Just smile and nod

Most of my calls at work are people who are upset because their phones don't work. To a degree I can understand that, you're paying for something and it's not working. But some people act as if the world were about to end and it's all my fault.
One typical scenario: Customer calls because they can't surf the internet on their phone. The problem is, they're on that phone, and I can't do any other troubleshooting unless I call then back on a different phone.
'I don't have another phone.'
or 'I'm on the road, can't you just fix it on your end?'
I'm sorry that society has come down to the fact that people only have one phone and it's wireless. As a matter of fact and for working purposes, I have a landline. I also have an emergency cell. The weird part is: as these customers are waiting to get on, the system is telling them the same thing I tell them. If you are calling from the phone that is having the problem, please call from a different phone.
And sometimes, the problem is not on our end, and there are things we need to do on the phone to get it working again. That's just the plain harsh fact of PDA's.
A few years back, before broadband became inexpensive enough to use, people used modems to connect to the internet. Archaic by our standards today, but back then it was great! Except when you had a problem. You'd have to call tech support using the same phone you just disconnected from the Internet, and they'd tell you the same things I'm telling customers now. We can't help you unless you're online, which you can't do when you're on the line you're calling from.
Sometimes, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
A few pointers to get the best of customer service:
1. Don't call in when you're angry: 'You won't like me when I'm angry.' That's true for any form of customer service/tech support. We won't like you.
2. If you must call in when you're angry, don't take it out on the rep. Would you like being yelled at 40 times a day? Neither do we!
3. Don't rattle off your information as if you're Chef Ramsey testing his cooks! You'll usually wind up repeating yourself.
4. Don't insult your rep. It may sound silly, but there are those that like to say things like 'Are you deaf?'


Those are just a few of the things I go through on a daily basis. If you won't put up with rude reps why should I put up with rude customers? Yet I just smile and nod through most of it.