Stop promising callbacks you can't guarantee - here's why

I work at a call center in Phoenix and I keep seeing new hires tell customers they'll get a callback in 30 minutes when the system is clearly overloaded. Last Tuesday my coworker promised a 2 PM callback to a lady with a billing issue, but our queue was backed up by 3 hours. She called back furious at 2:45 and I had to eat the complaint because I didn't make the promise. Management backs this up too - they push us to set expectations low but half the team ignores it. How long before you all start telling people realistic wait times instead of blowing smoke? Has anyone else's boss actually punished you for being honest about delays?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_cole12d ago

Dang wait hold on - they actually TRACK "promise rates" as a metric? That's insane. Like they're literally measuring how many lies you can sell before the customer finds out? No wonder new hires are doing this, the system is practically training them to be dishonest right from the start. I feel bad for the customers and for you guys who have to clean up the mess. Management needs a reality check on what actually matters here.

william_jackson6512d ago

Oh man, that's the WHOLE problem right there - management probably tracks "promise rates" or something dumb that penalizes honesty but not the actual lies.