{"id":319,"date":"2020-09-11T08:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-09-11T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tahoecall.com\/social\/?p=319"},"modified":"2022-05-20T10:27:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-20T17:27:18","slug":"greetings-from-tahoe-call-center-6","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tahoecall.com\/social\/greetings-from-tahoe-call-center-6\/","title":{"rendered":"Helping Us Help You"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Located in Nevada, Tahoe Call Center is a small family-run business with a big heart, ready to help with your communication needs.  Since 2012 we have assisted clients coast to coast in varied economic and emergency climates: wild-fires, blizzards, ice storms and unforeseen events (with affordable, competitive pricing that didn\u2019t add further trauma).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rain or shine, short-staffed or no staff, we help keep your business going: Answering phones \/ taking messages \/ providing information \/ Taking credit card orders \/ collecting and transmitting confidential information via email, SMS, or API (linking with existing systems).  Our agents are trained to process sensitive information with courtesy, respect and maintain the strictest of confidence.  We also help with those intermittent overflow call surges during business hours and cover your customer inquiries when you are closed.  \u201cAlways here so you don\u2019t have to be\u201d – We help keep things running smoothly 24\/7, 365 days a year.  <\/em>Tahoecall.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

September 2020 – Blog <\/strong>6 m. hines<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLIGHTS, TELEPHONE, ACTION!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Act one-<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIncoming\u201d  <\/u><\/em>Agent Answers The Phone<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT:<\/strong> \u201cThank you for calling Customer Care Services, my name is Betty. I apologize but all our agents are still assisting other callers. If I can take your name and number I will have an agent return your call as soon as possible\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER:<\/strong>           \u201cIs this a machine or a live person?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT:<\/strong> \u201c<\/em>This is a person (ma\u2019am\/sir), may I take your name and number? I will pass this on to our customer service department so they can return your call?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER: <\/strong>          \u201cNo, I\u2019ve been on hold for over a half-hour and want to speak with someone, now!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m sorry, unfortunately all customer service agents are still assisting other callers.  I can take a message for you\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER:<\/strong><\/em>           \u201cWhat do you mean? You mean someone will call me back?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT: <\/strong>\u201cYes, (Sir\/Ma\u2019am).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER: <\/strong>          \u201cWhen would they call me?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT:<\/strong> \u201cAs soon as possible; as soon as those lines are clear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER: <\/strong>          \u201cNo, I have other things to do today. I can\u2019t just stay by this phone waiting for someone to call me back.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT:<\/strong> \u201cIs there a time better for them to return your call, say later this afternoon?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER:<\/strong>           \u201cNo, I have company coming and can\u2019t be interrupted. I don\u2019t want them to know my business.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT:<\/strong> \u201cThey are just having a surge of calls at the moment.  They’re open until 5pm Eastern Standard Time if you would like to try back in a little while or at a time more convenient for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER:<\/strong>           \u201cNo, I\u2019ll hold.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT:<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I have no way to place you on hold, but I can take a message\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER: <\/strong>          \u201cOk, take my name and number then\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT<\/strong>: \u201cThank you Mr. Smith, and the reason for your call\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER:<\/strong>           \u201cNone of your business!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT: <\/strong>\u201cI\u2019m sorry, I wasn\u2019t prying.  I just want to ensure your message gets to the right department to help you\u2026\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reassessing Expectations<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This scenario documented above occurred often enough before the Pandemic. With health restrictions on the number of people able to work within enclosed spaces, and the increased number of callers (with most of us staying or working from home), the COVID Pandemic has made things, once seen as difficult, now seem impossible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From a caller\u2019s perspective, reaching a person over the phone that can help them seems as hit and miss as spinning a roulette wheel.  The response often is a recorded message that transfers callers to another recorded message, continuing to lead down a rabbit hole that eventually reveals ‘no one is available at this time.’ <\/em> No wonder hypertension is one of America\u2019s biggest health issues (it\u2019s not just our diet).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pandemics require patience. Pandemics require understanding. Pandemics require tolerance, but customers expect service.  Having nothing to compare this current epidemic to many, at first, panicked buying up everything thought necessary for survival: toilet paper (why is that the first item people grab?), hand sanitizer, gloves & masks, then Kleenex, Lysol, Clorox wipes, cleaners, soap, and paper towels couldn\u2019t be kept in stock. Next the food staples, dry goods, rice, beans, and meat. Some saw a potential business opportunity to exploit.  Merchants welcomed the influx of business \u2013at first- but soon realized (reacting versus pro-acting) that to keep their doors open, limits needed to be imposed.  Scorned and seen as unpatriotic in WWII; hoarding had become our first line of defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Americans have learned to be impatient over the decades.  Our eventual reaction to COVID, responding to the pleadings of others, has begrudgingly tolerated wearing masks and staying at home. We\u2019ve understood this was required to slow the advance of the Pandemic and allow health care and emergency responders space and time needed to not become overwhelmed with cases. If patients were admitted gradually, there would be enough provisions and personnel (despite the shortage) to help those in need. The patience we demonstrated was only fortified with the expectation that \u2018a solution would be forthcoming\u2026soon.\u2019<\/em>  And here we are, months past that anticipated \u2018glory-day\u2019 when all would be solved (just like we\u2019ve learned to expect in the movies).  But not only is it not<\/em> solved, it isn’t going away anytime soon. Instead, this virus is relentlessly increasing for some and returning to areas sure it had been contained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of the \u2018few ways\u2019 for many and \u2018only ways\u2019 for some, the telephone has been reaching out and touching others; keeping people linked during an epidemic that requires us to remain isolated. The range of emotion flowing across the wires, fiber optics, and the internet today is amazing. There is no end to the feelings and reactions being transmitted. Kindness, Understanding, Relief, Fear, Impatience, Frustration, Sarcasm, Anger, and Hate travel like colors within a prism from the soothing cool of greens and blues increasing intensely to warm oranges and fierce reds when adult behaviors cross over into adolescent tantrums. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Telephones, text messages, and the internet; like nature creative minds find a way.\u00a0 But unlike nature, people tend to be impatient.\u00a0The deploring of change is the tie that now binds.\u00a0 When adults slip into tantrums, Reason becomes a lifeline. Some take hold and let you help them out of the quagmire.\u00a0 A few will insist on wallowing in it.\u00a0 When overwhelmed, phone agents take our cue from those on the front lines: we help those we can, and we are most successful helping those who: \u00a0\u201cHelp Us Help Them\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phone agents are hired for a purpose: to assist.\u00a0 We answer your call. We are here to listen to your problem or concern. We are here to initiate a solution, often with limited or lacking authority or tools. We are here to help.<\/strong> An instructor long ago referenced the word, \u201cassume\u201d as a two-way street that should be avoided because it risked making an \u201cass<\/em>\u201d out of \u201cu<\/em>\u201d and \u201cme<\/em>\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0It is understandable for callers to be frustrated, especially when a company doesn\u2019t follow through with customer expectations. But in unprecedented times, or as a caller put it so well, \u201cA year like no other\u201d<\/em>, a little patience goes a long way. \u2018Help Us Help You<\/em>.\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking out anger or frustration on the person who answers the phone will not bring resolution to your problem. It will not impart the message that your call is more important, or put you ahead of another caller on the call back list.  It will not solve your problem any faster and may, in fact, slow down the process making you (or your anger) your own worst enemy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLIGHTS, TELEPHONE, ACTION!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

-Act two-<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER: <\/strong> \u201cWho are you? Oh, you\u2019re \u2018only\u2019 the answering service\u201d     <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

AGENT: <\/strong>Yes, but the first response for directing your call to help resolve your issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER: <\/strong><\/em> \u201cYou can\u2019t help me\u201d                                             <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT: <\/strong> Not unless you allow me to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER: <\/strong> You\u2019re a waste of my time\u201d                             <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT: <\/strong> I\u2019m here to help… (but I\u2019m not a door mat<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER: <\/strong><\/em> \u201cI don\u2019t want to speak with you\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT:<\/strong> You made the call for help and I answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER: <\/em><\/strong> \u201cI want to speak with a live operator\u201d           <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT<\/strong>: Don\u2019t assume<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER: <\/em><\/strong> \u201cNo one ever returns my calls\u201d                                  <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT:<\/strong> I will get your message to someone who will<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER: <\/strong><\/em> \u201cIf they can afford to hire you, they can afford to hire someone who can answer my questions.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT: <\/strong> I\u2019m hired as a courtesy to expedite getting you that help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CALLER: <\/strong><\/em> \u201cI want to speak to a supervisor right now.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

AGENT:<\/strong> I will make sure your message reaches one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a person behind the voice that answers your call for help.  A caller may angst and wonder, \u201cWill someone be there to help me?\u201d The phone agent wonders, \u201cWill this caller \u2018Help Me Help Them?\u201d<\/strong> <\/em> The answer should lie with simple common sense. But as another put it so eloquently, \u201cThe problem with common sense is that it isn\u2019t very common.\u201d<\/em>  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are all in this Pandemic together and while some experiences and difficulties are shared, others are unique to our individual circumstances and daily battles.  Phone wires, text messages, internet communications are a life-line, keeping us connected. As long as everyone remembers and acknowledges the humans behind the voices with courtesy and respect, we should manage as other generations have- to reunite with our patience, understanding, and emerge a little kinder and grateful for having survived COVID. My Grandmother would say, \u201cKeep your words soft and sweet, you never know when you may have to eat them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Located in Nevada, Tahoe Call Center is a small family-run business with a big heart, ready to help with your communication needs.  Since 2012 we have assisted clients coast to coast in varied economic and emergency climates: wild-fires, blizzards, ice storms and unforeseen events (with affordable, competitive pricing that didn\u2019t add further trauma). Rain or …<\/p>\n

Helping Us Help You<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tahoecall.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tahoecall.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tahoecall.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahoecall.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahoecall.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=319"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/tahoecall.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":989,"href":"https:\/\/tahoecall.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/319\/revisions\/989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tahoecall.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahoecall.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tahoecall.com\/social\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}