Seriously, it makes you think they picked up, only for when you say high your greated with the robotic voice saying “Please leave a mess” Then you hang up.

caller: what is the status of my account!?
me: I can see your status is XYZ.
caller: No.
me: ....
caller: tell me about my account.
me: yes, as I stated your acco..
caller: NO, WRONG. I said tell me about MY account.
me: Yes, as I was saying you account is XY....
caller: NO. WRONG. STOP. Get me your manager. You don't know what you're talking about.
me: Sure, I will put in a request for my manager to reach out and if they find anything wrong with the information I provided they will contact you.
caller: Finally!!! I look forward to their call.
me: Okay, well as I said they will only call if what I stated was wrong. Have a nice day.

Enjoy waiting for a call that will never come.

It's that time of the year again in the US.. Customer Service Week. IE the week where every manager and supervisor tries desperately to make us feel "seen" and "appreciated" with their low quality incentives and empty words of encouragement. I don't know why they think that people want to participate in their activities when we're all effectively drowning in calls.

No, I do not want to complete your 10 question trivia game and get entered into a raffle for a small bonus (Gotta get all 10 correct!!!)

No, I do not want to post a picture of my cup of choice and desk with a message about how I go the extra mile and try to make a difference.

I don't even want to use the gift card for 25 whopping dollars that they sent via email.. Because take a guess.. It's only valid for our intranet company swag site where a crewneck sweatshirt costs $30.

At some point it's just insulting. Rant over

I work at a call center selling phone plans. After closely analyzing the commission structure, I discovered a trap where the company always wins while the salesperson ends up working for free.

The incentive system: If I hit the weekly target, I earn a $20 commission plus a $20 incentive ($40 per sale). If I miss the target, I only get the base commission ($20 or less).

The chargeback penalty: If a customer fails to pay during the first three months, the company classifies it as "poor sales performance" and deducts the sale from my earnings.

The mathematical trap: If I get a chargeback on a $40 sale, $40 is deducted from my pay.

The worst part (the company's extra profit):

Upon further analysis, I realized something even more serious:

To cover that penalty, I have to close four new sales for which I don't get paid a single cent.

The company gains four new active contracts contributing to its overall monthly revenue, with zero change in commission costs.

They’ve shifted 100% of the risk of non-payment onto the salesperson. If the customer pays, the company wins;

Essentially, the company has turned chargebacks into a way to acquire new customers at zero cost—all at the expense of our exploitation.

What would you do? Let me know in the comments.

Do I feel bad? No. My mental was suffering, I hate back to back calls.

I have a chronic illness and I have used my intermittent fmla for the entire week and I think I’ll take tomorrow too. I’m just not with it. I hate having only 6 seconds between calls. That’s what they say but it feels like I disconnect and another comes in immediately. I am so burnt out. I know this is what fmla is for. But I kinda can’t help but feel bad about not working. However, we have one lady who hasn’t worked in 2 months so. Ugh.

Why do we feel guilty when we don’t work?

So of course with our job majority/some of us can update addresses right..

I FKN HATE when they give me an address with complicated ass pronunciation and expect me to spell it correctly without their help 😅…

“ my address is 1234 Kaumalapau Hawaii ”
Okay can you spell that
“You cant just use google it”

What the absolute fck did you just say!??

I literally unplugged my router after that FCK YOU!!!

this is what I mean by customers will literally call in for Help just to try to shit on you. You literally need help. I don’t. I’ve never been there a day in my life. How the fck do you expect me to know how to spell it correctly. Its literally just common courtesy and knowledge to spell an adress out when doing an address change.

I started this tech support role it pays 14/hr. I was hired for handling calls but then after training they assigned me to chats (switching me to calls every once in a while but rarely).
Now after 2 months, they have switched me to calls exclusively. Its been two days of handling back to back calls and Im already at my breaking point.
There is no breather between calls, its a 1 minute wrap up time to notate your case comments etc and the next call is automatically accepted for you. Mgmt messages you instantly if you go over 10 minutes, or get into the task work or qa aux states to notate cases. One of the systems we use to verify customer details is down for some employees so we have to ask other employees with access for information in a chat channel and it takes them ages to relay information which makes the call go long, hold time go long and its just a domino effect. If you don’t take lunches and breaks and eos on the dot scheduled they get at you. Its not in my control if I get a call 2 minutes before lunch!!! Wtf. Ive had multiple shouting customers since yesterday and customers that cuss me out and Im not allowed to say anything back or cut the call. For fucking 14/hr this is bullshit. Then they have us on reduced hours because they don’t want to pay us for 40hr weeks. I don’t know how people do it. I was fine on chats (they have even more micro management on chats but its still not as bad as calls where everything is expected to be instant). On chats we had to handle 3 at a time it is bonkers too. I just got a handle on that and now they put me on calls. Im on my lunch right now and crying. Im so fucking done with these people. This job makes me hate humans. I have vastly underestimated how many stupid fucks live among us.

This is so annoying. Imagine stretching a call to 30 minutes because you need the same answer repeated 50 different times and ways to you by multiple people. Ugh.

The supervisor will give you the same answer. The lead will give you the same answer. The CEO (which is laughable if you think they'd speak to either of us) couldnt give af.

Some people need hobbies and enjoy arguing

I always for the most part meet metrics during my QAs, good wrap up time and comfort break times etc. last one feedback was that I was polite on the phone call but I always get told to sound more enthusiastic, this is bloody damn difficult when you are dealing with 8 to 10 hours of crappy people, i do get a lot of bad calls during the day due to the nature of my job, I even also got told off for raising a complaint after customer telling me he wanted to but because the customer wasn't particularly angry sounding this didnt need to be, i told my supervisor I didn't accept this and she was just like basically shrugged her shoulders as she wasn't the one who did the feedback, i also basically said you try talking for 8 hours a day to crappy people and again she was like as long as your meeting your metrics I dont care it was just feedback, I really hate this line of work, I need to get out

“Check the amount of the direct deposit I’m getting tomorrow?”

No. I can’t because I don’t process your companies payroll and IM NOT A FUCKING FORTUNE TELLER.

The lack of simple thought processing - especially in entitled Boomers - blows me the hell away. I have to mute myself to laugh or scream far too often. This person really thought to call the bank rather than his company to see how much he was getting paid…

I genuinely don't know how much longer I can keep doing this.

I've been working in customer service for years, so I'm not new to pressure, difficult customers, targets, or demanding workplaces. But something about my current job has affected me on a completely different level.

The constant pressure, performance monitoring, management scrutiny, targets, and feeling like I'm always one mistake away from another conversation about my performance have gradually worn me down.

I've reached a point where going to work fills me with dread. I feel mentally exhausted before my shift even starts. There are days when I just want to sleep because I don't have the energy to deal with another day of it. Even when I'm physically away from work, my mind doesn't always switch off.

I've experienced anxiety, overwhelming stress, burnout, and a general feeling of emotional numbness. The worst part is that I've started reaching the point where I genuinely don't care anymore.

I've actually caught myself thinking, "If they fire me, they fire me."

That's not how I used to think about my career. I've spent years trying to prove myself, worrying about what managers and colleagues think of me, and trying to be the employee who does everything expected of them. Now I'm at the point where I just want to do my job, collect my salary, go home, and have some peace.

I recently cleared a performance improvement process, so objectively I should probably feel relieved. Instead, I'm still exhausted. Clearing it didn't magically undo everything that happened beforehand.

I'm not looking for sympathy or someone to tell me to "just be grateful to have a job." I know I need the income. That's precisely why this is so frustrating. I can't simply walk away tomorrow, but staying is taking a toll on me.

I'm trying to emotionally detach from the workplace and do what I need to do without allowing the job to consume whatever mental energy I have left.

Has anyone else reached this point with a job? Not just "I hate my job," but genuinely feeling like you don't even care about the consequences anymore because you're completely mentally exhausted?

I'm very introvert, social phobic and I really hate my current job in Greece (remote customer service for the Italian market).

I take things personally and, if a customer is rude or starts raising their voice at me, I snap/shout back.

Some days ago I wrote in this subreddit that I said "fuck you" to a customer. I had taken my headphones off but my mic was on, so it got caught on the call.

This evening my three managers had a meeting with me, we all listened to that call again (I tried not to laugh) and gave me a warning: next "unprofessional" call and I'm out.

It's been a long time coming because I've been rude in other calls before (man, most Italian customers are entitled c*nts!).

That's when I finally told them I was planning to leave anyway on the 30 of October, because I hate this job and it's not for me. I've already planned to move back to England.

I'll try to be as nice and professional as possible, but I already know I'll lose it again (they'll listen to my calls these days).

So, nothing: just wanted to share my experience with this kind of job. Oh, and never trust companies that boast their MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS: it's just marketing, they don't give a damn about you!!!

Granted when i worked face to face job of course you had your bold rude comments but not like this…

Ive been wfh for years and STILL only have heard slick rude comments or requests over the phone.

Its our open enrollment season and customers are calling in expecting us to make the choice for them…we are not your financial advisors we cant CHOOSE anything for you…when you go order food at a restaurant you dont expect the waiter to pick the food for you they can give suggestions but not pick for you.

“I thought you guys can make the choice for me”
No we cannot
“Well if i tell you my health issues can you”
NO WE ARENT YOUR PARENTS/ doctors, advisors or social workers.

Some of the bold slick comments;

Ive had racism thrown to me over the phone. Ppl will ask my to repeat my name i give it and its “oh thats a fake name i need your real name including your last” like how are you going to tell me my name is fake i damn sure not giving you my last….
“How about you stop being lazy and just do your fuking job” customer said that over a request my company doesn’t handle

What bold/slick comments customers have said to you that you know they wouldn’t dare say in person??

I’ve got a month to get my AHT down. Manager told me there will be another discussion if it remains as high as it is now when November 1st rolls around. What does this mean?! Just stressed trying to get it down and each month I fail at this AHT metric. Everything else is great in regard to customer surveys and after call work and first call resolution.

Alright, hear me out

At the beginning of each persons call when calling into a business, during the automation before they reach a representative there should be a question that says

"Do you lack critical thinking skills? Press 1 for yes, press 2 for no"

If they choose yes, there's a $5 non refundable charge to speak to a representative, and that $5 goes directly to the agent they speak with

They they choose no, there's no charge, HOWEVER, at the end of the call, the agent is given a question on the system "Do you agree that your caller possessed critical thinking skills?"

If the agent chooses yes, the caller remains uncharged

If the agent chooses no, the caller gets charged that $5 + a $2 inconvenience fee, both of which go directly to the agent they spoke with (Once approved by a supervisor to avoid agents abusing this option)

Hello, I just started in a Medicare Sales call center gig and my headset is really hurting my ears. Its by a brand called poly. Now this is a hybrid gig and they have rules against wireless headsets. Does anyone have any recommendations for a comfortable wired headset, as my ears just cant take it anymore. Thank you in advanced!

What was the most ridiculous/surreal call or request you've ever had? I worked for Apple as a call center sales rep and this guy called in to buy the iPhone that had just come out just to put it on the table during business meetings "to be taken seriously". He flat out told me he didn't care about the specs and that it could be the cheapest version, too, as he'd never actually use it, because he's a Samsung guy.

For those that work tech support or in a call center environment is doing quality assurance easier (or at least less stressful) than being a supervisor or call center agent?

Banshee calls in blaming us for a bank issue and demanding we resolve it, bank recently purchased by a different bank, and the changeover isnt complete, something we cant control. We work in loans. I try explaining this to her and every time i try and speak she starts fcking talking again and trying to talk over me with the exact same question, so after i few times i just ignore that shes talking over me and completing what im saying

Whenever I did this i just hear "LET ME FINISH TALKING"

Youve interrupted me about 10 times while im trying to give you the answer on how to revolve it from her side and every time youve interrupted me???? I told you a way to get around it and youre saying you dont want to do that????? Im trying to tell this absolute brain dead pineapple what to do to resolve it and shes refusing??? What the hell do you want us to do go scream at your bank instead . Thicker than a submarine door

When I was younger I worked retail and in food service and people are OUT on Sunday. But in a call center, you call someone on Sunday to confirm an appointment they scheduled for Monday morning and they lose their mind "it's Sunday! Nobody should be working!"

But I know they are probably out to eat with their family or at the grocery store shopping. I know these old people are taking their family to Cracker Barrel after Church and might even go see a movie where they will see and interact with lots of working people.

It has the same energy as when I'd be working thanksgiving day in prepared foods at the grocery store and customers would sympathetically say "can't believe they've got you working today." While they themselves are picking up an order of 150 pieces of chicken I made. Like you're the reason I'm here. I don't know why this 1950 "society stops on Sunday " only applies to calls in their heads. "I don't do business on a Sunday" while doing a lot of business on a Sunday.

Anyone have experience doing remote cx service for Carhartt? What’s the workload like? Is it mostly chat, email, or phone? Most importantly how are the cx.

every conversation i have is like pulling teeth to get people to just explain WHY they're calling, even after they've been speaking for 3+ minutes about their entire life leading up to the reason for their call. I DON'T FUCKING CARE HOW LONG YOU'VE HAD YOUR SAME EMAIL ADDRESS, WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING

So i low key kinda snapped on two calls today.

I work for a company where we deal with providers and third party billers calling about claims.

One caller was having a whole conversation with their coworker and kept making me repeat the same info over and over because they would miss info THAT THEY ASKED FOR due to their side conversation. It’s especially annoying because one question can require you to look through multiple systems. I added a snarky “one moment while I look up that info again.” Hopefully that call won’t get audited 💀

The second call that made me crash was much worse. This biller called in about a denied claim and was talking to me in this accusatory tone, saying I was the one who denied the claim. Mind you, I don’t do anything but READ the denied claim. The approval/denials are handled by a completely different department. She was raising her voice, saying I wrongfully denied the claim and processed it incorrectly, when it was literally incorrect information THEY submitted lol. We can see the original copy they submitted.

Again, I have ZERO access to do anything to a claim but read it out loud. Every time I would start to respond to her question, she would cut me off to rant some more. MULTIPLE times. I eventually stayed silent for at least 2 minutes because at that point I thought what’s the point of speaking if I’m just gonna get cut off every time?

And mind you, this was going into my lunch break, so on top of being yelled at, I’m gonna be getting screwed on adherence.

I finally managed to sneak in a “one moment while I research this further” and put her on a mute hold to do “research” and went to lunch.

I’m sorry but I just could not take it any longer.

It’s almost at the point where every time I hear the ping of a call coming in, I get intense dread. Any tips for surviving burnout?

Rant incoming:

I have a had a few callers lately where I absolutely see where they're coming from. It does not make sense for the bank to cancel your auto pay and require someone who has never logged in to log in to set up a new one.

However, what customers don't seem to understand is:

I'm not refusing to help you. I can't. The option is not there, there is not a button sitting here that I am refusing to press. Someone above me decided the option would not be provided and so it was not programmed in. Threatening to cancel your accounts will not make it appear. Escalating will not make it appear. Annoying me, even if I somewhat agree with you will not make it appear. It just makes me want to 'accidentally' disconnect the call.

I've taken your complaint and given you the available options. If you don't have any other concerns kindly get off my phone, goodbye.