(Look how freakin’ HAPPY they are!)

Today at work myself and a group of colleagues were in a training session on customer relationship care.  During one point of the training, we listened to some recorded calls from both our Australian and Canadian locations.  As the Canadian calls played, the room was filled with groans and remarks about how cheesy and “over the top” the call sounded, and not just from the Customer Service Reps either, but also from the customers they had serviced.  At one point a remark was made about how one of the Canadian reps sounded like she “was on drugs.”

My reaction? Homesickness.

I had forgotten these past two years what a difference there is in the day to day interactions we have with strangers in the UK vs. America (After all, the Canadian service reps sounded just as the American ones do).  Having worked in customer service roles my whole life, I had forgotten what it was like to hear a customer who was pleasant and bubbly, even if they went over of the top to meet you on the same level of bubbliness you had been trained to posses.  Here is a quote of one of the calls from the Canadian center we listened to (not direct quote, just basic jist):

Customer: “Hello, I was in a store purchasing (something) and my (company omitted) card was declined, just calling to check everything is ok”

Rep: “I am very sorry to hear that!  Let me check on that for you, and I am sorry for any embarrassment the decline caused you!”

Customer: “Oh no need to apologize at all, it was perfectly fine.”

(Cue lovely comparison of Ontario and New York weather whilst rep executes job).

What would that call have sounded like in the UK?  Well, I can tell you, because I get it on a daily basis:

Customer: (harsh tone) “My card’s been declined and I’d like to know why.  This happens all the bloody time, and if you dont tell me what you’re going to do to make up the EMBARASSMENT I experienced at the till with a queue behind me I am GOING TO CANCEL MY CARD AND TELL ALL MY FRIENDS AND COLLEAGUES TO NEVER USE YOUR COMPANY.  I AM VERY IMPORTANT I HAVE 200 EMPLOYEES AND THAT”S ALOT OF BUSINESS YOU’LL LOSE BECAUSE I’LL FORCE THEM TO CANCEL THEIR CARDS! AND IM PAYING FOR THIS CALL AS WELL, JUST ANOTHER WAY YOU’RE GETTING MY MONEY! I WANT TO BE COMPENSATED FOR THIS CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Rep: (cannot speak for he has already hung himself with phone cord)

Yeah, not joking.

It really got me thinking.  You might call  American/Canadian customer services over the top, too bubbly, or even “drugged up,” but I think anyone can read through the two scenarios above and decide which one they would rather be subjected to.  It’s a conscious decision people make when they phone up or deal with literally any other stranger:  they make the choice on how they are going to interact with that person.  And yes, while the over the top voice and language may be borderline fake (but it depends on the person)  I know I would MUCH rather fake niceties with someone than have to interact with someone who was going to let a small inconvenience ruin their ENTIRE LIFE (or act like it anyways). Because, at the end of the day, even pretend nice is better than no nice at all.

I’ve stopped wishing people here in the UK to “Have a good day!” because it isn’t well received.  They don’t know how to handle it or how to respond.  Most just laugh nervously, or mock my accent to someone  else as they put the phone down.  That’s how the British handle things: someone is nice to them and they’d rather mock it and put it down than accept it for what it is… because to do otherwise would force the culture to reflect on how miserable they are and how miserably they treat each other.

So go on and mock the customer service interactions in the USA and Canada… you can have your miserable exchanges and keep them for  yourselves!

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