No telephone manners
Letter to the Editor - Monday, October 22nd, 2012 at 8:38 AM
Dear Editor,
I had the misfortune of having to call a government department late last week. I could not get over my temptation to write these few lines to express my disgust.
I am left wondering if the person who answered the telephone was really the receptionist or just another worker who heard the phone ringing and jumped in to assist.
Whatever the case, you should not have answered the phone unless you learn a bit of telephone manners!
The sad thing is that such situation is not an isolated case. There are many, especially in the government service. And based on my experience, the culprits are usually women with Tortolian accent.
Ok. Just in case you are wondering what could have made me so upset. Here is the conversation. It was short and so I remember the words clearly.
I dialled the department’s number. The phone rings.
EMPLOYEE: (answers phone) YEAH.
ME: May I speak with So and So?
EMPLOYEE: Hold.
I held the line for about three minutes and then started to wonder if the employee had forgotten that I was waiting on the line. So, I tried to get her attention.
ME: Hello
EMPLOYEE: You know what. Call back.
ME: Ok.
I was so perturbed, it’s not funny. I won’t even bother to call the department’s name, but just to hope the employee will see this letter and know that the next time I call she better not be sounding as though she is answering her estranged boyfriend at 3 o’ clock in the morning.
This is a good example of how that conversation might have gone:
ME: (phone rings) HELLO
EMPLOYEE: So and so department, Good afternoon. How may I help you?
ME:Â May I speak with So and So?
EMPLOYEE: I am sorry, but Mr. So and So is unavailable at this time
ME: Thank you
Yours Truly,
The Caller.
**Editorial Note: Please send your letters to [email protected]
This article was posted in its entirety as received by bvinews.com. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of bvinews.com, its sponsors or advertisers.
24 Comments
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“the next time I call she better not be sounding as though she is answering her estranged boyfriend at 3 o’ clock in the morning.”….i does get it rougher than you when i phone just to get my b**ty call, so i does text or whatsapp her u kno, i dont hear no bad attitude tone by texting, but yeah she rude tho…and a freak
Can never reach government by phone between 12 and 2pm. Seems government takes a 2 hour lunch. What disgusts me though is that on many ocassions I have called and someone answers the phone while eating. I can hear them chewing their food while speaking to me. So unprofessional.
What I find interesting is that she mentioned “the culprits are usually women with Tortolian accent” ….the receptionist behavior might be suspect and not justifiable. However, while most of her encounter might have been with Tortolians….stereotyping or attempting to stereotype people of an ethnic background is not acceptable as there are rude Americans, Guyanese, Jamaicans, British, Kittians, Antiguans, St. Vincentians etc. all over the world including Tortola……some of them are even “Tortolians”….
You can never reach government departments between 12 and 2; everybody taking a 2 hour lunch. Most disgusting though is the fact that they answer the phone whilst eating sometimes and you can hear them chewing their food while they speal. Yuck.
Why didn’t ask her if thats the way she is anwering the phone then,correct her, more than just hanging up the phone.
Its not her job to correct the culprit. Maybe Government officials need to employ more professional people.
TO SMH
Yes you just reminded me of the sick community we live in. Where is the love for one another, everything has to be government responsibility. What would it take from the person to simply say that is not the way to answer a business phone? You all complain to damn much about everything, no one has time to do this or that because is not there job. Just get a life. You all sound like some grumpy old women.
I can attest to the fact that some government workers display rudeness that is inexplicable. Government has sponsored workshops on telephone manners especially for clerical staff and receptionists. These workers just don’t care, so it is not for a lack of training, they are just damn rude. Now to the person who had that horrible experience, it is sad that you did not call out the department. To my mind that individual has gotten away, because even if you did not get a name, trust me if you had call out the department, I would have known which one of my staff is capable of that kind of attitude. I am sure that there are supervisors like myself who would have reasonably been able to identify the most probable culprit. My advice to anyone who experience rudeness when they call any department, should not hesitate to make it public. If we don,t know that there is a problem it cannot be dealt with. We want to deliver first class service, but if the ambassadors of government is not delivering the service that our customers deserve, CALL OUT THE DEPARTMENT, or if you get a name PUBLISH it. Acts of rudeness should not be tolerated.
I am not surprised…customer service here the BVI is VERY POOR!!!
No matter how much you train the people in Government to answer the phone and deal with customers with professionalism they don’t care. Point Blank. now when they go to another place of business they expect the best but don’t return the favour at theirs.
I see a clear lack of phone etiquette…….Its always polite to ask the caller if its ok for you to put them on hold.
Rude and incompetent are the two most common traits found in Government employees today. The sad thing is that no one cares at the Civil Service Council.
I know about rude phone manners, I tried going in person, its worst!
Beacause they are rude and the goverment is we the people. we need to call out the department name. We have to stand up for something! Rudeness is the norm of the day we need to be humble ,besides treat others as you will like to be treated. even when we are fustrated. also we to are misunderstood at times because we too comes of rude on the other hand. so let us be careful as well.
then again, you will hear: yeah, wha yuh whan, he ain dey, me son hole-on me a come. you wha, sucking teeth, long stupes, ms. or mr. so and so a phone cahl fu yu.. me nah see he/she call back and so on. thats government employees for you in the caribbean. and it gets worse in all the islands, not just the BVI
I so agree, and when the BVI Newbie magazine explained what all these “local” sayings meant there was a huge uproar and people cried racism, many others said noone here talk that way, We take ourselves too seriously.
Never had a prob with First Carib and Immigration, but some others – wow man – these people are so backward – could not survive a day in more civilize environments
try calling immigration… they dont even pick up the phone
Please forgive the person who answered the phone at that time, it was not the best way to answer the phone. We will do better next time. Let not use this letter to call down any Government department the phones have not been working in most of these departments for weeks now. The caller hear the phone ringing in his or her ears,but it is not ringing on the departments end. Sir/ madam we are very sorry .
To Don’t worry
Phones not working? Everyday? Yea right!!!This is an every day thing. Government employees are the rudest set of people.
Sometimes they don’t wait for you to finish all you hear is hold and the call being transferred
You are lucky if you even hear “hold”, mostly the line just goes dead and by some miracle minutes later someone answers – often in a wrong department!!
Now I KNOW this is sarcasm
Or First Caribbean bank
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