It could be the PMS, but seriously people do me and every other agent out there a favor and listen to the infomercial and read the fine print BEFORE you pick up the phone and dial that 1-800 number! IF you can't do that simple task then DO NOT give me attitude when you are told what the offer is! It's not my fault you didn't pay enough attention and honestly I'm just doing my job so give me a break!
This is how it works from my end of the line.....
Phone rings for whatever infomercial or commercial is currently running, a script pops on my screen telling me EXACTLY what to say to you. IF I do not read what's in front of me I lose my job, plain and simple. Just like any other job out there, there are rules I have to follow, there are guidelines laid out for me and if I do not follow those guidelines I will be deactivated as an agent and will no longer work with this company. This causes financial strain in my household, stresses out me and my husband and makes our lives very difficult!
First of all, you have to remember that I am only doing my job!
Second, remember that no matter what, whether it's at the local mall, the local coffee shop or over the phone there WILL be additional offers. You will be asked if you want to add anything to your order, you will be offered additional products, you will be offered the "Deluxe Upgrade" Quite often you will be offered magazines or a club offer or a phone transfer, it's NOT to annoy you as you may think, it's because I HAVE TO! I DO NOT have a choice. If I skip these additional offers I will be in trouble....... UNLESS YOU SAY THE MAGIC WORDS!
Want to know the magic words to get you off the phone faster without another offer? Want to know how to get me to stop immediately and move straight to the end of the call??? It's really quite simple.....instead of saying over and over again "I only want the book" or "I only want what I called for" (these do NOT work) say instead....either "I'm going to HANG-UP" or "CANCEL this order" Hearing the word "hang-up" or "cancel" gives me the go ahead to get to the end of the order and end the call. ONLY those 2 words, they are the magic words to make both our lives easier!
Third, understand that shipping and handling is not just shipping and it's usually a lot more than you might expect. Someone has to pay me to do my job (processing your order) someone has to pay the person or persons packaging your order, someone has to pay for the actual cost of the box your order is placed in and the popcorn stuff that keeps it safe and yes someone has to pay for the actual shipping. I am sure that the cost of all those things probably doesn't add up to what you pay, occassionally it might, but for the most part you're gonna pay for the convienence of having this item shipped to your doorstep instead of you having to go to the store yourself and buy it. ALSO, many times, you are receiving a larger package than you would get at the store.
For instance: the Magic Bullet.....the one on the tv is a 21 piece AND it's buy one, get one free (just pay additional shipping and handling ) So basically you are receiving two 21 piece magic bullets for the price of 1 plus shipping and handling. Now if you go to the store to purchase the same magic bullet you might find it cheaper BUT you will NOT be buying the same thing! You will be buying a 16 piece magic bullet (not a 21 piece) AND you will NOT get a second one for free! Now one of the biggest complaints I get from people is the fact that they pay the additional shipping on the second one and they always say "so it really isn't free is it" If you must think of it this way, then concider this....where could you go to buy a 21 piece magic bullet for 19.95????? You can't!
OK so now that I have that out of my system I'll wrap up this post with a couple more minor thoughts...
Don't get mad at me if I don't fully understand your accent and ask you to spell out information....isn't it better to have to spell your name and street address then to not receive your product because I had to guess and got it wrong?
Remember that just because I process orders over the phone it DOES NOT mean I am completely stupid! I can spell simple words like ROAD and STREET, I do know how to properly abbreviate Ave and Blvd.
DO NOT take offense when I ask you if you have an apartment or unit number, do not reply "No I live in a home!" Like I'm a complete jerk for asking such a thing. First of all, A LOT of people do live in apartments, we all start out somewhere and not all of us can afford to buy a house as soon as we go out on our own. I am not psychic and can not tell if you are one of those people....and by the way....an apartment can be a home. AGAIN, isn't it better that I ask and get your address correct so that you actually receive your product in a timely manner??
Another thing...PLEASE do not assume that because I am answering the phone that I actually work for the company you are calling about. Do not get upset if I have not tried the product you are calling in for. So many times I have had customers ask me "Do you use this?" and when I say no, they ask "well how can you sell something you've never tried before?" The answer is simple, I work with a national call center. I process orders for hundreds of different products. I can not possibly try every single thing I sell. Some of the items I sell are geared solely toward men (certian kinds of pumps for instance...let your imagination wander for a second...yep THAT kind of pump...how could I try that one out lol)
Finally, when you call to order anything be thankful that you are able to speak with a human who can actually speak the language you speak. So many companies out there are turning to either the automated virtual systems or (even worse in my opinion) outsourcing to overseas places like India where you will speak with someone who can barely speak your language and won't understand half of what you are asking and you won't understand them! You think I'm frustrating to talk to, try calling microsoft customer support and you'll understand exactly what I'm talking about here!
Have a great night and PLEASE be nice the next time you place an order over the phone :) Thanks
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