fact that some times after work i can't even remember my own name because ive been that busy... and the long shifts...

what do i love all of the above....... ..

tho i dont have a job im working hard to get one again in chefing god i miss it

Pop's Diner

I didn't realise X Company had such moody receptionists!

I'll contact them direct or by email in future. :mad:

My name is URL

Beetlebum wrote: »

How about you guys, what really grates you about your job?

People bouncing in, in a great mood

nerophis

Beetlebum wrote: »

Plus I have an unusual name

I know two lads and girl called Beetlebum- it's quite common in Cork really;)

How about you just scream down the phoneline? That might brighten the day

ScumLord

I've done shows like the ideal homes and interbuild in the UK. I like to stand beside the sign with all the prices on it and see how long it takes for someone to come up and ask me how much it costs, then that questions more or less repeated for the rest of the day.

Porkpie

When I answer the phone with ‘Good Morning X Company’ and they say ‘Hi…who am I speaking to?’ That’s my line jerk, you don’t get to ask me that!

They're asking 'who am I speaking to?' because you didn't identify yourself in the first place. You should answer the phone with 'good morning x company, joe bloggs speaking', that's why people are asking who you are. Sheesh.

When I ask who’s calling please and they say ‘Well, I’ll tell ya…I’m calling from blah blah blah and it’s in relation to blah blah blah and I called last week too blah blah blah…
Whoa there cowboy…I didn’t ask for your life story, a simple name will suffice.

Assume the name is 'blah blah blah'

When I answer with ‘Good Morning X Company’ and they say (usually really loudly with a headwrecking accent) ‘Hi, is that X Company??’.
I normally hang up when this happens.

That's not very professional is it?

Seriously though, these are minor complaints. The weather's picked up, get out there and enjoy the sunshine and be thankful that you have a job at present, even if you have to deal with the odd moron.

Beetlebum

TheZohan wrote: »

Ringing large companies only to be put through to someone with a bad attitude.

Quiet Yank...we don't like your type round my Company and you leave my attitude out of this!

Puddleduck

Porkpie wrote: »

They're asking 'who am I speaking to?' because you didn't identify yourself in the first place. You should answer the phone with 'good morning x company, joe bloggs speaking', that's why people are asking who you are. Sheesh.



Assume the name is 'blah blah blah'




That's not very professional is it?

Seriously though, these are minor complaints. The weather's picked up, get out there and enjoy the sunshine and be thankful that you have a job at present, even if you have to deal with the odd moron.

Worked as a receptionist have you?

Sgt Hartman

I can't stand it when people can't take no for an answer. They ring up looking for a test result, I check and double-check the system and the sample fridge and there's no sign of us ever receiving the sample. They go "But I sent it last night, It has to be there, can you check again?" I check again, still no sign. "What could have happened to it? Can you find out?"F**kin hell, what do they want me to do? Pull the bloody sample out of my hole?


I get quite a few northern and southside dub accents on the phone as well. Some south-Dubliner rang up looking for a result for "Mary Brine". I type in Mary Brine but no such luck. I ask them how do you spell Brine. They say "It's spelt B.R.O.W.N, Brine":D

TwoShedsJackson

Beetlebum wrote: »

5) When I answer with ‘Good Morning X Company’ and they say (usually really loudly with a headwrecking accent) ‘Hi, is that X Company??’.
I normally hang up when this happens.

This happens a LOT in our place too and it is annoying for some reason. The urge to shout 'yes thicko, this is X Company as I just said four seconds ago you brain dead mongoloid' is intense.

Closely allied to this the: 'Hello, Company X?' to which they say 'oh are you open?'. Urge to shout 'no I'm just in here answering the phone for the laugh!!' rising.

TheZohanS

Beetlebum wrote: »

Quiet Yank...we don't like your type round my Company and you leave my attitude out of this!

Good luck with hanging onto your job!

Mise le meas,

Padraigh MacZonhanaigh

WindSock

Beetlebum wrote: »

I
2) When I ask who’s calling please and they say ‘Well, I’ll tell ya…I’m calling from blah blah blah and it’s in relation to blah blah blah and I called last week too blah blah blah…
Whoa there cowboy…I didn’t ask for your life story, a simple name will suffice.

Oh I friggin hate that. I answer the feckin phone and pass it on to the relevant person. If I knew how to sort your feckin problem I would be on much better pay and not be sitting here. I also have 3 more calls coming in in the meantime, so I have no time for a 'chat'.

What also wrecks my head is when they dont even leave a gap for you to say 'hold on a second please...'

5) When I answer with ‘Good Morning X Company’ and they say (usually really loudly with a headwrecking accent) ‘Hi, is that X Company??’.
I normally hang up when this happens.

That, I don't mind. Sometimes the person answering the phone ends up mumbling the company name really fast so you can't understand it. I am probably guilty of this.

dylano_k

Spadina wrote: »

I work part time, 3 days a week in a little Furniture shop, 3 days is all they can afford to have me working and it's usually only 5 hours a day, but hey, it's a job so I count my lucky stars that I have it. Because of this I get part time Job Seekers Benefit, so between the two of these I get a half decent wage (well I can live on it anyway).

Every single day I get customers giving me hell saying "Jaysus that's expensive", "X Shop is offering me a much better deal", "There is a recession you know?" and my favourite, "I would have thought in this current climate ye would be doing anything to secure a sale".

Firstly, I don't have any control over the feckin prices! I do not look like I own the shop, hell I can't even afford to shop in there, so why assume I can give anything to you half price just because some massive Nationwide store can match it?



And my God, I know they don't know my hours, but every time they say "There is a recession you know" I just want to shove my pitiful paycheque in their face, tell them I work no more than 20 hours a week and scream "D'you think I don't know there's a feckin recession??"

/Rant over

Worked in a hardware company and cheap builders everytime i quoted them for supplies they would say jeee-a-zus thats expensive..they ask for specific brass handles and want the price of the cheap hallow ones for the same price...then they would bring in the R word, cheap bastards !!

homeOwner

Just a thought but did you consider that how you are answering the phone is part of the problem.

Why cant you say "Good mornign this is XCompany, you are through to reception how may I direct your call".

This will side step most of your issues me thinks.

Porkpie

Puddleduck wrote: »

Worked as a receptionist have you?

No but I know basic telephone skills.