Maybe this should be in the pit (I’m really, really angry), but wanted everyone’s ideas on how to handle these office telephone situations. This happens to me at least once a day,sometimes more. Call someone, talking, talking, then “hold on,” and they put me on hold while they deal with another call or a visitor. A girlfriend does this to me, but she’ll say “can you hold on?” I vowed that next time she did it,I’d say “call me back when you can talk.” But today was the worst. I was on the phone with my s.o. and my supervisor comes in and starts rifling thru papers in my outbox looking for something. I didn’t care if she knew I was on a pesonal call - that’s not a problem, but with her standing there I didn’t feel like I could talk freely. I finally told my s.o. I had to go. She told me what she was looking for. It could’ve waited; it was not an emergency. Cripes, was she just doing it to listen in on my telecon? This really pissed me off. About an hour later, I decided I should have
continued my telecon and talked about very intimate things - “oh yes, honey, you were fantasic in bed last night.”
You’ve made a good point Syco , but I think…
Hold on, I’ve got somebody on the other line.
Maybe I’m reading something here that you’re really not saying. If so, correct my misinterpretation, please.
You’re on the phone at work, right?
Is there a chance the person on the other end is also at work and has, um, some work to attend to?
Generally, if you call me, then don’t put me on hold. I don’t have time to hold.
If I’m on the phone at work and someone comes into my office, the visitor will have to wait till I’m done with the call.
But if I’m on a personal call and business comes up, I say bye. The person I’m talking to isn’t the one who signs my paychecks.
I know I’ll get killed but I don’t believe in personal phone calls at work UNLESS it is a life threatening emergency.
If I get a personal call, sorry can’t talk I will call you on my break.
I also do not put people on hold to answer the call waiting. I think it is rude.
Pam - I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying. Yes,I’m talking about business calls
and regardless of who called whom, I’m saying it is rude for one of the persons to put the other on hold to deal with another call or visitor. Most of the time I am returning calls. I’m in Personnel, and I called an employee to set up a meeting to discuss her request for a promotion - SHE put me on hold! Jeez. I have the power to recommend she get a promotion and she puts me on hold? What is she thinking? As for personal calls, our dept is very flexible about that, and no one gets hell for making a personal call unless it’s excessive. I rarely make personal calls unless on my lunch hour (my s.o. called me). I’ve been in my boss’s office when she’s gotten personal calls – I leave her office when that happens. What I’m saying is, it’s rude to hover near someone who is on the phone (whether business or personal)unless it’s an emergency. Thinking about your responses, however, I realize what the boss does and what she thinks I should do may be two different things. She’s never said anything about it, but I guess I’d better make apologies to the person on the other end of the line and tend to the boss next time. Phooey.
Gotcha, Sycorax.
I thought you were complaining about your personal calls being interrupted by business. (It’s late, I’m old and I’m tired, what can I say?)
I agree with you. I don’t like hoverers either, unless it’s an emergency.
Lurking is okay though, as long as it’s done where I can’t see you.
Er… um… sorry, but you just have to live with it.
At work this week, I was the only one in the office. I have been told numerous times that I have to pick up every call. If I’m halfway through attending to a call, and another comes in, they HAVE to go on hold, and I deal with the other call, and I swap back and forth as needed. I have no choice, and most people are fine with that.
Once I had someone who had a particularly thorny problem that needed immediate fixing, and I was the only one in the office. I got at least five other calls during that time, and had to put her on hold each time. It pissed me off, it pissed her off, but I can’t ignore incoming calls. It’s just the way it goes in business.
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Markxxx: I completely agree with you on call waiting. I will not have it on my phone. And when I’ve shared a phone with someone who insisted on having it, I don’t use it.
It’s just rude.
I have a habit of hanging up when I’m put on hold long enough. My friends say this is rude, and I’ve had to explain numerous times that I’m not doing it to be rude, just PLEASE don’t put me on hold for more than 5-10 minutes, I have other things I can be doing until you call me back. I try not to put people on hold for too long, I usually tell the other person that I’m already on the phone and I’ll call them back.
And I don’t know if this is along the same line of this topic but…Alot of the time people call the store where I work and want us to look for a certain object of clothing and get annoyed when they’re put on hold. I know it’s rude to leave a customer on hold for more than 3 minutes, but people that actually come into the store to shop and are right at the counter are just more important.
I particularly enjoy hanging up on those calls that start out with a recording – “Please hold for an important message.”
What the hell is that! Does anyone ever stay on the line for them?
And I really, really like refusing to take calls at work from bill collectors trying to get hold of our employees. We tell 'em right off that we’ll take calls for family or medical emergencies only.
They’ll come back with “Well, ma’am, this is an emergency. Tell them to call Paul at 800 ------.”
What, American Express thinks everyone’s an idiot!
No, GuyShyGirl - not off topic for me - the issue of manners in general is a pet peeve of mine, because I think American society is getting worse and worse when it comes to rudenesses, no matter where they occur. I understand Guanolad’s situation - if the boss says that’s what you have to do, then you don’t have a choice.
A subject I confront daily - at work there are two people, myself and my partner, and three lines. As she’s the primary marketing person, she’s often out. So I live with three lines that tend to ring in concert. I really try to avoid leaving someone on hold for very long (man was it easier when we had a second marketing rep), but it occasionally happens. I don’t mind a hangup, and I’ll do the same if the day requires that I move on. But as far as the statement “Don’t pit me on hold…” sorry, there is no other way.
Well, my boss did say that the customer that actually is in the store is more important. what bothers me more is when people call from other stores looking for merchandise. I had a conversation from another store that went like this:
Me: Men’s department. How may I help you?
Other Salegirl: Hi, I’m calling from (insert other location here). I’m looking for merchandise for a customer.
Me: Hold on please.
Now I had a loooooooong line of customers at the register so it took me a few minutes to get back to her.
Me: Okay, so tell me again what you were looking for.
OS: Black dress pants, size 40x32. Don’t put me on hold again, I have the customer right in front of me.
I put her on hold again. I didn’t think of it until after the fact, but I really regret not saying something along the lines of, “I have customers too you know.” I just thought it was so rude. And if I were her on the other end of the line and the customer was giving me a hard time (assuming that’s why she was rude) I would tell them that the other store is probably busy.
well beatle sometimes there is another way. I see in your situation where you have to do that, and GuyShyGirl - wow, I’m glad I don’t have your job! Customers on the phone, customers waiting in person - the pressure.
I have two lines on my phone, but if I’m on one of them and the other rings, I let my voicemail pick it up. My agency is rife with voicemail systems, but I need to remember that some people may have been instructed to answer the phone no matter what.
How about when you are on a personal call from your home to a friend at their home…Damn Call Waiting!
What really used to tick me off was one of my best friend’s would put me on hold to answer the other incoming call and I was calling long distance.
Last night, my best male friend put me on hold to answer the other line only to have it be a freakin sales call…now that’s rude. He’s got the money, I think he needs to invest in Call Waiting ID.
If you are in a work situation and you are on a personal call, work always should come first. That said, I think people should say, “I will call you later.”
It’s a result of downsizing and low unemployment/high employment. There just aren’t enough real workers in any company or store to handle callers immediately and without interruption.
I might be in the minority on this, but I really like automated systems that work. Much better to punch a few buttons and get my business taken care of than to sit on hold and wait for a living person.
My husband insisted I get call waiting. I hate the damn thing. It’s rude to put someone on hold, esp. if you cannot be diligent about saying to caller #2, “I will call you back, I have someone on the other line.” 30 seconds max.
The ironic thing is that my husband hates when I put him on hold to answer another call. I tell him, YOU wanted call waiting!"
It’s rude not to hold on until someone damn well feels like getting back to you? (Or, to be fair, becomes unswamped and is able to?) Not in my humble opinion. And ten minutes is well beyond my tolerance level, but I’m not a patient sort.
Last week I had to make a doctor’s appointment; one doctor told me it was essential I see the other doctor the next day. So, since it was getting late in the day, I leave Dr. 1’s office and call Dr. 2’s office at once, from the parking lot. And get stuck on hold for half an hour in a stinky parking structure. And the response when I complained? “Well, I didn’t put you on hold.” AAAAAGH!
Catrandom
Business: Whether I’m on the phone or having a meeting in my office, I never interrupt to answer an incoming call - business at hand gets my full attention. If I’m on the phone with one of our sales reps, I understand that his/her incoming call is probably a customer, so I’ll wait on hold.
Home: The phone is there for MY convenience, not for the convenience of resort time-share telemarketers. I use caller ID. Generally, I don’t answer calls if I can’t tell who is calling. Family members who have caller ID blocked, know to leave a message - if I’m home, I’ll call right back. We do have call waiting. If a call comes in while I’m already on the phone, I know to check voice mail as soon as I hang up.
May seem a little extreme, but just one of my little quirks.
Perhaps she was thinking that even though you wanted to discuss her request, that didn’t mean that she should automatically stop doing her current job?
I have call waiting too. I don’t mind it. If I’m on the phone with Person #1, and Person #2 calls, I will usually ask Person #1 if they can hang on for a second. If the answer is yes, I will put Person #1 on hold, and tell Person #2 that I will call them back shortly. If Person #1 happens to be a long distance call, though, I will almost always ignore the call waiting. If Person #2 happens to be long distance, I will insist on calling them back. That way, I pay for any inconvienience I may have caused them.
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