"May I speak to Joe Bob at extension 9999, please?"

"May I tell him who is calling?"

"It's MaryAnnaKatherineElizabethJohnJacobJingleheimerSchmidt."

"Sure. Hold on just a moment."

(Transfer attempted)

"Thanks for holding, MAKEJJJS: but Joe Bob is on the phone. Would you like his voicemail?"

Something has already gone wrong with this call. Sure, technically it's perfect: but it seems the CSR does not want to help the customer. Poor MAKEJJJS could be transferred into a voicemail, where she could leave a message and hope Joe Bob is the kind of CSR that will actually call her back.

Or the CSR who takes the phone call could offer to help! That sounds much better. Now, the customer could very well say, "Well, I've been working with Joe Bob for two weeks on this, and I'd rather speak with him." But more often, the customer will say, "Sure! I think you can help me with this." When help is not offered, I hear quite often, "Well, maybe you can help me."

Don't make the customer ask you for help. Offer it first.

I was thinking about it last night. There would be one thing worse than an Amandalanche at my place. That would be a Deborah/Debralanche.

We have five of those. FIVE. Imagine the confusion if a customer calls and asks for Debra/Deborah.

"Which one?"

"I don't know. She didn't give me her extension."

One call center I worked in required us to give our last name at the beginning of the call. Many people didn't care for that, but we had to do it. I can see why. This was a larger call center than the one I work in now, and if we have multiple people with the same name in our call center, imagine what it was like there!

The last name can be an option, but it isn't the only option. Some kind of unique identifier, like your extension, is a great option if you don't feel comfortable giving your last name. Even the first initial of your last name can work. But make it easier for your customers to get back in touch with you if they have to.

Better yet, offer to get back in touch with the customer yourself. And don't forget to follow through with a callback cause, well, that opens up another can of worms.

New QA Word of the Day!

(drumroll)

Amandalanche.

(cymbal crash)

Definition: An Amandalanche is what happens when the switchboard operator pages for Amanda to come up front, and all three show up at once.

Happy Monday! Yeah, I can say that. Mondays get a really bad rap, ya know. People would hate Saturdays if they were off Thursday and Friday.

And Happy Pi Day as well! March 14... 3.14...

We have a massive flu outbreak here at work. So far, I'm okay: but I had my wonderful nurse practitioner give me a prescription for Tamiflu just in case. It can't hurt to be too protected. Please pray for me, and pray that I can stay healthy through all of this.

Which leads me to the...

QA Word of the Day!

(drumroll)

Flue.

(ah-CHOO!) (clatter of drumsticks hitting the floor)

Bless you.

According to an email, someone here has a bad case of Chimneyitis. I don't know if they're afraid of chimneys or stuck in a chimney, but someone here has the flue. Pretty cool. I'd love to see a write-up of that in the Physician's Desk Reference. :D

Listening to a call: customer was asking about the price of an item. He said he was placing an order, and the price was just a little bit off. Turns out that was an understatement.

Next thing, I hear the CSR yell, "WHOO!"

I know at that point that it's bad. I was right. She asked the customer to hold, then went and had a talk with her supervisor.

The customer wanted to order one tray of sponge gauze. One tray. The price?

$2,048.16.

When did we start selling platinum sponge gauze?

The customers name is Boniface. Not Bonnie Face. OI.