hello, who dis: office etiquette 101

part of my duties at work is being the receptionist. even though our office has a rotating-phone system, i'm usually the first line of defense. which means i get all the crazy or annoying calls. it seems like since the popularity of cell phones, people's phone manners have gotten worse, not better. oh, the things i hear on a daily basis.

so this blog is really a helpful guide guised as a way for me to vent my frustrations on the phones. take it as you will...

tip 1 -- don't ask who it is you're speaking to...
i get this the most. people will call up, i give them the greeting, and they ask, "hi, who i am speaking with?" for some reason, this irks me to no end. i don't know you from adam, and you're asking my name. you called my office; who are you? what do you need to know my name for? i'm the receptionist. and half the time, he's asking a question i can't answer or it needs to be directed to another office.

tip 2 -- if the person you want to speak to is on another call, don't tie up my line holding for her...
this also irks me. a customer will call, and my boss is on another line. then he says, "well, can i hold for her?" no, the hell you can't. because when you're holding for her, i can't take calls on for that line. then my phones get backed up just because you want to wait for someone who may be 10 minutes or more. just leave the person a voicemail.

tip 3 -- don't give me your life story when you get me on the line...
ugh, the common thing i get is people who tell me the whole spiel about why they're calling, and 99% out the time, they have to talk to one of the other supervisors to get it resolved; then have to tell the story all over again. callers, keep it short and sweet. i don't want hear about your company's inception and what you do and why you need to talk to us. just who you want to talk to will be fine.

tip 4 -- if she's not in the office, i'm not gonna get her...
so this is where my boss has stepped out of the office, whether to a meeting or to the bathroom. so a customer will say, "well can you go get her?" hell no! i'm not running off to get someone who may need time to do no. 1. you can leave her a message.

tip 5 -- black people, please tell your children not to call all day long...(directed at co-workers)
like my mama used to say, don't be playing on my phone. i have a co-worker whose grown-ass children call her all day, and ask for her even when she doesn't answer her private line. clue: if she didn't answer her private line, she's away from her desk or working on an assignment. don't call me asking where she is or if i can find her. unless someone's dying or the house is on fire, there's no reason to call 10 times a day.

tip 6 -- don't bring your personal life on my phone...(directed at co-workers)
i have a co-worker in the cubicle next to mine who argues with her husband on a daily basis. not just petty arguments, but wicked cuss-outs where everyone can hear her. and when she feels like she doesn't want to talk with him, he calls me on my private line, asking me to put her on the phone. and she's like, i don't want to talk to him. oh, hell to the naw!!! don't get me involved in that bobby and whitney shit. take that mess to the house.

as you can tell, i love my job, and sometimes i do get comic relief from my customers. the ones who are funny and honest can win me over every time. it's just not enough of them.