Speaking With Customer Care Agents of Local Companies
By hereandthere
@hereandthere (45651)
Philippines
February 12, 2013 5:50am CST
i received a dormant/inactive account notice for a payroll account with a company i've worked with and resigned from years ago. i searched the bank's website to find any 24/7 hotline number.
thankfully a live person answered me immediately. she said it depends on the bank where the account was opened, so she gave me the number of the branch that sent the notice and i, in turn, asked for the business hours of that branch. after that, i said "okay," thanked her and almost put down the phone immediately.
i said "almost" because i think all customer care people are trained to ask one last question which is if there's anything else that they can help with. if you said no more, they will end the call with the thank you for calling xx speech.
do you take time to listen to all that because you don't want to be rude to a live person? i don't feel guilty if it's just a recording.
if it's your job to answer such calls, do you ever get used to people hanging up on you? if the issue isn't resolved, are you supposed to call the customer back?
when calling the hotlines of local companies, i talk in tagalog even if the person is trained to talk to me in english. will they be penalized/reprimanded by their supervisor or quality assurance officer if they switch to tagalog?
3 people like this
13 responses
@xtedaxcvg (3189)
• Philippines
12 Feb 13
I also speak in Tagalog when talking to local call center agents. They normally respond in English but I don't mind. I guess that's what they are trained to do. I was also a call center agent and I normally don't get offended when a customer hangs up immediately after getting the information that they need. I get the feeling that they're really in a hurry that they need to hang up. It's actually an advantage on my part as it lowers down my Average Handling Time.
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
i feel that i can express myself better that way. but when i get upset or frustrated, some english creeps in. 
so you're also evaluated on how long the call takes. but what if you and your caller cannot understand each other? shouldn't the objective be to make sure the issue is resolved however long it takes?
would you get penalized for speaking in tagalog?
so you're also evaluated on how long the call takes. but what if you and your caller cannot understand each other? shouldn't the objective be to make sure the issue is resolved however long it takes?
would you get penalized for speaking in tagalog?
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
12 Feb 13
Normally when I call up to any call center or customer service centers, it is mostly automated stuff. Press this button or this number to do this kind of. Rarely I get to talk to the live person and whenever I do, I wait till the end and do reciprocate back on the last lines. Here, my call center people end with - Wish you a Great Day Ahead, thanks for calling. And I do revert back with their Wish you a Great Day Ahead (and say same to you too at times).
Though I wonder which part of my township has a Day when it is 8:00 pm for me.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
12 Feb 13
i was actually surprised someone answered immediately. i probably called at a lucky time.
with our internet service provider, they seem to revert to "leave a message" mode when the service acts up, maybe because they know they'll be flooded with calls! so i would have the account number ready and already know what details to give.
i see that you're still in red, which is still okay for chinese new year and valentines day. 
1 person likes this
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
12 Feb 13
It was getting hotter since the last two days and I was thinking to change the snowman before it melted out but suddenly there has been a dip in the mercury today and that makes me shiver again... so I guess, the Snowman gets a lifer for a few more days before I return back to casper or find another one for me...
but suddenly there has been a dip in the mercury today and that makes me shiver again... so I guess, the Snowman gets a lifer for a few more days before I return back to casper or find another one for me...1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
by the way, you also have many languages and dialects, right?
your pic where you're wearing glasses is the best.
@chiyosan (30184)
• Philippines
12 Feb 13
HI hereandthere, I have worked for a call center before, and yes I have always gotten used to my customers talking to me that way, hanging up on me especially if they are in a hurry. These are just spiels, actually that we have to say and for each spiel/s that we did not get to say to a customer... it is a point less to the call center agent. So when the call center they are servicing allows them to speak tagalog, they also are allowed to speak the language.
But even so, i always am guilty of doing this myself, too when i am talking to a call center agent myself... i would often not allow them to finish what they were saying when i have what i need, but there are those times that I do allow them to finish their spiel, etc. =)
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
so it depends on the company's policy then? because according to xtedaxcvg up on response box 2, if the customer hangs up immediately, it's an advantage for the agent because it decreases the average handling time.
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
12 Feb 13
I try not to speak to customer care but sometimes we just can't help it. I know they have a script they have to stick to and calls are recorded to make sure that they do. So I solved that problem by saying "I'm hanging up now, thank you for your time". That way I am not rude when I cut them off on their final remark, which they are required to make.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
we don't get marketing calls here, but we do call like internet service providers, banks, cable and utility companies, even government offices, when we have inquiries before going there.
@tipay26 (867)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
I used to be a call center agent whose clients were international companies,foreigners etc.As a sign of respect to the client that has called you a customer care representative should always ask if there is something more that they can help you with.We were trained not just to resolve a problem or an issue but we were also trained on how to handle phone calls and its clients too.I am sure that your call is recorded for quality purposes because customer care agents are graded based on the calls that they are getting plus the fact that they resolve the client's problem and reason for calling.As a standard operating procedure to make it more professional a customer care agent or representative can either speak in english or in tagalog depending on the country or situation that an agent is in.Usually when I call the customer hotline of any company I follow what the recording tells me to do to avoid confusion and future problems .
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
based on the responses given by others here, different companies have different policies. when i call local companies, i use tagalog. when i call a global company, i won't be surprised that they talk to me in english. i'm sure there are people who hang up as soon as they got what they needed from whoever answered them. even if the agent is trained to finish his/her script, i'm sure they're aware that's reality. as mentioned by someone above, it means the customer was satisfied already and according to another, it actually shortens the average handling time. to be honest, what's more important to me is how the agent handled my query, by breaking down "concepts" and using simple words, whether english or tagalog, because don't assume i know or understand what you're talking about. yes, i do follow the instructions when it switches to "leave a message" mode.
@shiesse (306)
• Canada
13 Feb 13
I used to work in a call center taking calls for a retail store. I was not hung up on at the end of the calls for the most part. I found more often than not people waited for me to say good bye. When a customer was very upset and did not like my response is where I would more likely be hung up on. We had to speak english, but sometimes got people who spoke french. We were obligated to switch them to the french line. Also we were obligated to call a customer back if we were working on an issue with that customer, or insure that someone from the company would call the customer back.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
when i'm frustrated because we can't seem to understand each other, i tend to end the conversation so i don't end up raising my voice. then i'd call again several hours later or the next day so i can talk to a different person. so likewise, i'd prefer a different person to call me back so we can start on a clean slate, so to speak.
but if you knew french, could you take the call already so you don't have to pass it to the french line?
@joliefille (3690)
• Philippines
12 Feb 13
Yes, I would listen to all that. Since they took time helping me it's just my way of showing I appreciated their time and for not hanging up on me mid-call. I worked in a call centre before for 4 years and know how hard it is sometimes to still be friendly and speak in a smiley tone of voice when you're tired after taking almost 50 calls. When I had that job, yes, I did get used to people hanging up on me. We all log our cases so we have to call the customer back if there's a problem not yet sorted out.
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
if i'm not satisfied i call again several hours or a day later so i could get a different person. if i were an agent, oh my, i'd dread calling the same person again if the first encounter wasn't pleasant. i've always known call centering was more about staying patient and pleasant, while showing competence, that's why i know i'll flunk.
@jenny1015 (13366)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
There are companies who give options of speaking with their customers in English or with their Native Language. But if there isn't, it is expected that these customer service reps must be speaking in English even if their customer is actually speaking with them in Tagalog.
When I was still working at HSBC, of course English was the only language that we are supposed to speak. One time, a Filipino customer from California called and I was the one who took her call. Every CSR needs to be as friendly and as accommodating as possible. So, we are also encouraged to sort of "be-friend" the customers to have build good rapport. When the customer learned that I was also a Filipino, she started speaking in Tagalog and was even forcing me to speak in Tagalog coz apparently she has been missing to talk to a fellow Filipino in the native language. But, I have explained to her that we weren't really allowed or else, our attention will be called and be given a warning.
As for the part of waiting for the CSR to wait for their final spiel, I do let them finish talking before I hang up. And I really felt bad when customers would just hung up on me in the middle of my final spiel.
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
it's understandable, even expected, that you're required to speak only in english since hsbc is a global company, unlike the bank i called which is a philippine bank.
i understand your customer's request, but you have a job to do. are situations like that mentioned in your training and are you given instructions on how to handle it?
i think people hanging up on you is part of any customer-related job so you eventually learn not to take them personally.
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
wait, are you allowed to say what your nationality is? if yes, then it's not surprising she's asking you to speak the language.
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
Whenever i speak to a customer care representative, i can't seem to catch up their names because they pronounce it so fast, i can't grasp what is it.
But anyway, i wish they could give out their entire name, because sometimes i have to call back again and i want the same person who attended to me before to be the one again to answer me.
I must say, i am never disappointed whenever i call at them, because they are ever helpful.
But anyway, i wish they could give out their entire name, because sometimes i have to call back again and i want the same person who attended to me before to be the one again to answer me.
I must say, i am never disappointed whenever i call at them, because they are ever helpful. @hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
because it's a script so they're just reciting it from memory. so the technique is to ask for their name again before you end the call, let them spell it out.
i have a problem when the internet acts up because i'm not techie so i have to ask them what does it look like? where is it? 
i think they shouldn't assume that all customers calling them know or understand everything.
i think they shouldn't assume that all customers calling them know or understand everything.
@ARIES1973 (11426)
• Legaspi, Philippines
3 Mar 13
The last time that I call a customer care agent was when I have to register my smart money. so far I the person who assisted me is very accommodating and he answered all my questions regarding the uses of the card.
Have a great day!
@konomashii (49)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
i dont think they will be penalized for talking in tagalog language unless they have company policy not to speak in tagalog language. But as much as we, customers, are concern, we want them to speak on our own language, if we use foreign language we want them to speak in foreign language, and if we use tagalog language, we also want them to speak tagalog. correct me if im wrong, because there are some customers who have hard times speaking in foreign language such as English that's why there are companies who allow their CSR to speak in tagalog if the calling customers use tagalog language.=)
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
14 Feb 13
for me, if it's a philippine company i don't mind if they require their employees to speak in english if it's more business-like. i prefer to use tagalog, but i can switch to english if needed.
but if a customer is having a hard time understanding them, then why not explain things in tagalog to effectively help the customer with whatever they need to know or have done for them? it would be anti-customer if a filipino company based in the philippines serving filipinos wouldn't let their employees speak in tagalog.
@jureathome (5361)
• Philippines
12 Feb 13
I almost all the time drop the call once I got all my questions answered. I don't wait to hear them ask me for more questions, because I know I no longer have, and once I drop the call, then they'll know that they've done their job.
Yes, I believe they have protocols to follow with which language to use, otherwise, they wouldn't think twice of just using their native language with which they're more comfortable with. But, it is indeed odd, for some local agents to insist speaking in English, when they know that they are talking to another Filipino who for sure, can understand Filipino or Tagalog 100%.
@jureathome (5361)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
I was a call center agent before for an American company, and it is protocol to use English at all times, even if the customer is speaking your language. We just have to apologize to the customer that we are not to use our mother tongue, especially when we get to speak with Filipinos living in the US. It's awkward, but we need to keep our job.
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
13 Feb 13
i guess it's just force of habit that makes me not "drop the call" as the industry calls it. yes, you can look at it as the call was a success if they hang up on you, but at the same time, as mentioned above, it seems it depends on the company how they evaluate a call. if it were me, i'd judge it by how the interaction went and the final result, regardless if it was long or short and the spiel wasn't followed or completed.
in terms of language used, i would also be lenient on that if they can understand and explain things better in the local language, even dialect if needed. of course, i'm an outsider to the call center industry i may not know what i'm talking about. but in some cases, the end justifies the means.
@vivek19 (218)
• India
13 Feb 13
I always use to listen to the full end line that the local companies customer care live person says if it's not a recording as the other person should not feel rude by our behaviour as he is also a human being and if we cut the phone before their endline they will feel bad and frustrated and will certainly take pressure upon them which will not be good for their health. I hope you understand...
@hereandthere (45651)
• Philippines
15 Feb 13
i grew up with the old fashioned telephone so of course that's part of my habit already. but i also think there are people who hang up because they already got what they needed and have many other things to do. lastly, anyone who works as a frontliner or in the service industry are aware that's part of the job and shouldn't be taken personally or you'll never last in that job. i bet they are asked from the beginning if they can maintain being pleasant and competent under pressure whether face to face or online.
