CUSTOMER-CARE ; MY EXPERIENCE

Mahatma Gandhi said that the customer "is the most important visitor in our premises. He is not dependent on us, we are on him. He is not an interruption to our work, He is the purpose of it". This is what guides most companies in their decision making, leading them to make stringent rules for their customer-care representatives to follow when dealing with their customers.

Customers on the other hand have engraved it on their minds that "the customer is always right". They take advantage of this to treat customer care reps any how, knowing that there is no way you can insult them.

I had the opportunity to be a customer care rep in a telecommuncations company. it was there that i saw and realized that  there should be some exception to David Ogilvy's quote that "the  customer is not a moron". A customer will call you just because they feel like calling, some call just to insult, some call to show you that they know more than you do.
Other customers call just to unleash their frustration on you. can you believe that some customers call to tell you they can not make calls, and when you ask them what feedback they get when they try making calls and what you hear is 'your account is low or you have not call credit'.
As a Customer Care Representative (CCR) you ask yourself if it is really true that the customer is not a moron.sometimes you are so infuriated and you feel like smashing your headset on the floor and walking out door never to return. the impatient ones tend to retaliate by insulting them back.  It takes great patience, understanding and the deidcation to your work to tolerate some customers.
But not all customers are a pain in the neck, some are very down to earth and understanding. some understand that you are only representing an organizations interest.
I have ahd the chance to deal with different kinds of people, form teaching children in the kindergarten to teaching adults who looked older than i was in the J.H.S. I have had the chance to deal with some parents who walk all the way to the school only to insult to punishing their wards.
Well, the only consolation a CCR has is that he/she does not see the customer and neither does the customer see them