Back in the saddle again

I started this blog because, although I am grateful to have a full-time job that pays well and offers excellent benefits, people can be horrible assholes on the phone. 

I actually love working in customer service. Every job I've ever had, for the past 18 years, has involved customer service. I love helping people, and I'm good at what I do. But customer service in a call center is on a whole different level. People seem to think that because you can't see them, because they don't have to look you in the eye when they speak to you, that they can say whatever the fuck they want to say. Screaming and cursing suddenly becomes acceptable behavior.

I'm a nice person and I will bend over backwards to do the right thing for a customer. I will ask management to bend the rules to help someone out. I go above and beyond what is required or expected on a daily basis, because I genuinely care about my work and how it affects people. I want people to be happy. I also know what I would want as a customer, and how I would want to be treated if the situation was reversed. 

I try not to let it bother me when someone is yelling at me about something that is not my fault. Usually, it's not even the bank's fault. You got a late fee because you didn't pay your bill on time. You were charged interest because you didn't pay the balance in full. I know that this has nothing to do with me. Maybe they're having a bad day. As one of my manager's said, "Maybe he just got divorce papers in the mail today. Who knows?" Sometimes it's really hard to remember this when someone is screaming in your ear. It's hard not to take it personally.

My friends and family were getting a little tired of me complaining about work every day. Almost every status I posted on Facebook was about work for a while there. It was getting pretty negative, and I try not to be a negative person. So I started this blog as an outlet because I felt like if I didn't vent somewhere, I was going to explode.

Then I had to take some time off of work for medical reasons. When I got back, they kept me off the phones for a few days to do some refresher training while they reactivated all of my systems. That was pretty nice. I really had nothing to complain about for a while, which was even nicer.

But I'm back, bitches, and I've got some stories to tell.

Stay tuned...