For today’s post I would be discussing about spoken discourse. I feel that talking on the phone is sort of becoming a part of our daily life and no one would take much consideration about how one would start and end a call. However, from today’s seminar, we did find out that in different cultures, the way of opening and closing is very much in differences. As in the examples between American and Dutch phone openings, the Americans would identify the other party through voice recognition while the Dutch would self indentify themselves to the other party. This would be true in the early generation of phones but as technology keeps improving and with the use of value-added services like the Caller-Identification (Caller-ID), it would be as easy as A-B-C to indentify the other party by looking at the number displayed without any identification.
Next, I’m just wondering whether you guys ever received any calls from banks or insurance companies which kept calling you now and then to tell you to go to their place for a seminar on a new product or ask you to buy insurance or sign up a new credit card? If your answer is YES to any above, fret not! I have worked as a telesurveyor before and I knew how people reject such calls and I have actually come up with a few strategies to counter the banks and insurance companies.
Say Yong as SY
Bank/Insurance Companies as BIC
Strategy 1: Identify yourself as a Police Department
Phone ringing…
SY: [Picks up the phone and before I could say anything…]
BIC: Good morning! I’m calling from ABC bank and…
SY: [Before she could finish her sentences…] Hi good morning, this is Bedok Police Division, how can I help you?
BIC: Errrr…police department????
SY: Yes this is Bedok Police Division, how can I help you madam?
BIC: Are u sure…..errrr…
SY: Are you making a prank call madam? Do u know… [Want to tell her about the seriousness of making prank call]
BIC: That would be all. Byebye.
SY: [Can’t stop laughing]
SY 1 - 0 BIC
Strategy 2: Make the person your long lost friend
Phone ringing…
SY: Hello
BIC: Good Morning Mr Toh! I’m calling from DEF bank and…
SY: Wait! Are you John???
BIC: Errrr…no..actually i…
SY: Hey you are John right? How are you?! So long never hear from you already!
BIC: No Sir…actually I’m calling…
SY: Why didn’t you attend our last gathering??!
BIC: errr…I will call u back again…byebye.
SY: [Can’t stop laughing]
SY 2 - 0 BIC
Strategy 3: Be a bad customer
Phone ringing…
SY: Hello
BIC: Good Morning Mr Toh! I’m calling from DEF bank and…
SY: Who are you? How did you get my number?
BIC: oh actually we are…
SY: Is this a scam? I want to speak to your supervisior!
BIC: No no! Please hear me out…
SY: Not interested! [Hung up]
SY 3 – 0 BIC
Although some people may disagree with the methods highlighted above, but I am sure at some point in time, some of you may have even tried them before. But of course, you cannot use such strategies in all types of conversations or with anyone. As highlighted in the lecture, “contextual factors such as the degree of social distance between the participants” also played a significant role in the participants’ choice of responding. The above methods are commonly used on people you are unfamiliar with. On the other hand, if you are talking to someone who you are familiar with or another person of higher authority, you will certainly not use the above methods as they may seem to be overly random and sometimes too offensive.
Lastly, let me end this post by wishing Dr. Deng, Yiqiang, Jean, Zhifei, Guangyi, Andrea, Lim Hong, Joseph, Jonathan, Feizhen, Yong Ernn, Xianling, Kenneth, Lydia, Zhihan and James a very Happy Tiger Year ahead and, Hafiz, Nazrul, Priscilla and Sarah a happy holiday! :D
Hi Say Yong,
ReplyDeleteThat was quite an amusing post! I will definitely keep in mind those 3 ways to fob off any unsuspecting insurance agents who have the mishap of calling me! Anyway, I agree with you that the way we respond to situations is dependent on who we are speaking with. Not only the content, but the tone of our conversations changes according to who we are engaged in conversation with. For example, if I was speaking with someone of a higher authority, I would tend to be more serious than if I were speaking with a friend about the latest gossip.
On a different note, thanks for painstakingly typing out all our names and wishing us a Happy CNY too! Happy CNY to you too and may your harvest this year be bountiful! =]
-Jean
Hey Say Yong, thanks for the interesting advice and suggestions on responses to such telemarketing sales calls which are indeed so common in our everyday life. I think that another alternative way may be just simply telling/insisting with the caller that we are not interested and just say 'bye'. Hopefully the person will get the point and not call back again!
ReplyDeleteWish you a happy Chinese new year too and an enjoyable break week :)
Although I will not adopt any of the 3 methods that you've introduced in your post, I still find that your post has some form of 'entertainment' value. =)
ReplyDeleteTruthfully, if I really am not interested (and I wouldn't even spare him/her the chance to talk further)I would reply politely.
...
Me: I appreciate you calling me but I am (busy/I don't need your service/product) at the moment. Thank you but (no thanks/not now). *hang up (gently) without letting the operator talk*
I believe that you've worked as a telesurveyor yourself and it can get frustrating when your call is rejected. Don't you think so? So why not do it tactfully? =)
Being labelled a 'bad' customer by any company can have its consequences. Who knows you might need their product/service in the future ...
While I do agree that your strategies are innovative, I would prefer to use Sarah's answer.
ReplyDelete