Stop promising callbacks you can't guarantee - here's why

I work at a call center in Phoenix and I keep seeing new hires tell customers they'll get a callback in 30 minutes when the system is clearly overloaded. Last Tuesday my coworker promised a 2 PM callback to a lady with a billing issue, but our queue was backed up by 3 hours. She called back furious at 2:45 and I had to eat the complaint because I didn't make the promise. Management backs this up too - they push us to set expectations low but half the team ignores it. How long before you all start telling people realistic wait times instead of blowing smoke? Has anyone else's boss actually punished you for being honest about delays?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_cole1mo ago

Dang wait hold on - they actually TRACK "promise rates" as a metric? That's insane. Like they're literally measuring how many lies you can sell before the customer finds out? No wonder new hires are doing this, the system is practically training them to be dishonest right from the start. I feel bad for the customers and for you guys who have to clean up the mess. Management needs a reality check on what actually matters here.

hill.andrew28d ago

Yo @william_jackson65 beat me to it but yeah that's exactly what I was gonna say lol. Management literally tracks how often we promise stuff but they don't track how often those promises actually hold up? That's backwards as hell. Quick question though - has your coworker ever tried just straight up telling a customer "I have no idea when someone will call you back" and seeing what happens? I'm curious if that gets you written up or if they just give you a dirty look and move on. Cause at some point lying just makes the angry calls worse when they finally figure it out.

william_jackson651mo ago

Oh man, that's the WHOLE problem right there - management probably tracks "promise rates" or something dumb that penalizes honesty but not the actual lies.