I had the opportunity to be a judge in Interactive Intelligence’s “Outrageous Interactions” contest. Contact center agents from around the world submitted entries based on actual contact center customer interactions (via phone or email). Some were laugh-out-loud funny, some showed the low intelligence level of the callers, and some were just weird.
There were a couple that highlighted the fact that callers are so used to IVR and automated systems, that we don’t recognize a real live agent when we reach one. Here’s an example:
When I was a member service representative for a public pension plan I answered the phone, "STRS Ohio, this is Keri, how may I help you?" The member proceeded to explain her situation. I answered, "May I begin with your ssn please?" Next thing I heard were 9 beeps in my ear. After hitting mute (so she did not hear my laugh), I composed myself and responded, "Can you please say your ssn?" I suppose she thought I was an automated line or could decipher phone beeps!
Some callers you just have to wonder about:
A lady called to book a hotel in New York City with a view of the Eiffel Tower. I said, “I'm sorry but do you mean Paris with a view of the Eiffel Tower or do you mean New York City with a view of the Statue of Liberty or the Empire State Building?” The lady replied, "Are you retarded?” She told me she spoke very good English and that if didn’t know what I was talking about I should go back to school. She said, “I just told you I want to go to New York City and I want a hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower."
Some were just silly:
Our older computer system had trouble matching Jr. and Sr.'s in a name search. After being unable to find the young man's name in the computer, our receptionist asked if he was a Jr. or a Sr. He thought for a moment and then said, "No, I quit during the 10th grade."
And some were quite humorous:
(an email from a client when she did not receive her installation CD:
I have phoned three times to request an upgrade disk. I am still on the same disk I received when I purchased in early 2007. I have not seen ONE upgrade yet and I know there is one available. So, three times I have called and three times I have been told that the disk will be sent to me. Unless it was sent via carrier pigeon and the pigeon was shot, it definitely did not leave your premises.
I’m not sure if I’m allowed to say which one was my favorite, but this one was up there:
Years ago while working as a CSR with a major Senior Citizen's mail-order pharmacy service I was diligently placing a lengthy order for an elderly gentleman. After placing an order for another over-the-counter item, the customer asked if the item came in other flavors. When the item displayed, I was shocked. The item ordered was for 24 suppositories. The caller said, “The last ones went down well but tasted terrible."
And you have to feel sorry for tech support reps after reading some of these. Here’s the best tech support entry:
We received the following online request, "Please visit because my hard drive does not switch on.”The telephonic consultant was unable to establish the exact nature of her problem but entered the following ominous journal, "She says her hard drive is not working and also wants us to clear up her working space because there are screws lying on her desk.” This call ticket was then routed to an onsite consultant who arranged a site visit and this is the journal of what he discovered, "There were screws on her desk because her PC was opened up and EVERYTHING stolen from inside including her RAM, her motherboard, and her hard drive. I have reported the theft to Campus Control. Closing call.”
It was certainly enlightening reading some of these entries – and it makes me appreciate my non-customer facing job. Interactive Intelligence opened up the voting to the public, and the winners will be announced September 17. If you want to see the rest of the entries and have a chance to vote, go to http://www.outrageousinteractions.com/.