Ever do something funny embarassing or stupid on the phone?

I used to answer "thank you for calling pizza........(whatever restraunt i was working at the time at home all the time) I got a new job where I answer calls and you don't know what it is. it just pops up on screen could be anything.(it's a cool 2nd job. and I work from home) www.workathomeagent.com if you need a 2nd job it rocks so far. easy. Tell them i sent you as far as i know I don't get paid might make me look good. (this isn't affiliate program you do NOT pay the company for ANYTHING to apply!)

Yeah I worked at a pizza joint -- Hungry Howie's. Answered the phone an awful lot there, "Thank you for calling Hungry Howie's..." It was hard not to answer ringing phones that way. Even like 7 years later at Hardee's I answered the phone like that once.

Thanks for sharing the website Jadall...I might look into it...sounds cool.

Okay. Yesterday I nearly gave a cust. a coronary.

cust: I'm worried I've went way over my minutes. Can you tell me how many minutes I've used so far?

me: sure. (pull up acct in CARE, note that its an old FT plan that includes 500 minutes with unlim M2M N&W...click on MOU tab...for this month I see almost 1900 minutes used). Okay, ma'am, you have used 1900 minutes so far.

cust: (gasps and nearly faints) How much did I go over? How much do I get billed per minute for overage?

me: Ma'am, that's 1400 minutes over @ 0.45/min.

cust: So I'm gonna have like a $700 phone bill???

me: unfortunately, yes.

cust: how long do I have on my contract?

me: one month.

cust, still friendly but very stressed, now wants to cancel. I say I can't process cancelations and will have to xfer to the cancellation dept.

me (to SAVE team rep): (I explain situation)

SAVE rep: (real friendly) You told she used 1900 minutes? Where are seeing that information?

me: under the MOU tab on the account level.

SAVE rep: but that's ALL the minutes: M2M, N&W + anytime mins.

me: okay, I'm new, where do I find the right info?

SAVE rep: look under usage.

me: oh, so they've used 500 min on the dot!

SAVE rep: well, not necessarily, but that's the approx figure. Some minutes may not have processed. there can be up to a 5-day lag. Well, I'll be happy to talk to her and I can inform her of the error...or you can before you xfer her.

me: let me tell her.

SAVE rep: okay.

After I explain (and apologize for) the error, the cust decides not to cancel...but does laughingly say I nearly gave her a coronary. Good lesson...learned the hard way.

All reps I've spoken with thus far have been very helpful and tolerant of sometimes dumb questions.

My call center has pretty much doubled it's Cingular group. So we are short of supervisors and subject matter experts (SMEs). They're tyring to move more agents into the role of SME, but right now they're short-handed.

I get a call for a PUK code. We go thru the steps and after the cust enters a new PIN, the cell phone displays the msg "sim broken" At this point, I've already been on the call for maybe 10-15 min.

I feel like this means that the PUK was entered incorrectly too many times but am unsure. Customer swears this is no more than the third attempt (and at least once with the correct code). I put up a signal for sup (we use orange cups). I begin searching CSP...without luck. I stall as long as I can...waiting for sup to verify whether we need to adv cust to replace SIM.

10-15 min later, I look and there is only one sup servicing maybe 15-20 people. I know she's been handling one call 10-15 min and is not done. There are 5 other cups up. She is never going to get to me. Wrong or right, I get the idea to call tech just to ask this dumb question, but caller disconnects (can't blame him).

But I decided then to call tech with tech questions...even seemingly dumb ones...if I notice that there are too few sups and too many cups.

I used this idea later in the evening. I get a call asking if I can block one phone number from calling her phone. I feel like the answer is "no," but I'm not sure. I put up my cup, and look in CSP for verification. (But CSP can't list everything Cingular CAN'T do, right?)...so I can't find the answer. Sups are overwhelmed again. So after a few mins, I call tech. Real friendly tech says no...we can't and besides that's a law enforcement issue. I hang up with tech and adv cust what he said.

Call over in a few minutes instead of 25-30.

answer to the PUK question.... (good hunch on your part) he needs a new sim...if you do a PUK1 and no joy try a PUK 2 if that dont wotk it has to be the sim.... puk2 is always a last ditch effort

I'm assuming at this point that you are an orange rep...(y/n)?

Well, I'm CARE....does that make me ORANGE? (I think it does).

cust calls in to activate a replacement phone. heres how it goes:

me: are you calling in reference to mobile phone #xxx-xxx-xxxx?

cust: yes

(verification, customer explains what he wants me to do)

I access his account in CARE by clicking on the bill icon in Clarify...pulls up his account and the mobile in question. I enter the new sim/imei...press "refresh" and have him power on the phone. call drops.

I call the mobile # he gave me. he answers. Hey, when I powered on the phone, MY phone went dead...and now it says "unregistered sim"...also you are calling me back on my wife's phone that we were activating.

I knew right away what I'd done and couldn't feel stupider. I had ASSUMED that the number he entered into the IVR was the number we were supposed to be activating.

I signaled a sup to verify whether I had permanently disabled the gentleman's SIM. He assures me I have and then tells me...as an additional tip for future use...that when I get the call where two people switch SIMS...I am to change IMEIs and not the SIMS. So, I got to learn two lessons on one mistake.

The cust actually took it pretty well.

okay, 'nuther goof by yours truly.

prepaid cust calls in. wants # changed. i adv of 36.00 fee. it is only my second # change (the last one was a postpaid # and went extremely well).

i get the info from GEARS and such. i process the # change. the computer warns that this will deactivate the old #. i click "yes". the computer then states that the # has been changed and that it might take a few minutes to process. that's cool. because i need to discuss giving him a credit because he called us on our 800#. i tell him the number change is successful and start explaining that I am going to credit for the minutes because it's an 800 call.

ME: sir, okay, now i am going to credit you for the minutes because...[phone beeps]...sir?...sir, are you there?

SOME LADY: yes...I am.

ME : huh? oh...uhhh...okay...um...thank you for calling cingular. may i have the mobile number you are calling about?...

actually, i learned several good lessons on this one. like i need to xfr balances fro the old # in Kic to the new # in Kic and, most importantly, must have customer on a number that is NOT being changed.

lol.

cheers all.

We all have stories like that - it happens. I won't even both to regale you with some of my slip up's from my time on the phones. It gets better, honestly.

I did CC for a year, a month or so in Rentention and worked tech for a month before going into a sup position.

You'll learn and you'll never forget it. I can get on the phones now (I do it for OT and as a reward for my reps) and have my QA department give me top scores...Give it time, it'll work out

Ever do something funny embarassing or stupid on the phone?

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