Getting bad feedback in my new job

[jazz_lover]

I started a new job a month ago. It is a call centre arrangement whereby a team of about 12 provide financial and company law advice via phone and web chat. There is a lot of training regarding call handling the CRM systems and filling knowledge gaps as you need to be a generalist and you start by listening and watching others handle queries then you get assisted and eventually you handle them alone but with the ability to take queries away for further research consult with the rest of the team via teams etc and of course quality control so your calls get monitored with feedback provided and then if advice is missing something you are required to call clients back etc. 

There is a six month probation period and every week informal probation meetings. 
 

As you can imagine there is an awful lot to take in and learn and it is a bit unnerving being under pressure to give the right advice and research under time pressure while client is on hold or waiting on web chat. Presumably it gets easier over time as you get better at handling calls and you start to get the same type of questions. 
 

But it seems all I get is criticism and not even particularly helpful at that. 
 

Second week I was told I talk over people. When really it was because no one would ever let me get a word in edge ways and would just tell me the answer or what to say to the client without giving me a chance to do my own thinking. I explained this to my manager and she asked my trainers to pull back a bit which they did to some degree.

It’s been a month now and I had another meeting and this time my manager said there are concerns raised by the team she feels obliged to share and apparently they think I don’t like to job and don’t seem interested and seem more concerned in getting to the answer than understanding the background. 
 

I told her the previous week I like the job and find the queries interesting and like learning new things. I wasn’t sure how to respond to something so subjective and just said that I’m finding everything overwhelming as there is a lot to take on but i like the job fine and find it interesting. 
 

Of the team of 12, 10 of them are women and most of them have been working together for years and talk a lot about family stuff kids pets etc. I’ve tried to include myself in conversations and listened while they talk about all of these things but it’s hard to relate and most of them are very chatty while I’m a quieter kind of guy. And they’ve made little attempt to ask me questions or draw me out. 
 

it also doesn’t help they keep talking about different people who seem to have left after a month or two. The official line is they weren’t sacked but just decided the job wasn’t for them but I do wonder. 
 

I don’t really know what to do. I am trying my best and trying to learn as fast as I can. I’m starting to handle web chats and calls myself which is scary and obviously I’ll make mistakes in the beginning and it will take time to build confidence and handle calls efficiently 

But after this feedback I feel more pressure because it seems people are gossiping about me and making subjective judgments and don’t seem to like me and I don’t feel at all supported 

I do find the job interesting but it’s very political and I can see how the other team members can make life very difficult for me if they don’t like me especially as my manager seems to be constantly canvassing them for feedback as she’s too busy to get much involved in my training and only works part time and is always taking days off sick etc 

And I worry that if they feel I don’t fit in as I’m on six month probation they can just kick me out and hire someone else. 
 

Not to mention it would look bad on my CV especially as this was a forward step in my career and it takes time to find new jobs especially in this economy so could he out of work for a while or have to get a new job that isn’t for me. 

Any advice ? I’m very stressed and unhappy. And it feels very unfair when I’m really doing my best 

[DarkCh0c0]

2 hours ago, jazz_lover said:

I’m very stressed and unhappy

Is this because of the feedback? Or Culture?

For now, don't worry at all about fitting in. Just focus about doing a good job within their standards.

Ideally, what kind of support would you like from your peers or manager? Think about, and forward it to your manager next week.

2 hours ago, jazz_lover said:

Not to mention it would look bad on my CV especially as this was a forward step in my career and it takes time to find new jobs especially in this economy so could he out of work for a while or have to get a new job that isn’t for me. 

Recruiter tip: If possible, don't bother putting a job that didn't last more than a couple of months on your CV. Or at least not on your linkedin. Be street smart about it. And, keep applying for jobs and keep your options open as you allow the current situation to unfold. When asked about this job, just say you tried it out and it wasn't the right fit for you. And it sounds that potentially you won't miss out on a lot if you were to leave the job due to the politics/culture. Just like you've found this job, you'll find another one.

Also, could it be your nerves and self-doubt talking? You're just on your first month. It does get easier with time.

[catfeeder]

The good news is, the criticism isn't technical. They're not calling you 'wrong' or incompetent, they're responding to your seriousness and a possible lack of warmth that has you coming off as unhappy to be there.

That's fixable. You don't need to win employee of the year or force people to love you, but you can certainly be warm and kind to your coworkers and your customers. You can avoid being defensive, which will only compound the narrative that you are unhappy.

Instead, thank those who help you in a friendly and encouraging way. If you believe that you've offended anyone, ask them for a quick chat and explain that you've been too nervous to properly thank them for their help, and you hope to rectify that going forward. A little bit of kind sentiment can work wonders to move people toward rooting FOR you instead of feeling put off by you.

[Batya33]

I agree with the input and I feel badly for you!! It sounds disheartening all this negative stuff they're putting on you when you're brand new.

Do the women bring in treats for the  group? If so why not offer to do that one day a week or something like that. 

[jazz_lover]

Yes I think a part of it may be that I am serious and quieter than the others who tend to be loud and chatty. And being one of only two men in a team of 12 (and the other man is fully remote) also isn't easy. Most of my career I've worked in male dominated environments and all they care about is whether you can do the job or not. 

Training is pretty intense as well because there is a lot to learn in terms of call handling, developing the breadth of knowledge to deal with the wide range of queries the team gets and all the IT stuff as well. So that is stressing me out a bit and also pushing me into my shell. 

Obviously it takes time before you get up to full speed and while allowances are made for that there is a lot of quality control and scrutiny. I have no problem with objective constructive feedback as I am keen to develop the skills and knowledge to do the job to the best of my capacity. And I am expecting that in the weeks to come. 

But I don't really know how to deal with all this subjective stuff. It also doesn't feel like it is coming from a particularly nice place. When my boss delivered the feedback she got all serious and gave me this spiel about how there have been concerns raised and it wouldn't be fair not to share them with me and I really felt quite shaken by the end of it. She tried to backtrack a bit at the end saying these were just impressions and we can't all read minds etc. and now she knows a bit more she will feed back to the others. 

And my worry is that teamwork is emphasized a lot in this role and they might just get rid of me because they don't feel I fit in and it feels a bit of a popularity contest because my boss is clearly fielding feedback from everyone in my team and it all seems to be very subjective and negative. And presumably they've all been gossiping about me and reached some kind of groupthink consensus. And I feel quite hurt because I felt like I had some positive interactions with some of them at least and I've been polite to everyone and tried to take an interest and get to know them. 

 

And I also worry it is going to color their evaluation of my work once I do start taking calls and webchat and get monitored and receive feedback. 

I don't know if it might help but next week is my last week of training and after that I go fully remote. Maybe that distance might help. 

 

 

[Kwothe28]

On 11/8/2024 at 2:06 PM, jazz_lover said:

It’s been a month now and I had another meeting and this time my manager said there are concerns raised by the team she feels obliged to share and apparently they think I don’t like to job and don’t seem interested and seem more concerned in getting to the answer than understanding the background. 

Some jobs are just a bad fit for us from one way or the other. In your case, you just dont fit in. Not only your genitalia is wrong, but you are not loud and chatty and therefore stick like a soar thumb. Even if you did everything alright, you would still get ratted out to Boss and how you dont fit in. Because you dont fit in with 10 loudmouth women who stick like a clique with each other. You wont get an answers about anything because they dont accept you as one of their own and even if you get some tangible results in actual job, they would still booth you out as a "bad fit". Which you are according to them. If you were, for example, loudmouth gossiper like them, you would maybe have a chance. But like this, I dont really think you are fitting in. You just went into bad environment where your strengths cant come to the surface. 

You are wasting your time there. I suggest you dedicate some percent of your time from now on to try to find some better job. I have a feeling from what you said this one aint gona last past your training. Even if you deliver them some results.

[DarkCh0c0]

5 hours ago, jazz_lover said:

don't know if it might help but next week is my last week of training and after that I go fully remote. Maybe that distance might help. 

 

Well then, the culture problem will be solved. Once you will be remote, you'll be away from all this chit chatty gossiping culture. You'll be able to focus on the work and forget about them ladies. At least until you score another job.

5 hours ago, jazz_lover said:

And my worry is that teamwork is emphasized a lot in this role and they might just get rid of me because they don't feel I fit in and it feels a bit of a popularity contest because my boss is clearly fielding feedback from everyone in my team and it all seems to be very subjective and negative.

Listen, worst case scenario, if this is how they really feel, then let it rip. Let them set you free. You didn't sign up to work in such gossip girl environment, did you? It's not your fault they turned out to be like this.

[jazz_lover]

There will still be a lot of interaction even after I go fully remote as I will be expected to consult with more experienced members on more complex queries. Every call and webchat I do in the early stages will be subject to quality control review so there will be a lot of feedback resulting from that. 

My friend suggested that because in the first month they don't have much to go on as I am mostly work shadowing then they are just relying on "impressions". So it might be beneficial that in the coming weeks there will be measurable work output that they can assess and monitor the pace of improvement. My boss will also be a lot more involved in this so will be less reliant on reports from other team members and getting her on my side is going to be the most important thing. 

My boss has told me that no one expects too much in the beginning and it is usual that you might give the wrong advice or incomplete advice and get told to call the client back. She also says it is normal that you would need to take away a lot of queries for further research and no one is looking at any stats in the early months and it often takes a year for people to get up to full capacity in terms of call handling etc. 

But when it is guaranteed that it will take time before I am fully competent at the job and consistently giving good advice I would seem to be reliant on the manager/team saying "He's improving and just needs more time" rather than "He's not good enough and let's cut our losses" and if they liked me they'd be more likely to give me the benefit of the doubt. 

But I guess at this stage I have nothing to lose. So should stop worrying about what they think and trying to impress them and just do the job to the best of my ability and take any objective constructive feedback on my work performance on board and show that I am trainable regardless of their personal feelings about me and I am not going to walk away and they'll have to give me the push. 

Quite a few of my colleagues have hinted that a lot of new trainees haven't lasted long (which isn't exactly helpful for a new trainee to hear!) but tried to imply "Oh the boss has never actually fired anyone they just decided the job wasn't for them".  

So that might buy me some time if they are hoping I will just get fed up and leave of my own accord.  

And they might start to respect me if I take all the negative feedback calmly without getting emotional and defensive and respond in a constructive way and think "well he must like the job and be interested in it if he is still here" 

But it is a bit bizarre really. They know this job has a steep learning curve so I don't know why they can't give me a break as the new guy and let me settle in and try to build up my confidence with positive feedback or constructive feedback which will help me do the job better. 

 

 

 

 

[Batya33]

40 minutes ago, jazz_lover said:

They know this job has a steep learning curve

Knowing and acting on it in ways to train effectively are two different things.  Also if they're cliquey and old timers they may say so but they're out of touch with how steep it is having been in the job for so long -they "should" be able to remember and incorporate that memory in the training -if they care enough.  Also they're probably looking closely at your reaction to their comments/feedback. I am a woman and I prefer straight shooters whatever gender -not the touchy feely stuff - "I must "share"" - are we in a workplace or is it kindergarten story time /show and tell time?

When I train people and/or give feedback I like to focus on facts/objectivity -obviously in a polite way but in a basic, factual way. Leave the kumbaya stuff out of it especially on email because the touchy feely stuff can be seen as too much like gushy or misinterpreted as patronizing.  In a healthy workplace with training and a steep learning curve it's even more important IMO to be fact-based because the other stuff is just noise.  Sure when the day is over if the trainer says -look let me buy you a coffee downstairs and you take a breather and chat about where  you're going on your next holiday fine -but the gossipy/cliquey stuff is such a waste of time especially in your situation. 

Problem is if the boss is seeing productivity/good results from the clique then they might not want to hear or sense that you're not fitting in in a team player way and it's easier to just substitute in a new "trainee."  Also do you think they're that good at their jobs -is the feedback actually helpful in how you are supposed to handle these calls? Or are they just sort of on autopilot and expecting you'll just absorb it like a sponge?

[jazz_lover]

The main trainers have been doing this for about 3-4 years so would have taken thousands of calls and web chats unassisted. At this point I’ve taken about half a dozen calls with some assistance and a dozen or so web chats. 
 

I wouldn’t say they are particularly good at training. They seem on auto pilot and when assisting they basically just tell me the answer along with a lecture rather than giving me a chance to think aloud and I’ve told this to my boss and she agrees and has asked them to pull back a bit which they’ve done to some degree. They don’t seem particularly engaged or empathetic. One of them likes to say she’s abrupt and never had any complaints. The other one just seems to be going through the motions. 
 

I should be getting more objective feedback as I start handling calls and web chats without assistance and get feedback after the calls. I haven’t been given much feedback to date regarding actual calls and web chats I’ve handled (albeit with some prompting and assistance from my trainers) and what little feedback I’ve had has been fairly positive. And just little helpful criticisms about call handling have been pointed out to me which I’ve tried to take on board eg we aren’t allowed to offer tax advice so instead of just saying we can’t advise on tax I’ve been encouraged to suggest resources they could consult and be a bit more apologetic 

[catfeeder]

4 hours ago, jazz_lover said:

So should stop worrying about what they think and trying to impress them and just do the job to the best of my ability and take any objective constructive feedback on my work performance on board and show that I am trainable regardless of their personal feelings about me and I am not going to walk away and they'll have to give me the push. 

Yes and no. Worrying forces a high-anxiety state that can compound the problem; but demonstrating concern? Yes, do that. Their feedback IS constructive. Customer service isn't just data entry and correct answers, it deals with people. The feelings you inspire in people will determine whether their experience with you is good, or whether they feel like you don't care about their exchanges with you.

No matter what kinds of technical mistakes you make in a place where mistakes are expected, being good-natured about your nervousness and being generous with your coworkers, in the same manner you'd hope they'll be generous with you, is the best way to get people on your side. Your degree of warmth informs everyone whether or not YOU welcome THEM. And if you come off as UNwelcoming, you are not demonstrating the skills you need to host good 'people' services.

This doesn't mean you need to gossip, but it does mean demonstrating a kind receptivity and a bit of humor with your colleagues. Say they talk about cooking. Instead of walling them off or commenting, "Well, I don't cook..." you could listen, laugh along, and say, "I really wish I had more talent with cooking; I do love good food." That's encouraging and demo's an openness to the discussion. Say they talk about makeup or skincare, you could listen along and ask, "Do you know of any men who use skincare?" Then just let the opinions rip, ask whether they've seen good results, and ask for some tips on what you could buy and how to use it. (This doesn't obligate you to use the advice, but it engages people to be generous with what they know.)

[DarkCh0c0]

7 hours ago, jazz_lover said:

But I guess at this stage I have nothing to lose. So should stop worrying about what they think and trying to impress them and just do the job to the best of my ability and take any objective constructive feedback on my work performance on board and show that I am trainable regardless of their personal feelings about me and I am not going to walk away and they'll have to give me the push. 

That's a good attitude.

7 hours ago, jazz_lover said:

And they might start to respect me if I take all the negative feedback calmly without getting emotional and defensive and respond in a constructive way and think "well he must like the job and be interested in it if he is still here

100%

Taking it all in a good spirit will get you a long way.

[jazz_lover]

Thanks. It is hard to tell how worried I should be.

The training period is five weeks so next week is my last week. I would assume that once I've been considered to be "trained" then I'm fair game for them to fire me. 

It is hard for me to tell whether the feedback is coming from a good place i.e. we care about your welfare and want you to enjoy and be interested in the job or something more sinister. From the way my boss raised the issue it sounded more like she was trying to provide me with a fair warning. 

I've tried to engage with others asking them questions about their interests and expressing concern when one of them had a bad cough and trying to find common ground whenever I could. But it is hard when they've made next to no attempt to draw me out and take an interest in me. 

I also find that the trainers have little interest in my thoughts on any of the queries and tend to just cut me off and tell me the answer to the query along with some background explanation and I've explained this to my boss and she says we all have different learning styles and I will pass on this feedback to the trainers. 

I have also been trying to take on board more objective feedback. For example my trainer told me that I need to brush up on a certain technical area so during my offline time I did some reading on it and clarified a few points with her and asked her advice on whether there were any other resources she thought I should refer to. And when I was told to be more helpful when I was telling clients we couldn't give tax advice I asked for a script to help me direct them to other resources available. 

I am hoping it is a positive that I will be taking some calls and webchat myself and receiving feedback as a result of them which will give me a chance to show that I can learn from feedback and show improvements over the course of the week. 

But it is frustrating that my boss works part time and is very busy managing the team so she mostly receives second hand feedback and it seems to be having a negative spin and seems to be based mostly on impressions rather than objective evidence. And if my trainer is that way inclined I am inexperienced enough that she will find plenty to criticize in the early calls and webchats I handle. 

I'm trying to stay positive but I've been feeling anxious all weekend and my confidence is shot. 

 

 

[catfeeder]

1 hour ago, jazz_lover said:

It is hard for me to tell whether the feedback is coming from a good place i.e. we care about your welfare and want you to enjoy and be interested in the job or something more sinister.

Work is not a therapeutic environment, so caring about your welfare beyond what you contribute to a team of 'people' in a job serving 'people' is up to you. There is nothing sinister about telling you that you don't come off as warm and welcoming enough to enjoy the job or the people you interact with. It IS demoralizing to a team to deal with someone who appears withdrawn and unhappy to be there.

Quote

... it is hard when they've made next to no attempt to draw me out and take an interest in me. 

It's nobody else's responsibility to draw you out, it's your job to step up and demonstrate an interest in working well with others. If they were looking for a technically perfect AI bot, they'd just implement that. Instead, they are looking for a human who WANTS to support a human team with human customers. 

I'd decide whether reasonably warm people skills is something you're willing to attempt. If not, it doesn't make you 'wrong' or bad, it just means that a less social line of work might be something you would enjoy as a better fit, as has been true of so many of the people before you who have attempted this role and decided that it's not for them.

Head high, you are 'right' either way. It's your decision.

[jazz_lover]

Thanks I am reserved by nature and hasn't really been a problem for me in previous jobs but perhaps it means I am not a good fit for this one. I am better one-on-one than in group situations so hoping that I can win them over one by one as now my training is winding down I am having to consult with different team members depending on who is available. 

I am working from home today but trying extra hard to be super polite and use emoticons etc and thanking everyone for every little bit of advice I am being given.

I get the feeling it is the main person training me who seems to have a problem with me and would be who most of the feedback is coming from. I was a bit surprised as I didn't realize it as I quite liked her and enjoy her sense of humour. But I think an issue is that when she is training she just wants to lecture whereas I want to engage a bit and test my thinking and approach to questions and be guided instead of just being told the answer. I tried to explain this to my boss and she agreed and asked the trainer to pull back a little and occasionally she does remember to ask me what my thoughts are but she is very loud and chatty and it is hard to get a word in edge wise and she overloads me with information so it is a lot to take on board. 

The plan was for me to have a diversity of trainers as my boss understands that different people work better together but because of half term and sickness and various other reasons most of my sessions have been concentrated with her.

On the plus side my training is almost over so in future I will be consulting with different people and my quality control feedback is split between different senior members so that might help. 

And probably with this trainer I just have to accept her training style doesn't suit me and just listen patiently and stay quiet so she feels heard. 

But she's been a bit cold and brusque with me today (albeit via teams so hard to judge) so not quite sure what else I can do to get her onside. I did update her in the morning on a query we were both handling saying I hoped she had a nice weekend but she just gave me a thumbs up emoji. 

[Batya33]

Do you know if the boss and your trainer are personal friends?

[jazz_lover]

Most definitely they've been working together for 4 years or more 

[jazz_lover]

Halfway through my final week of training. The trainer I mentioned is sick so working from home so I’ve had different trainers this week and it’s gone a bit smoother as they are more to the point and focused on my training needs. 
 

I’ve had some feedback on web chats I’ve handled that has been generally positive and on the assisted calls most of the feedback has been on call handling rather than advice given and they’re helping me build a script to help with that. 

Bumped into someone from a different department on the lift. He asked me how I was finding it. I said it was good and I was learning a lot. He said the core team has been there a while but there have been a lot of comings and goings. And throughout my training quite a few colleagues have made casual reference to this job not being for everyone and a lot of people haven’t stayed. It hasn’t been particularly helpful as it’s added to the pressure and not sure what to read into it all. 
 

They invest a lot into training as they cover hotel and travel costs and experienced staff are having to take considerable time out of their work schedule to supervise trainees and most people in my industry have 3m notice periods so would take months to hire a replacement so high turnover doesn’t seem to be ideal from a business perspective. 

My boss definitely doesn’t like me and treats me differently to the others and is very brusque but she’s a good trainer and I’ve had a few training sessions with her and I’m learning a lot from her. 
 

I feel like I’m walking on eggshells and trying to keep my head down and avoid doing or saying anything that could possibly cause offence or draw criticism and being extra polite and it seems to be helping . 

I’m thanking everyone after each session and being very attentive and trying to hang off every word and taking lots of notes etc. 

On Friday my boss will probably schedule another feedback session so hopefully I get better feedback this week

 

 

 

[Batya33]

Hope it goes well on Friday!!

[jazz_lover]

Turned out it was my one month probation meeting today. My boss said they technically I had the required baseline and I was doing a good job on web-chats. But she needed to see a ramp up in my performance on the phones as I still sounded nervous and uncomfortable and that meant even when my advice was good it would cast uncertainty in the clients minds. And suggested I come into the office another week or however long I need to get more practice with someone sat next to me and they’d compensate me for hotel travel expenses etc.

She also made a few references to other trainees not working out saying 50% don’t make it. As I’ve heard similar things from other team members and even random people from other departments I asked her about this saying that it was contributing to my nerves.

She explained they’d been a bit recruitment drive in recent years and therefore trainees dropping out or being let go was more noticeable than when they were less actively recruiting but there had been several people who’d joined over the last year and were still here and flying. And gave a few examples where people had just decided the job wasn’t for them and there had only been a few instances where people had to be let go because they couldn’t do the job. And that you get that in any job and they have been trying to get better at recruitment and tried to explain the job to people before they decide to accept job offers. 
 

She didn’t say anything subjective about what people think of me or anything like that it was pretty factual and objective. 

And it is fair that I do find the phones a bit nerve wracking as you do not know what is coming and need to think on your feet and also handle the techy admin bits in parallel and have the confidence and judgement to put clients on hold and take queries away for further research. 
 

I’ll see if my confidence can build in the coming weeks but I’ll understand that if I cannot get comfortable on the phones then I’m not suited for the job. But hopefully it’s just a case of more practice and being a bit more selfish in terms of putting myself first rather than worrying too much about keeping the client waiting. That is hard for me as I feel guilty when the member is on hold waiting or i need to take his query away as the more experienced members are able to answer 90% of calls there and then but I know it isn’t expected in the first year. 

[catfeeder]

On 11/13/2024 at 8:45 AM, jazz_lover said:

He said the core team has been there a while but there have been a lot of comings and goings. And throughout my training quite a few colleagues have made casual reference to this job not being for everyone and a lot of people haven’t stayed. It hasn’t been particularly helpful as it’s added to the pressure and not sure what to read into it all. 

Consider viewing this differently. It's not more pressure on you, it's less. It means they're all aware of how tough the job is, and all the turnover reflects on their training and their perceived treatment of new people. Sounds like they are aware of this, and they recognize that THEY need to straighten up and fly right--and not take new people for granted. So the likelihood of them firing you is very slim. That's GOOD! It puts you in the power position to decide whether YOU like THEM and want to stay, or not.

Head high, JL!

[jazz_lover]

I wouldn't necessarily say that. There is a bit of flexibility to the training programme and they are giving me a few weeks more training before having me go live unassisted on the phones. But they do expect a big ramp up and explained that phones are the most important aspect of the job and I need to get comfortable and sound confident on the phones as otherwise it undermines the advice I am giving. 

I don't think there is any expectation that I can give advice on the spot and they say it is quite common in the beginning to take a lot of queries away for further research and then call back. And they say my technical knowledge baseline is fine and they will give me offline time to upgrade my knowledge by looking at database of past queries and reading up on areas I am not so hot on. 

So I think it is really a confidence thing. And I have been encouraged to be more selfish and put myself first. That isn't something I find easy to do in a work environment. I feel guilty when I have to put customers on hold and then under pressure while I am looking stuff up as I know they are waiting. And I also feel guilty when I have to take queries away for more research and can only help them so much on the initial call. Generally I am finding that depending on the query I can answer perhaps 25-75% in real time (depending on the complexity of the question and how familiar I am with the subject area) but it is rare that I can get them all the way there without taking it away for further research or consultation with more experienced colleagues and then calling them back (which often results in a bit of phone tennis).

I am reassured that it is quite typical and experienced colleagues tell me that when they came back from maternity leave and had forgotten a lot they took a lot of calls away and even sometimes do so today. 

And they tell me that end of the day the customers are benefiting as they get the right advice in the end and sometimes better advice than if they'd been answered on the spot.

Intellectually it makes sense but psychologically I am struggling to get comfortable with the idea that people are coming to me for advice and I am having to turn them away and call them back especially as they've been queuing for often up to an hour or two. 

 

 

[Batya33]

1 hour ago, jazz_lover said:

Intellectually it makes sense but psychologically I am struggling to get comfortable with the idea that people are coming to me for advice and I am having to turn them away and call them back especially as they've been queuing for often up to an hour or two. 

 

So is it possible this sort of work isn't for you if it's such a psychological burden? As we all know there are those who truly wouldn't care or brush it off "oh well I did my best."  I spoke with two customer reps at our insurance company in the last 3 months -same issue on their end processing our claim wrong and costing us $$.  One could NOT care less and tried to tell me I was mistaken (nope) and didn't apologize for her mistake and said oh well there's nothing we can do to prevent this from happening monthly. The person I spoke with two weeks ago (1) got the issue resolved in half the time of the rude person; (2) solutionized as to how to keep this issue from recurring monthly and (3) actually looked into a claim I had recently submitted and said - hey they actually processed this one correctly so maybe we're on a better path now.

Night and day difference.  The first person truly didn't care -so I suspect- might be wrong -she's not struggling with whether I waited on hold/felt acknowledged/would get our $.  The other not only cared but really it takes very few words/very little time to treat the caller with respect -perhaps she is a person who wants to go home at night knowing she did her best and treated people in a human way.  Takes all kinds. Just figure out which kind you are.  I'm glad though that your feedback is much much better than you'd feared.

[catfeeder]

6 hours ago, jazz_lover said:

Intellectually it makes sense but psychologically I am struggling to get comfortable with the idea that people are coming to me for advice and I am having to turn them away and call them back especially as they've been queuing for often up to an hour or two. 

Hi JL, you are not turning them away, you are taking on research for them.

This isn't just typical of your company; everyone does this. Some older folks might not be patient about it, but everyone else knows the drill, so try to relax about that.

The more you can relax, the kinder you will come across. Think of this as one human trying to help another rather than expecting yourself to operate as efficiently as a bot.

Head high, and I think you've got this.

[jazz_lover]

Thanks. My boss filled out the official HR mandated commentary for the 1st month performance review.

General comment was that progress had not been satisfactory and as a remedial step I had agreed to come into the office for another week for additional phone training and my boss expressed disappointment on the form that I had not picked up the call handling skills expected to have been attained by this stage and she expected a lot of improvement over the next few weeks. 

It is much as I expected as I will be the first to admit I am not comfortable on the phones. Hopefully trying to relax and sound more confident rather than worrying whether or not I will be able to help the callers (at least on the spot) will help on that score.