Author Topic: Is This Weird? - Pleasantries in Phone Calls at Work  (Read 2883 times)

PVZFan

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Re: Is This Weird? - Pleasantries in Phone Calls at Work
« Reply #15 on: February 18, 2020, 01:57:25 pm »
...but be assured that these pleasantries are normal and typical for a business interaction. I'll suggest that you think of them not as solely "social" pleasantries but as "human" pleasantries. When humans are talking, socially or professionally, these are reasonable interactions.

I don't disagree, but I don't think there is anything wrong or rude about NOT doing the social or "human" pleasantries. When I am working with someone I know, I actually care and may ask how they are, how their vacation was, whether their kid won the soccer tournament. For a one-time business interaction, it's just words, though, and not ACTUAL interest, so I prefer to not do that dance. I'm not rude, I just don't feel the need to prolong a simple business transaction with fluff that means nothing.

I've shared before about the person at the convenience store who INSISTED on calling after me over and over using my actual name, which he learned from my credit card. He didn't come across as being "pleasant." He came across as rude. I would have preferred he simply ring out my purchase so we both could go ahead with our days.



I didn't say it's wrong or rude not to do it, and when you're on the "initiation" end of the business transaction you can choose not to include pleasantries. My point is that when the OP is working in customer service, especially for an employer who has prioritized having a person answer calls that are typically handled in an automated way (at least at any cinema I've called in the past 20+ years), that the OP should not be surprised when a customer engages in this type of interaction.

The cashier calling after you with your name is weird. The other day I had a problem with a flight itinerary. The rep was cynical and a bit rude. I was walking away and he wanted to call me back and he called out my first name. I was annoyed that he used my first name after we'd had a bit of a problematic interaction. He handed me a $20 voucher for food, which was nice, but he'd, overall, been a pill. (And I had to call the airline I'd originally booked with to get credit for the miles for the flight. This was a codeshare situation and he didn't put my original information in and really hosed things up. He was the gift that kept on giving.  ::) )