for office workers?

Question

i have a situation at work where clients just dont seem to care about our (employees) personal time...they do things like if i tell them someone is on vacation they say "well can you get in touch with them and have them call me?" then i reiterate (politely) THEY ARE ON VACATION or if someone is at lunch when they call and i take a message and then they will call the person at lunch on their cell phone....or if we lock the doors to take a break for lunch but dont leave they will knock on the door and expect us to open for them....how do i handle these situations/people?...are we not allowed any personal time for lunch? and why do people not respect that time for us?

to those who ask why clients have our cell numbers.....its printed on our individual business cards...(we are accountants)...they are welcome to call our cells but when i say someone is at lunch they should respect that hour of time to allow a break.....how would they feel if i called them at dinnertime at their home?

Answer 1

Clients are absolutely ridiculous and abusive sometimes. They think that their money gives them a personal slave and no one should ever have to put up with it so long as you are not providing poor or unprofessional service.

For the vacation/lunch cell calls: Don't give out cell phone numbers! If someone gives a client their cell phone, well then thats their own fault, they should not have given it out. I never call cell phones for work matters. For vacation, just say, "they are not working on vacation and will return your call when they return to work".

For the people that knock: do not eat in an area where you are visible to the clients. Just lock the door, and go to the basement, perhaps leave a note or something saying "gone to lunch". If the client sees you in the store, and whether or not you are on lunch, you will probably have to open the door as it would be even more rude to ignore them (even thought thats what we would all prefer to do, but it might come back to bite you in the butt).

Answer 2

Clients do not respect providers or their time. It's a fact, and it's not likely to change any time soon. It stems from old cliches like "the customer is always right" and from the increasing demands being made of employees in order to compete in a fierce market. If a customer requests that a vacationing employee contact them, it's probably due to being catered to in a similar manner elsewhere, and now it's expected.

There are different ways to handle these situations. For the vacationing employee, you could simply say "no," the person cannot be reached until their return to the office. You could also inquire if there might be anyone else suitable to address the client's issue. As for the cell phone: there's simply no way around that. It wouldn't matter what excuse you give a client - if the person can't be reached at the main number and the client's been given a cell phone number, they'll use it. Wrong, perhaps, but then clients seldom stop to think about right or wrong, they only know they have a need, and they were given another number to call. Finally: as far as a client is concerned, if you're visible, you're at their disposal. Don't break in an area where you're visible.

Right or wrong, it's the mentality of business today, as well as society. The same people who get bent about being disturbed when they're on their own time are just as likely to disturb someone else when they have an issue they want resolved.

Answer 3

The answer to "Can you get in touch with them?" is "No."

You can't, since they are on vacation -- doesn't matter than you physically could.

Um, if you put their cell phone number on their business cards, people will assume they're available 24/7.

But they can either turn off their phones when they are on break, or see who's calling them and decide whether to answer.

Just because a phone is ringing (or these days, singing) doesn't mean you have to answer it).

Yes, the idea that everyone is actively working 24/7/365 is increasingly common.

It's also completely insane.

People who buy into it live very brief unpleasant lives with no joy or even pleasure.

Feel sorry for them.

And continue to protect your employees.

Answer 4

i was working as a receptionist at a credit place and customers were the same. i just kept telling them
sorry, they are unavailable. would you like to leave a message? keep shoving it down their throat in a nice way of course. if they call back ask, would you like to add some more comments to your previous message? trust me it works. they cant stand it when people are calling them on vacation and at dinner. so why should they have the chance to do it to someone else. remember: sorry, they are unavailable would you like to leave a message.
dont give them anymore information. its none of there damn business!!

Answer 5

Turn off the phones and don't answer the door. Eventually, they will get the hint.

Answer 6

i know how you feel... but what you have to know is that this person on the other side of the phone has one thing on his mind... his/her comfort and needs.... so be as polite as possible and remember... the nicer you are the more likely he/she will not understand.. other than that... this is what i say "sir/mam, i here so that i can serve you and comply with your needs.. but within limits, i can only do so much, so if you please, dont rush me i am doing the best i can"... still polite but to the point

Answer 7

why the hell do the clients have ppls cell phone numbers?

Answer 8

You cannot do anything, except turn off your phone while you are at lunch.