me: Thanks for calling customer service*, this is Janeal, how can I help you?
customer: Hello?
me: Hi, how can I help you?
customer: Hello?
me: Customer service, this Janeal!
customer: Hello!!!!!!
me: *sigh* .... hello?
customer: Hi! I was wondering if you could help me with....
pssst. contrary to popular belief, people don't have to answer the phone by saying "Hello." I think it's hilarious that some people just cannot talk to me until I say hello.
me: Thanks for calling customer service, this is Janeal, how can I help you?
customer: Hihowyadoin---Listen, I have a problem....
apparently, "Hihowyadoin" is a new greeting. I like to actually tell people how I'm doing when they say this (even if they keep talking) just to see what they do. I know, I'm horrible. (and most of the time, they're surprised I answered the question they did not realize they asked.)
*I don't actually ever say "thanks for calling customer service," so just replace that with whatever company I happen to be working for. 90% of my working life has been spent with customer service, and these two conversation openers have happened at every company I've worked for.
Whenever people asked me how I was doing when I worked customer service at Barnes and Noble, I would answer them, and then ask them how they were doing, and usually they would go straight into the question they had, stumble on their words halfway through, then realize I had asked them how they were and they would answer. So, something like "Barnes and Noble this is Brooke." "Hi Brooke how are you?" "I'm great thank you, how are you today?" "I am looking for a bo... uh, I... I'm great thanks..."
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