Last week I was on the phone with a customer service representative. I could not understand the agent, and asked her to repeat herself. She immediately raised her voice in frustration, and even spelled the word on the button that she wanted me to press on my television remote control. I politely told her she was being rude, and asked her not to speak to me that way. Finally I asked for her supervisor. The supervisor ending up telling me that she sent the employee to the clinic to take her “meds.”
I realize that we are in an era of texting more than speaking on the phone, but we should all use our common sense of what are good manners when speaking to others on the telephone. I had a relative whose whole department had to go to training on how to talk on the phone. As an example, they were told not to say that another employee was in the restroom. Surprising that this in not obvious to professional adults. Another example is when people communicate with someone who has not mastered the English language, why do they start speaking louder? On the phone or in person, we know this is not going to help.
Saying hello and good-bye is often over-looked. An alternative greeting such as stating your name is acceptable to a “hello.” After your greeting, ask the person how he is doing before you launch into your purpose. Actually listen to his response, and ask for more information if he says he is having a bad day. Lastly, always remember to say good-bye before hanging up. It sounds obvious, but a lot of people just hang up.
A New Level of Bad Phone Manners
