Career Questions and Answers
what is a good way i can deal with rude sarcastic people on the phone in my office?
Asked by Gnasher
i have recently started my first job and i had to answer the phone. im a trainee and i was nervous and this person was very rude. i know i cant be rude back because i cant afford to lose this job. but i dont like being spoken to like that how can i be reasonable with them?
Asked by Gnasher
i have recently started my first job and i had to answer the phone. im a trainee and i was nervous and this person was very rude. i know i cant be rude back because i cant afford to lose this job. but i dont like being spoken to like that how can i be reasonable with them?
A:
Best Answer:
Be overly nice. It's being sarcastic but you aren't doing anything to be rude.
Be overly nice. It's being sarcastic but you aren't doing anything to be rude.
A:
Be sarcastic in a sly way...thats how i do it. If someones trying to be funny with you..they aren't gonna sack you if your witty back as long as you don't swear. Don't accuse them but direct it at them. Depends what ur really talking about?
Answered by laydeeheartless
Answered by laydeeheartless
A:
Tell them to calm down or you will get security on the phone.
That works most of the time, but sometimes it really gets 'em going...
Answered by MalGal
Answered by MalGal
A:
say i understand what you are saying but cannot doin anythin i am awfuly sorry
Answered by Rach
Answered by Rach
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Stay calm and pleasant, if you can get a word in say very calmly please don't speak to me like that its rather rude. There is no way you should accepy rudeness from anyone.
Answered by jillybird
Answered by jillybird
A:
Ask what the real problem is and tell him or her that you are just there to help.
They are speaking out of anger not against you.
Show you want to help.
I have been the rude person.
Answered by mikemccrackencs
Answered by mikemccrackencs
A:
Remain calm and professional. When they get too far out of line, it is okay to politely tell them they're being unprofessional and you can no longer speak with them...then hang up quietly. This is RARE!!!
Remember, the customer is always right, even when they're wrong.
Answered by Richard F
Answered by Richard F
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fart down the phone
Answered by Ruphus B Tripehound
Answered by Ruphus B Tripehound
A:
Easy, two words: ETERNAL HOLD
Answered by MCR2020
Answered by MCR2020
A:
Why are you phoning these people?
If you are responsible for annoying these people, you may have to accept that they are entitled to be annoyed.
I don't like to be rude to people myself, but when I am phoned at 7.30 am by some idiot from a sales department...they get the mouthful!
Answered by Robert C
Answered by Robert C
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Hang up.
Answered by Gavin T
Answered by Gavin T
A:
Be extremely professional in your phone calls and use
the caller's first name repeatedly. It is a way to control
the pace and tone of the call, and establish your dominance.
Good Luck!
Answered by Chewbakkah
Answered by Chewbakkah
A:
Just shrug it off and leave your troubles in the office at night.
I did try being rude to the customers (drunks in a taxi office) and they made an awful mess of the office.
Answered by leeincognito
Answered by leeincognito
A:
Well, I have been answering phones for a living for 10 years, and what you do is kill them with kindness. In other words, the nicer you are the less they will be rude. I have had customers cuss me literally just for answering the phone. I know that you will want to hang up on them, but what they don't realize is that they have to go thru you to get to whomever they are wanting to speak to. Just keep your head high and smile and just maybe they will change their tune.
Answered by momof2
Answered by momof2
A:
tell them to hold then play mozart in the background realy loudly. then tell them u are unable to help them because your shift has just finnished but you will put them through to another employee, then answer in a new accent, after another session of mozart, and then start listening to them,
if they carry one do it again,
Answered by KING
Answered by KING
A:
Put a smile on your face (you really can hear a smile and it will stop you from getting an angry tone) and tell them you understand why they are upset (even if you don't) and that you will do your best to work with them on their complaint. If it's something that you don't think you can handle then I would let them speak to a manager, you should not have to deal with those people unless you are in HR.
Be overly nice and hopefully they will calm down...repeating yourself often gets them to calm down...like saying "Yes sir we will take care of that as soon as possible" the person will say "I want it taken care of now" you say "We will take care of that as soon as possible" " Do you know who I am" "Yes sir, and we will take care of that as soon as possible"
trust me it works...I used it all the time, pretty soon they just tire out and calm down.
You do have the right to ask people not to curse at you, you do not have to take abuse from anyone, even a customer.
Answered by paganmom
Answered by paganmom
A:
Hover your finger over the on hook button and push it half way through a sentence to disconnect the offending party. Alternatively (you have to practice this one) an ex-colleague of mine used to ride the mute button so he would talk to a customer and say what he thought with mute on so a conversation would go "I'm terribly sorry xyz went wrong sir" mute on (check by blowing in the receiver) "you complete plank" mute off "yes we will correct the error as soon as possible" mute on "you f***** w*****" mute off etc.
Answered by Dad's found yer scoo'er
Answered by Dad's found yer scoo'er
A:
Heyyy, welcome to the amazing world of workplace! You'll find all sorts of total morons and idiots in there. Nothing you can do about it but praising the Lord you're not one of them. On the other hand, you'll also come into contact with truly wonderful people you wish you could get to know better.
As for those over the phone, remain professional and if you feel it gets out of hand, mention it to your supervisor. There's no use taking abuse simply because you can't respond as this could affect your performance. Not to be an excuse, but please remember that some people could be having a bad day or whatever. It happens, be forgiving. You'll gain in patience and professionalism. Remember that you are being watched and those around you will note how well you conduct yourself in stressful situations.
Good luck girl, you're tough. All the best.
Answered by Tom
Answered by Tom
A:
Be very neutral. Reply as if you don't realize that that they are being rude, like you didn't even notice. Dont give them the satisfaction of knowing that their rudeness has affected you in any way. Thats the reason people are rude. They want to annoy you because they are annoyed that something isn't going the way they would like it to.
Answered by chelsea v
Answered by chelsea v
A:
Ok, I do this a lot. When they get on my nerves I says, "Please hold the line..." in a very plain tone of voice, then I go through the numbers on the phone 1 - 9 and 0, I go through going, "BEEP! (Number 1) BEEP! (Number 2)..." and so on. It really does their nut in and eventuly they hang up. And when they complain I says, "It was a phone problem".
Hope this helps, Jamie.
Answered by Jamie
Answered by Jamie
A:
It's tricky, I have a friend in the same boat. What you need is a couple of mental tricks..
Remember, the person isn't shouting or being rude to you, he's being rude to the company.i.e. don't take it personally.
Don't apologise too much, it just gives them a chance to catch their breath!... let them rant , say "I'm sorry to hear that, how can I resolve this for you?"
If he's actually swearing at you , your company should protect you from that... check out the company's policy on obscene language. Racial or sexual abuse is covered by legislation, as well as the Telecommunications Acts.
Finally, pass it to your supervisor if they continue.
It sounds to me like you a a nice person, genuinely trying to help and your getting all the flak. Make sure you take your breaks and don't let the stress build up.. and try not to take it out on family and friends, Poo rolls downhill lol.
I'm sure you will be fine, good luck.
Answered by Shaun The Fatman
Answered by Shaun The Fatman
A:
you'll have to toughen up and give as good as you get! Try not to take it personally as the people that are giving you grief are angry with the product/service that your company offers and not you personally. They don't even know you! It seems like you've been thrown in at the deep end as this is your first job but it could stand you in good stead for the future. If you can deal with this then anything after this will be a doddle!
Answered by returnofkarlos
Answered by returnofkarlos
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You kill 'em with kindness. Don't let them know they are rattling you. It's what they want. You will impress the boss too doing this. Remember too that supervisors will sometimes have someone call pretending to be a rude customer. So don't let your guard down. Always be sweet and polite, no matter how much you want to reach thru that phone and strangle them! lol
Answered by Gina C
Answered by Gina C
A:
stop them and explain to them that your job is to answer the phone and try to sort out enquiries you obviously have no knowledge of the problem so unless they wish to talk to you in a calm attitude you will not be able to help them if they carry on with the abuse hang up does your contract say anywhere in it you should let people talk to you like $hit i think not are these calls recorded? perhaps they should be
Answered by golden
Answered by golden
A:
Starting a new job can be very scary on its own - without having someone abuse you on the phone when you answer it.
Maybe saying something like - "Excuse me I'm just new here, could you please hold while I get my supervisor to help with your query?" The supervisor could be busy so you need to "Record" the problem for the supervisor to "review" and get back to them with a solution to the problem. It's amazing how quickly a tone will change when the thought of being recorded is there.
Another way is to "have slow hearing " - ask them to please slow down, saying because you are new, you need to take notes to help you understand what the problem is, and could they go through it all again from the beginning, so you can find a solution for them.
Staying calm does work the best, and when they begin to speed up and get nasty, gently interrupt them with "Could you repeat that please, I missed some of what you were saying just then". It is probably best to take a few notes anyway just in case you need to repeat something back to them.
This does usually work because the angry person usually has (in his/her opion) a reasonable right to be angy or rude, and by giving them the opportunity to "let off steam" also gives them the chance to calm down.
No one deserves to be abused on the phone when they are just doing a job.
It reminds of one friend in a similar situation who received several abusive and rude phone calls, she simply said' "Thank you for your kind words, Jesus loves you too": and quietly hung up.
Answered by Lassie
Answered by Lassie
A:
Take a deep breath, let them finish what they were saying before you respond, and make your tone as pleasant as possible. Don't be rude back because that will only make them be more hateful.
Answered by startwinkle05
Answered by startwinkle05
A:
Things always look worst when you're a trainee and in work for the first time. Things will improve with time...more so when you get to know other people in your office.
You need to develop a much thicker skin. It would be easier to simply carry out your tasks and ignore the rude and sarcastic comments received on the phone.......for now. When you have been there for a while you'll pick up certain things such as how others deal with these types of people - this will teach you about office life and hopefully prevent you from saying something which you may later regret and find yourself out of work. :o)
Answered by Leu
Answered by Leu
A:
i agree with Bella!!!
Thank them for being so patient and understanding as you are a trainee.
Failing that explain that you are a trainee and you will transfer them to a member of staff who will be able to help them ......
either leave them on hold (totally unprofessional I know - but so is telephone rage) or transfer them to the most assertive member of staff in the office. Every office has one the one who can slay a nasty customer at 20 paces without even trying lol
Good luck
p.s. on a more serious note see if your company has a telephone policy. Discuss it with your supervisor ask her for any tips. I have in the past informed a customer that if they continued being abusive I would terminate the call, if they carried on being abusive I said thank you, good bye nicely though not sarcastically, and ended the call. It is a course of action only to be taken if it is realy bad and always inform your supervisor immediately of the circumstances. If you have good management in place they should back you up.
Answered by MDR
Answered by MDR
A:
stay polite, if the person figures out they can't wind you up then they'll calm down and stop being rude. It's happened to me too and if they notice they can get to you, they'll go further into it. If necessary, tell them you're a trainee and don't know everything just yet - if they can't understand that, they're stupid people.
You'll get the hang of it soon enough. I was in your situation not long ago, I just kept polite and "agreed" with what the person was saying ("Yes, I understand you are upset, sir, but could you please calm down?") and he backed down eventually. If they still won't calm down, connect them to your supervisor and let him/her deal with the person.Ask your supervisor to give you a few phrases to "block off" a person if they're ranting or being rude.
I know it's hard, but you'll be OK. Good luck with the new job!
Answered by slashgirl_1984
Answered by slashgirl_1984
A:
If you don't like to be spoken to in a rude manner, you'd better get used to it. I'm sorry, but that's business life.
That rude person might be your company's ## 1 customer.
Answered by TedEx
Answered by TedEx
A:
Hey, don't get nervous. Some people behave like this to their subordinates. But what you have to do is just keep your head cool, try to talk as little as possible but give the proper answer to the question he/she asks.
Try to find out if he/she is rude to all or only on you. If it is his nature then it's ok for you. Try to make friends in your office and talk to them about this so that you can stay easy after the conversation with the rude people. Just think positive and take it as a part of work.
I hope it will help.
Answered by nutralx
Answered by nutralx
A:
It's hard to handle these people I know. The only way to handle them and keep your sanity is to decide you will bring them around to your side no matter what. You can do this by being extremely professional, helpful, and undertsanding. Let them know you understand how they feel and would probably feel the same way. Say you will do whatever you can to help them. Ask calmly for specifics to their situation assuring them that you will make it right. Give them your name and phone number, get theirs, and advise you will contact them with updates until their problem is fixed. "The customer is always right" ......remember this. Try this and I assure you the rudest people will come around. Most of the time, these people feel as if you will not care so they put on the loak of rudeness to show just how upset they are. Good luck!
Answered by Bridget W
Answered by Bridget W
A:
try stretching your last sound. for eg, 'sureeeee' and perhaps 'you're absolutely welcome'.
Answered by Powergirl
Answered by Powergirl
A:
Always keep your cool. Eventually they let go of their sarcasm. If you are looking something up and they keep on chattering/hurling insults. Simply say, "One moment please..." and put them on hold. When you pick up again to give them the info say, "My apologies for the delay here is the information.........." Always wish them a nice day and smile when you say it as it shows in your voice even though they can't see you.
Answered by Alletery
Answered by Alletery
A:
Let them vent. Listen to what they are saying, and no matter WHAT they say to you, be pleasant. It's tough, but you are the one in control of you. If you allow that person to get you riled up, not only have you lost control, but you could lose your job as well.
The customer is always right, but the operator (or rep taking the call) is the one who has all the power. Besides, your finger could always "slip" and hit the release button accidentally - but only during your own sentence.
And, most importantly - NEVER TRUST THE MUTE BUTTON. That has backfired on at least one other operator in the last couple of years. OOPS!!!
Answered by porcelina_68
Answered by porcelina_68
A:
You just have to deal with it. As you get more confident in yoru position, your voice will show that you know what you are doing and most people will stop treating you that way. However, some people are just jerks. Right or wrong that's how it is. Just keep your cool and don't let that one stupid person ruin your day or affect your opinion on your position in that company. Good Luck:)
Answered by Matt's Mommy
Answered by Matt's Mommy
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