Needs To Give That Caller A High-Five

(It’s about 4:45 pm. We have a strict rule about not taking yourself off the phone until 5 pm exactly. People still do, but it’s a gamble. The earlier you take yourself off, the more likely you are to get in trouble, but the longer you stay logged on as your coworkers log off, the more likely you are to get a call. Sure enough, my phone rings, but most calls are only 10 minutes to resolve so I don’t mind.)

Me: “[Company] customer services. [Name] speaking. How can I help?”

Customer: “Hi there. I was hoping you could tell me [very basic bit of information that’s on his documents].”

Me: “Of course!”

(I answer.)

Customer: “Excellent. Now, am I correct in thinking your offices close at 5 pm?”

Me: “Yes, sir. That’s correct.”

Customer: “Ah, I see. Now, tell me, honestly. Are you one of these companies that hang up on customers as soon as the clock strikes 5, or do you stay logged in until the last second to take calls?”

Me: “Honestly? We’re a company of over 600 employees. I can’t speak for each individual. I can assure you, though, that I have never met a manager in this place who would tolerate someone hanging up on a customer to go home on time, and it’s certainly not something I would do.”

Customer: “That’s good, dear. So, I was wondering if you could tell me…”

(The customer then basically strikes up a conversation with me. Every few minutes, he asks me what the time is. As soon as the clock hits 5 pm, he bids me farewell and hangs up. He had phoned a 25p per minute phone number so he could help a random stranger get home on time.)