User deleted post
I just have to ask, those of you who call a business mere minutes before they close, or when they aren’t even open…
I normally don’t answer after 4:55pm. I used to. And I learned the hard way, most people calling 5 or less minutes before close don’t want to pay a bill real quick. They just got their mail. In their mail, their insurance renewals. They’re either mad about their premium or suddenly decide they want to understand their coverages. That’s all well and good. I just don’t understand why they need to talk about it right that flippin’ second. You just got your mail? Well I’m just about done with my shift. We can talk about it tomorrow/Monday. This isn’t that serious. Go enjoy your evening/weekend. A little patience in life will get you a lot further. If I talk to you when I have hours in my work day, I’m going to be more willing to let you take all the time you need. If I talk to you when I should be on my way home, I’m going to rush you through the call. It’s just a fact…
Not answering the phone when you don't have enough time to help them is the right thing to do.
She complained that the manager was gay? How is that a complaint?
Did she think he or she was trying to recruit
Was she angry that she couldn't be gay bc the manager called it first?
Haha, no, she complained because her family is "Christian" (pretends to be Christian because they think it lets them get away with anything), and that they avoid companies that have the LGBT accepting tag on Google.
I explained to her that every company in the country legally must be LGBT accepting, otherwise they would be breaching the sex discrimination act.
She said that if we were going to hire a gay manager we should put the LGBT tag up on Google to let people know we encourage that.
I asked how she would feel if a whole company had to display themselves differently towards the customers simply because you work there. You'd feel like the main attraction at a circus.
I then asked her how she could tell the manager was gay, because the manager does not present himself or speak in any feminine way. She said "it was something about his appearance," so clearly she was already bullshitting and somehow knew this manager outside of the store, which is where I drew the line because I'm not letting some middle-aged woman bully one of the managers outside of work hours.
I defended the manager saying he was born that way, there is literally nothing he can do to change it and that you should not have the right to think that you can dictate the world based on your personal religious beliefs. I told her that her behaviour was unacceptable and hateful.
Anyway, I am the gay manager, and she still probably has no idea to this day.
That woman desperately needs to get a life. A couple healthy hobbies that don’t include harassing other people. Good lord…
I’m going to ask this out of genuine curiosity, not as a critique. Can’t you just say something like “I cannot confirm or deny that there is a gay manager at my restaurant because that has nothing to do with the job. We aren’t allowed to give out private information about anyone who works there, and since this has nothing to do with the job, this would be private information, up to an including whether they work there or not.”
Omg she was a piece of work or pos either fits
Also to quote a wise man " I was gay the whole time"
F her
People r gay people r straight they r whatever ... but its her responsibility to mind her own business... better yet go live on some remote dooms day cult island with other "Christians" but jokes on her someone will still be gay
Why bc its part of being human
She must hate Pride month
When I worked insurance, all the customer service people would yell "don't pick up" if there was a call at 4:55
Me and one of my other coworkers won’t pick up once 4:55 rolls around. Heck, if it’s just me and her we sometimes leave the office as early as 4:45. But we have another coworker who’s such a damn pushover. She can’t refuse to answer the phone. No matter how close to 5 it is, if her own life depended on it. Drives us crazy.
She'll get a call from hell that keeps her there for an hour and then she'll change her tune
She already has! That’s the wild part.
Is she smart enough to actually represent your company?
I wish I could get away with that, I work in a corporate insurance call center and I have to answer a call even if it comes in 1 second before the end of my shift (and I’ve had that happen before.)
Luckily I’m paid hourly but it’s still a pain.
And those last-second before EOS calls are always something disastrous, too.
Some people have no concept it’s humans that operate suppoet lines
This.
I get messages that say “I want to speak to a real human ASAP” over the weekend. “Good morning! Our hours are hours and I’ve been a real human since 1988! How can I help you today?”
People believe their issue is the only priority (regardless of the issue). I have asked people who call at 4:58 and make statements like “I received such and such this morning and now want to discuss”. I will ask them - if you received it this morning why are you just now calling about it? Without fail- and 100% of the time their response is “I was busy doing other things”. Annoys the absolute shit out of me.
My reply to “I was busy doing other things.”
“Well I’m busy getting ready to end my shift. Is this a good number to reach you tomorrow morning.”
I never answer after 4:50, unless it’s a coworker. I’m busy running end of day reports.
Having been on that side of the last minute hour long calls or literally I can't do anything cause the office I need to call is closed I try and triple check hours or try and make it as quick as possible. I was having issues with my bank card at the vet and felt awful I was keeping them after hours. I used to also work for an inventory company and people would see us in the store and want to be let in. Hours were posted right in front of their face but people inside equals open 🙄. I would smile and wave.
I can understand sometimes people work off hours so sometimes the 9-5 isn't always do-able but at least be respectful of others time.
I think for some people they aren’t paying attention to the time when they call, they call because they thought of it. Others might have just gotten off work and are trying to bang out a few things on their to do list. Some call expecting an answering service, but at least they will get a call back vs trying to remember to call again. Others truly don’t understand how long something takes. “I’ve only got one question”. And yes, there are definitely the people that expect service whenever wherever and they don’t care that you’re closing or even closed.
Phones have clocks, yes?
I call people to pay their balance on their accounts. I had some @$$h0le call at 5:30 pm to tell me he couldn't pay me.
In my case, as a Disabled person stuck at home in bed 24/7, I find it happens because I literally have no idea what day/time it is because EVERY. DAY. IS. THE. SAME...levels of mind-numbing boredom to the point you stop registering what hour/day/month it is.
The business I work for is just big enough where we can't do a "don't pick up". These people don't think about other people. Being a CSR has ruined people for me.
Same here. They are ruthless and selfish more often than not and have made me rather cynical…
i work retail and we get people coming into our store 1 or 2 minutes before closing wanting to shop. it can mean staff then have to sometimes wait an extra hour for a bus. entitled people don't care.
good luck
Oh I’ve been there too. Worked retail for years. People were always coming in minutes before close to “browse” and mess up displays we just straightened for the night. There was one time I was terribly ill. I worked at a small family owned shoe store. I was closing the store by myself and started feeling sick about halfway through my shift. No one could cover. So here it was, about 5 minutes until close, ready to finally go home and rest. This older couple comes in. They were well aware of the time because the elderly man said “sorry, we know you’re closing but my wife really needs to try on a few shoes.” They then both ask if am okay because they can literally see that I don’t look good. I tell them “No. I am sick with a fever.” Thinking there’s no way they’ll stay after that. Oh no! They not only stay another 45 minutes but they had me running back and forth so this bitch could try on shoe after shoe and NOT BUY A SINGLE PAIR! As soon as they stepped outside I slammed the gate down behind them. After that, if I was closing by myself, I shut the gate 5-10 minutes early. I would find trash to go take out or something so I had to lock the gate and the mall security couldn’t say anything about the gate being closed early. “Sorry, I’m here by myself and had trash to take out. Can’t leave the store unlocked and unattended.”
My mom has worked in an insurance office for over 30 years. She would say that people would come in and act upset that they weren't open outside of their business hours, like the weekend or holidays. It's just one of those eternal things we'll always have to deal with. Lots of people expect the world to revolve around their personal schedule.
I’ve had people get full blown mad that we’re not open because we’re having an office outing. I literally got chewed out by a customer the next day after an office outing because she needed something “so important” and we weren’t there to help her. (She wanted a quote on a car she was thinking about buying.) I’ve had days I worked in the office by myself and people will get mad I closed it down for an hour to take a lunch. I’ve had people let out audible sighs when they ask if we can stay open past 5 because they need to “stop by after work” or if we’re open during the weekends and I flat tell them “no.” It never ceases to amaze me that so many people are incapable of seeing us as human beings that need breaks and time off much like they do. We’re just robots here to be ready to serve them at a moment’s notice.
After hours just don't answer but, and I know unpopular opinion, if you are still open then you are still open. Does it suck? Sure, but if you are open then that's it, if you choose to hang up at closing then that's your call.
I work in a call center that closes at 9 pm and am frequently getting calls at 8:59. Last week I stayed 35 minutes over because the person had a complicated issue. We are required to answer those calls so there's not really much I can do about it. It's sooo frustrating.
My coworker and I would get to the store at 9:30 to do opening activities. We wouldn’t answer the phone unless it was the owners. If they asked why a call went to voice mail, we’d say we were putting out the displays or going to the bank. If someone pulled on the door before 10:00, we’d hide in the back (unless the owners were there, then we had to open the door.)
I am a switchboard operator for a mid-sized regional bank, and I promise NOBODY is going to pick up a call if I send it after 4:58, so that's when I switch it over to Do Not Disturb....
Because they know the hold lines won't be backed up if they call right before closing. This is because they know nobody else would be as much of an assole as them. They also do it so service is done quicker because employees want to rush and leave work.
Basically it's all manipulation.
I never thought of that. And that is a wonderful ringing endorsement as to why I will continue to not pick up once 4:55 rolls around.
I get to work most days between 715 and 730 AM, we open at 8, I will sit there and watch the phone ring, call back during our normal business hours, same at the end of the day, we close at 730PM and I have to stay until 8, I’m not picking up the phone after 729.
If I call a place close to closing time, it is 100% that I assumed their hours of operation are later than they actually are. However, I am very big on doing stuff via app or website if possible so this is pretty rare for me. If I realize or am told that they're about to close I apologize and thank them then end the call. The thought of being 'that person' is repugnant.
I'm the customer service manager of a fast food restaurant and generally I will just hang up if I get a call outside of work hours that is just going to waste my time.
We close at 10pm and yesterday I got a call at midnight after all the equipment was turned off asking if they could make a delivery order so I just hung up.
Only exception was when a woman complained at 11 that one of our managers was gay, I kept her on the line specifically so I could argue with her because I was kind of invested.
If a customer made a raw food complaint or a foreign object complaint I will take it a bit more seriously and file an incident report, but still annoying they are calling after business hours. I will also take it seriously if it is an employee calling in sick.
Generally, I'd recommend just not answering in the first place. If they are calling at an inappropriate time, it is their own fault.