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Just discovered this subreddit and even though I’ve been out of the call center for a little over a decade now, I’m sure some will appreciate my old-timer war stories.
In the early 2000s, I worked at a cell phone company in their fraud department. Our department wasn’t staffed 24×7, so if someone called in reporting potential fraud during our off hours (or sometimes if our hold time was super long), whoever was taking the call would fill out a ticket that would route to us and then we’d investigate and call the customer/person who called back.
I remember it was a beautiful summer day, back when that company had a relaxed dress code and guys could wear shorts and T-shirts in the office. I’d just started my swing shift and was sitting in an area where the night shift wouldn’t arrive for a few hours, so it was empty and beautifully quiet, with about 4 or 5 rows of cubes to the nearest person or supervisor. The first ticket I open looks typical, with the person’s name, the box checked that they aren’t a customer, the credit card number and amount billed. But here’s where it gets interesting, because the notes on the ticket say something along the lines of, “DOCTOR WOMAN’S NAME IS 97 YEARS OLD. YOU MUST REFER TO DOCTOR WOMAN’S NAME AS DOCTOR. SPEAK LOUDLY. DOCTOR WOMAN’S NAME IS HARD OF HEARING. YOU WILL NEED TO BE VERY LOUD!” And yes, this was in all caps, even though that field on the ticket would allow you to put upper and lower case in (this was the early 2000s, we still had systems that only did all caps). Plus, the other fields on the ticket were in upper and lower case, so I know that the person who entered the ticket wasn’t the type to just leave caps lock on for everything (did I mention this was the early 2000s? People would do that for some reason).
I steeled myself for what was quite clearly going to be the worst call imaginable. Every time I’d ever spoken to anyone that insisted on being referred to as “doctor” had been difficult/impossibly high expectations. Plus, whoever filed that ticket used all caps. So I dial out.
CX: Hello?
Me: Hi, I’m trying to reach Doctor Woman’s Na-
CX: HELLO?
Me (louder): Hi I’m calling for Doctor Woman’s Name?
CX: This is she, but you’re going to need to speak up! I’m 97 years old!
Me (even louder): OK! My name is avgheight510 and I’m calling from the cell phone compa-
CX: WHAT?
Me (literally shouting loud enough that people are starting to look from 4 rows away): This is avgheight510! I’m calling from cell phone company about the charge on your credit card!?!?
CX: Oh, we figured that out, I paid for my son’s bill!
Me: Oh that’s great, I’-
CX: WHAT?
Me (as loud as I can without having someone come check on me): That’s great to hear, Doctor Woman’s Name! Was there anything else I could assist with while we’re on the line?
CX: WHAT?
Me (practically screaming): Is there anything else I can help you with?!?
CX: You wouldn’t happen to have an extra pair of legs there would you? Mine don’t work so good anymore.
Me (laughing): I’m sorry, but I’m afraid we don’t sell those here!
CX: You know, when I was a little girl, we went to the world’s fair in New York! And I remember when I saw television for the first time!
Me: That sounds in-
CX: WHAT?
Me (so loud that out of the corner of my eye I see an entire row of people suddenly turn to look at me): That sounds incredible!
CX: Oh I thought it had to be magic, seeing the man from across the room in that little box! (chuckles) Well, goodbye!
\*click\*
And that’s why I call this the best most disappointing call I ever had at that place. Somehow not getting in trouble for literally yelling at a customer, getting to talk to someone who obviously had to bust through some glass ceilings to be a doctor in that era, and to have witnessed firsthand how our lives had changed since nearly the turn of the century… I genuinely wanted to stay on to hear more of her life story, but she hung up before I even had the chance to close the call!
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