Pet Peeves of answering the phone at work

[perhaps]

Customers/Clients who call in with a squawking bird in the background. 

I now have a headache from our 10 minute conversation.  I kept having to ask her to repeat herself.  I even mentioned a few times I couldn't hear her because of her background noise.  Clueless!

[Chocolate Lover]

I'm not sure we have enough time for this


Mostly I hate that I get calls for every freaking thing that is in the building because my department is at the top of the alphabetical listing. How hard is it to continue down the page and find what you are actually looking for?   

[Deleted]

Knock knock

Who's there?

Interrupting bird

Interrupting bi-

CAW CAW CAW

[jkapp]

I keep getting calls from a lady who apparently eats all day...because everytime she calls, she's munching on chips or some other loud food.  It is incredibly annoying!!

[swamp]

Do you handle custody?
No
Well Joe said you did.
Joe is mistaken
But why wont you take the case? Joe said you would.

[Deleted]

Jul 26, 2013 14:39:40 GMT -4 jkapp said:
I keep getting calls from a lady who apparently eats all day...because everytime she calls, she's munching on chips or some other loud food. It is incredibly annoying!!

I'm hypoglycemic. 

[NancysSummerSip]

People who work from home, and don't separate their home office from their home; in other words, you can still hear their kids screeching in the background. The squawking birds would be a blessing compared to raging rug rats and the parents trying to work and yell at them at the same time.

[sheilaincali]

I hate when people call me and don't have their shit together first.  They'll call and ask for the price of something and when I tell it to them they say "Hold on, let me find a pen and a piece of paper"  What were you planning on doing when I gave you the information?  Memorizing it?  Did you think I'd not give you the information you asked for? 

Screaming kids in the background is another annoying one.  If you kid was screaming when you dialed the phone odds are they will scream through the whole conversation.  Maybe calm your kid down BEFORE you start dialing the freaking phone!

[chiver78]

it's not so much the answering of phones that drives me nuts, it's not being able to hear the person on the other end of the line because Pole Dancer is spouting off about this or that. like this morning, I was trying to listen to a conference call and I had my finger in my other ear when my boss walked by.   without my asking, he went over and told her to shut up b/c I couldn't hear my call.

[Deleted]

Jul 26, 2013 13:56:57 GMT -5 sheilaincali said:

I hate when people call me and don't have their shit together first.  They'll call and ask for the price of something and when I tell it to them they say "Hold on, let me find a pen and a piece of paper"  What were you planning on doing when I gave you the information?  Memorizing it?  Did you think I'd not give you the information you asked for? 

Screaming kids in the background is another annoying one.  If you kid was screaming when you dialed the phone odds are they will scream through the whole conversation.  Maybe calm your kid down BEFORE you start dialing the freaking phone!

My kids are quietly watching TV, so I tiptoe into the other room and dial the phone. As soon as the recipient picks up, all HELL breaks loose. Every. Single. Time!!!
I SWEAR my kids have a 6th sense about me and the phone! 

[midjd]

Our office serves the entire state, which covers 5 or 6 different area codes.

Invariably, at least twice a week I'll get a voicemail from "Bob" wanting me to call him back at 555-1234. OK, is that 317-555-1234, or 765-555-1234, or 812-555-1234? And I can't really Google it without a last name. (If they have a strong Chicago or Kentucky accent, I can usually correctly guess the area code, but if it's a plain Indiana accent I'm out of luck. )

[NancysSummerSip]

Jul 26, 2013 13:57:01 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

it's not so much the answering of phones that drives me nuts, it's not being able to hear the person on the other end of the line because Pole Dancer is spouting off about this or that. like this morning, I was trying to listen to a conference call and I had my finger in my other ear when my boss walked by.   without my asking, he went over and told her to shut up b/c I couldn't hear my call.

You have a pole dancer in your office? She shakes her stuff for shekels? Or is this a nickname for an even better reason?

[chiver78]

haha, yeah, she's my counterpart to your Hag. when she comes into an office or around the wall to a cube, she kind of leans on the wall like a pole dancer.

I've mentioned her in the rant thread before. lol...

[sheilaincali]

Jul 26, 2013 13:57:01 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

it's not so much the answering of phones that drives me nuts, it's not being able to hear the person on the other end of the line because Pole Dancer is spouting off about this or that. like this morning, I was trying to listen to a conference call and I had my finger in my other ear when my boss walked by.   without my asking, he went over and told her to shut up b/c I couldn't hear my call.

 So very much THAT!  We have one person in the office who is soooo freaking loud.  It's impossible to hear anything if he is in the office talking at a much higher volume that necessary.  I have had to put my person on hold to tell him to shut the hell up so I could hear.

[jkapp]

Jul 26, 2013 13:41:19 GMT -5 swamp said:

Do you handle custody?
No
Well Joe said you did.
Joe is mistaken
But why wont you take the case? Joe said you would.

LOL!  Well, Joe lied!

[Chocolate Lover]

Jul 26, 2013 14:13:00 GMT -5 midjd said:

Our office serves the entire state, which covers 5 or 6 different area codes.

Invariably, at least twice a week I'll get a voicemail from "Bob" wanting me to call him back at 555-1234. OK, is that 317-555-1234, or 765-555-1234, or 812-555-1234? And I can't really Google it without a last name. (If they have a strong Chicago or Kentucky accent, I can usually correctly guess the area code, but if it's a plain Indiana accent I'm out of luck. )

at least Bob gives you a number, I've had a few assume I have it. 

[Cookies Galore]

Jul 26, 2013 13:46:44 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

People who work from home, and don't separate their home office from their home; in other words, you can still hear their kids screeching in the background. The squawking birds would be a blessing compared to raging rug rats and the parents trying to work and yell at them at the same time.

Lol, I remember getting a call late in the day from one of our application support guys who was work at home that day. We were talking about a program issue and I could hear ice shaking in the background. I was his last order of business that day and his wife was making cocktails!

[NancysSummerSip]

Jul 26, 2013 14:18:27 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

haha, yeah, she's my counterpart to your Hag. when she comes into an office or around the wall to a cube, she kind of leans on the wall like a pole dancer.

I've mentioned her in the rant thread before. lol...

Maybe if you stuff some Monopoly money in her , she'll get the hint.

Oh, and another peeve....people who use speakerphones that make them sound like they are in an underwater cave. Might be convenient for them, but not so much for me.

[Deleted]

Irritating ring tones on cell phones, especially if they don't get answered promptly.  My least favorite are the excerpts from some song except it's so short and such bad quality it's unintelligible.

[Deleted]

Mine isn't about phones only but includes intercoms.  If the phone rings in the teacher workroom or the secretary comes over the intercom there, it is because she needs someone to give up his/her planning period to cover someone's class. 

There are usually 10-15 people in the workroom when this happens, and the room gets deadly silent.  Who is going to answer? 

I usually do because she wouldn't ask if it wasn't an emergency.  But I stick my tongue out at all my so-called friends while I'm doing it! 

[greeniis10]

Oh boy, I could write a book!  There are only two of us in my office: me and my manager.  Most of the time I answer the phone (4 lines).  Three years ago (and has ever since) the Yellow Pages published MY office phone number as the phone number to the main branch of the largest bank in town.  I literally (and I know using "literally" is a pet peeve of many but this topic enrages me so much I can't think straight) get into arguments with strangers daily.  If they are nice and accept my "Sorry, this is a wrong phone number published in the phone book" response and hang up, fine.  Nine times out of ten they want me to 1) find the # FOR them, 2) transfer them  3) and/or get angry with ME for the poor service they receive at the bank.

Just ten minutes ago a lady called for the bank, I told her this is an incorrect # and to try another and she responded with, "So, in other words, Suicide Prevention Hotline, please hold?"  Um, NO, nothing like that.  Calm down.  You're trying to call a bank not the ER!  Of which I am neither, so mosey on along lady and leave me out of your troubles...

[Regis]

Cannot stand when I answer the phone, "This is Regis, how can I help you?" and hear on the other end

"Uh...hang on a second."

You called me.   Be ready when I answer!

[Deleted]

I once joined a small, dysfunctional consulting firm where, as the most recent hire (and, I swear, as the only woman) I was in charge of answering the phones.  It was made worse by two things: first, our number somehow got listed in some directories as being the number for the NBA, so occasionally I had to field calls from people asking about tickets or their kid's registration for basketball camp.  On top of that, the owner of the firm had some cardiac problems (made worse by the fact that he was quite overweight and ate a horrible diet) and he'd settle into the La-Z-Boy in the corner of his office for an hour or two every day after lunch.  I had to be evasive with anyone who called; you couldn't tell a client or potential client the guy was taking a nap. 

Then there was the pushy recruiter.  She was trying to reach one of the other guys in the office and I kept answering the phone.  I'd dealt with her for years in my previous job because sometimes we hired people she sent us, so I was very familiar with her voice and she knew I'd know who was calling.  I had to deal with quite a lot of hangups before she finally got her father to make the call. 

I lasted 3 years at that place. 

[swamp]

Good afternoon, ((lawfirm))
is ((partner)) there?
can I ask who is calling?  
Suzie. 
Suzie who?  
((Disgusted sigh)). Susie smith. 
Do we currently represent you?  
No 
Can I ask what this is about?  
A legal matter. ((Head desk))
What kind of legal matter?
its private. 
You need to tell us, otherwise we may not be able to handle the matter. 
A lawsuit 
what kind of lawsuit?  
I want to sue someone. 
Why?  
Its private.  
If you sue someone, it won't be private anymore. 
My neighbor is spreading lies about me a d I want to sue her. 
We don't handle that kind of case. 

Why not?  

[Nazgul Girl]

Jul 27, 2013 19:11:46 GMT -5 swamp said:

Good afternoon, ((lawfirm))
is ((partner)) there?
can I ask who is calling?  
Suzie. 
Suzie who?  
((Disgusted sigh)). Susie smith. 
Do we currently represent you?  
No 
Can I ask what this is about?  
A legal matter. ((Head desk))
What kind of legal matter?
its private. 
You need to tell us, otherwise we may not be able to handle the matter. 
A lawsuit 
what kind of lawsuit?  
I want to sue someone. 
Why?  
Its private.  
If you sue someone, it won't be private anymore. 
My neighbor is spreading lies about me a d I want to sue her. 
We don't handle that kind of case. 

Why not?  



You should ask her if she has a $ 150,000 retainer.   Tell her that's the fee we charge for taking that kind of case.
 

[8 Bit WWBG]

Thanks to foolish consolidation of office space, most people end up either sitting in long open rows, or working from home.  That means you get a combination of some of the worst habits.  Its going to be an interesting next few months.

[Anne_in_VA]

Because I work in Purchasing, I am constantly getting calls from sales people asking to set up a meeting with me to discuss whatever it is they have to sell us.  I don't actually have anything to do with purchasing at all, and when I tell them that, they want me to refer them to someone who is responsible for that area.  The worst are the recruiters who have a candidate who is "perfect" for a position we have open and want to know who to talk to about working with them to place the candidate. 

We don't use recruiters except for certain hard to fill positions and I don't know who in HR they would work with (we have at least a couple dozen HR people and I don't have a clue what each one does.  I tell them that I'm not sure who to refer them to, but will refer them to our main number and they can ask for HR.  They don't want to do that since they want a personal contact, but I don't have any way to give them one.

Or how about the conference calls where everyone calls in remotely.  At least one person invariably doesn't mute their phone and you can hear them typing, kids in background, or them eating.  Arghhhh!

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

Jul 27, 2013 19:11:46 GMT -5 swamp said:

Good afternoon, ((lawfirm))
is ((partner)) there?
can I ask who is calling?  
Suzie. 
Suzie who?  
((Disgusted sigh)). Susie smith. 
Do we currently represent you?  
No 
Can I ask what this is about?  
A legal matter. ((Head desk))
What kind of legal matter?
its private. 
You need to tell us, otherwise we may not be able to handle the matter. 
A lawsuit 
what kind of lawsuit?  
I want to sue someone. 
Why?  
Its private.  
If you sue someone, it won't be private anymore. 
My neighbor is spreading lies about me a d I want to sue her. 
We don't handle that kind of case. 

Why not?  

Yeah, why not swamp?  I watch Law & Order, I know how things work.

I hate when people are trying to reach the hospital and don't wait to see if they have the right number before over-sharing.  I got a VERY detailed account of a lady's gyncological problems before I could yell at her that she had the wrong number.  You can't unhear that type of stuff.  She just hung up on me, an apology would have been nice.

Then I hate people who get mad at me for the switchboard routing them here.  There is nothing I can do about it.  I had one guy cuss me out and I told him if it was that big a deal here is IT's number, they assigned me this number take it up with them!

Robo calls suck too.  Technically I should not recvieve them but apparently the person who had this number before me put it down as his personal number.  I get weird random calls ALL THE TIME!

[muttleynfelix]

I hate the calls that ask for my boss, but know they are sales people. Fortunately, my boss and office manager - the "people that handle that stuff" are out a lot of the times and I just tell them I can't handle it which is true, but the sales people get pissed at me.  I had someone wanting me to verify a coworker's professional magazine subscription while I was in the middle of the deadline and they got pissed when I told them that no I can't do that right now.

[Iggy aka IG]

I just had one:

Iggy to client (who had called ME to make a debit card payment):  Boy, it sure is loud over there.

Client:  Here?  Yeah, DH is shampooing the carpet.





Iggy to same client:  Okay, I'm ready for your card number.

Client:  Okay, let me dig out the card.