i can't even remember what i wrote about to come up with a subject line.

[fearlesstemp]

Watch this space: At some point this week, I may change my LJ name. I've been meaning to change it forever, but have been hampered by (a) laziness and (b) lack of creativity re: a new name. Still plagued by both, of course. But something about half of my LJ name being the same as the name as poor little Molly, off chasing baby bunnies in the great beyond, is finally getting to me, and so I Need A Change.

We'll see if I actually get my act together and do this, of course.

Last night I forgot to set my alarm, and so I woke up twenty minutes late this morning and had to skip showering. I feel gross, disgusting, and only half-awake because of this, which has made today particularly fun since everyone in the known world has decided to call this office. Often in a bad mood, with a crappy connection, and extremely long, complicated names.

While working these jobs, I often have these theories and epiphanies that are of no interest to anyone, and so, of course, I am going to share them in this space.

Temp Epiphany/Theory of the Day: It seems counterintuitive, but people who say, "How are you?" or "Who am I talking to?" when you answer the phone are far more likely to be demanding and difficult to handle than those who simply say, "[Random Attorney], please." It doesn't matter how pleasant their tone is when they ask, or if they seem interested in the answer. Just initiating conversation is the red flag.

Perhaps this is only a regional thing. I welcome input from any and all people who have worked the front lines of an office before.

I spent most of last night holed up in another lawyer's office downtown in my hometown, desperately calling people and trying to get them to go to the polls for the primary. My father's been involved in the local Democratic party forever, but last night was the first time I'd gone out to help, and it did feel good to be doing something. Also, I got a nifty Kerry/Edwards lawn sign! Go me!

Being in a non-swing state is at the same time comforting and frustrating. I mean, on the one hand, it's frustrating not to be able to do stuff locally to guarantee Kerry the election. On the other hand, if I lived somewhere like Ohio or Florida I'd probably have a hard time being civil to people voting for Bush. Here, where Kerry is winning easily, when faced with a Bush supporter I can usually step back after a couple of minutes of friendly debate and say, "Well, everyone's entitled to an opinion." In Ohio or Florida it would probably be more like, "Well, everyone's entitled to an opinion, but yours is WRONG and TERRIBLE and, and, and, WRONG!"

And I don't really want to talk to my Nana like that.

Today my father stopped by and picked up my old cell phone because they are doing construction near his building and accidentally cut the phone line. He left several messages on my new cell phone that said stuff like:

Message One: I'm calling from the HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS because I have NO PHONE SERVICE AT THE OFFICE and I NEED A CELL PHONE and so I'm going to have to BORROW YOUR OLD ONE! Call me at home, honeybunch. I'll be there in a minute. Bye.

Message Two: I'm at the house trying to find your old phone and it's NOT HERE! Do you have TWO cell phones with you? TWO PHONES?

Okay, so it doesn't translate over the internet, but I swear, they were hi-larious. I was doubled over at my desk. Because I find humor in my father's ill fortune.

I did have both phones, of course, but for a good reason. I used my new cell phone to call people last night, and burned a lot of minutes, and so I wanted to use what few minutes are left on my old cell phone plan today. Occasionally there is logic in my world.

Hey, it's 5PM, which means it's time to motor and I have no time to edit, but spent so long on this thing that I'm posting it.

Comments

[krabapple.livejournal.com]

No, in my professional phone answering experience (which is unhappily pretty extensive, mind you), those people who ask how you are or what your name is, unless they are frequent callers and thus know you and have a right to ask you about your day, are the most crankypants people on the planet.

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that those in particular who ask what your name is (or "To whom am I speaking") are the nastiest creatures of all, because in my experience they are making sure to get your name so that if something goes wrong, they can blame it on you to your boss or anyone else who is listening, loudly and verbosely, whether it is actually your fault or not.

Hmmmm . . . not bitter, am I? :)

[fearlesstemp.livejournal.com]

In fact, I'd go so far as to say that those in particular who ask what your name is (or "To whom am I speaking") are the nastiest creatures of all, because in my experience they are making sure to get your name so that if something goes wrong, they can blame it on you to your boss or anyone else who is listening, loudly and verbosely, whether it is actually your fault or not.

Yes! This is most definitely true! The ask-your-namers are much more likely than the regular how-are-youers to be totally crankypants (excellent term, by the way). But both seem like trouble when I first get them on the phone.

Also: Love that icon! Bucky!

[lawgeekgurl.livejournal.com]

Exactly!

Well, everyone's entitled to an opinion, but yours is WRONG and TERRIBLE and, and, and, WRONG!"


I'm in a non-swing state (although who knows in times to come, as it used to be heavily Republican, and now isn't, and it's right next door to Ohio and Indiana and Iowa, which go Republican) but I saw a bumper sticker on a car that said "Veterans Against John Fonda Kerry" and I wanted to kick the car. And the person. And the placard hanging in it said it was a handicapped person's car, and it's probably a handicapped vet, and I still want to kick them and say that protesting the war doesn't make you a traitor, no matter what war it was! Plus, Vietnam was WRONG! Gah!

Also, have I mentioned lately how much your family is just like mine? For me, it's my uncle who is a state representative Dem and has been since 1972. (Although in my home state of Indiana, and not Illinois, where I live now.) I grew up at his knee (he's my godfather too) and I like to say he's the last of the Kennedyesque Dems in that he prizes public service above all, pure public health advocate, very committed to Doing The Right Thing, and like that. He has been after me for five years to move home, move into his district and run for his seat. I'm like: hello, they're not so much with the nepostistic political dynasties in Indianapolis. What do you think, you live in New York City or Chicago?

[fearlesstemp.livejournal.com]

I'm in a non-swing state (although who knows in times to come, as it used to be heavily Republican, and now isn't, and it's right next door to Ohio and Indiana and Iowa, which go Republican) but I saw a bumper sticker on a car that said "Veterans Against John Fonda Kerry" and I wanted to kick the car. And the person.

LOL! But I totally understand that reaction -- every time I drive by a Bush sign or see a car with a Bush bumper sticker, I want to pull over and either kick the offending item or ask the person who owns it why on earth they're supporting him. I'd really like to know! I don't get it!

Also, have I mentioned lately how much your family is just like mine? For me, it's my uncle who is a state representative Dem and has been since 1972. (Although in my home state of Indiana, and not Illinois, where I live now.)

That's so cool! And I totally think you should run for his seat. Perhaps you could create a nepotistic political dynasty!

[jeviltwin.livejournal.com]

As a lifetime resident of Indiana, tell your uncle thank you from me, would you? We don't really have a shortage of Democrats where I am, in Southern Indiana, but still, the more Dems the merrier. :-)

[lawgeekgurl.livejournal.com]

how much do I love your icon. LOVE IT! LOVE!

I will tell him. You're in Southern Indiana? I know DuBois county and Vanderburgh county trend pretty D, right? (I worked for O'Bannon for a bit after I graduated law school and did legislative work, so I got to know a lot of folks - most of whom aren't there anymore, like the current Evansville mayor, and come to think of it, the current mayor of Bloomington - who I swear tried to shoot out my eye with a rubber band on time, but that's a whole other story.)

[jeviltwin.livejournal.com]

Icon by sombras_azules. It makes me happy.

I'm in Clark County, IN. The whole area I'm most familiar with seems to trend D -- of course, it's very old school D and not exactly the extremist liberal wing of the party, generally (we voted in Lee Hamilton for 200 years *g*), but I can live with that.

the current mayor of Bloomington - who I swear tried to shoot out my eye with a rubber band on time

Ooh. Political intrigue. :-)

[keenai.livejournal.com]

I am a person who asks "to whom am I speaking" and "how are you today."

However, I have worked phone lines, and mainly I do it because I'm either going to have to ask a lot of questions and it helps to be pleasant because I need their help OR I didn't catch their name when they said it (or they didn't say it), and I like addressing people by name when I'm speaking with them.

I haven't really encountered nasty people on the phones, though. It's been more of the face-to-face people that caused major issues.

[fearlesstemp.livejournal.com]

You're one of the nice ones! There are nice people who call and ask those questions, of course. But a lot of people seem to call and ask these questions to establish some kind of rapport in the hopes that I'll do something for them that I can't, like get an attorney who's not in the office to speak to him or her on the phone (I've had this happen before, when people call and think an attorney is ducking them and don't believe me when I tell them that no, really, he's not here! I couldn't put him on the phone if I wanted to!). It's probably from working in a law office, when people calling are usually stressed out and annoyed that the person who they want to talk to isn't available Right That Minute.

[meinnim.livejournal.com]

Temp Epiphany/Theory of the Day: It seems counterintuitive, but people who say, "How are you?" or "Who am I talking to?" when you answer the phone are far more likely to be demanding and difficult to handle than those who simply say, "[Random Attorney], please."

I've noticed the same thing. People who have time to ask 'How are you doing?' and 'Can I have your name?' usually have time to waste so they blather away. After the blathering comes the demanding and the huffing. 'What do you mean, you can't do it right now?' The ones who say 'so-and-so, please' just want to get things done so they don't waste time with pleasantries.

[fearlesstemp.livejournal.com]

I totally thought I had replied to this comment! Maybe only in my head? But in my imagined reply, I had said: Your experience sounds similar to mine. I much prefer the just-getting-business-done types, though usually not because I have so much business to get done myself. Usually it's because I have so much staring into space to get done, or checking my e-mail to get done. :)

[jeviltwin.livejournal.com]

I've been working the service end of a stock brokerage's research department for 10 years (!) and I've tried, over this time, to see some pattern in the way people address me on the phone. I would have to say that the worst callers here tend to be people who don't introduce themselves: we don't take calls from the public, so 99.999% of the time, it's a broker or someone else internal, and they may be mean but they're smart enough to know that if we know who is treating us like such shit we will call their manager and raise hell. A decent percentage of mean (and/or helplessly twitty, which is sometimes just as bad) brokers are from our northeast offices -- and I hate playing the regional card, but they're just in a much different environment. I was going to say they're in a more fast-paced world than Louisville, KY; but really, these are simply people who use that theory as an excuse to be jerks. I don't buy that being from NJ automatically makes you evil, yet our brokers are using certain perceptions to their advantage and my annoyance.

Both of the above groups are bad; hardly anyone who calls ever actually wants to speak to me (something I'm rather okay with), and the callers who tend to irritate me the most are inevitably the brokers who are a.) freaking out about something we have no control over (other depts., the Dow, hurricanes, etc.) and/or b.) too &^%$#@! lazy to look up readily available information on the company intranet. Which is why despite our pharmaceuticals analyst being at this company for 20 years, and despite this info being two mere clicks off the company homepage, people still call me as ask, "Yeah, who's the guy that follows Pfizer?"

My job would be a lot happier if they'd take my phone away. Or if they'd hire another secretary. Oh, how I wish.

[fearlesstemp.livejournal.com]

I love that icon. Love! Bucky!

I would have to say that the worst callers here tend to be people who don't introduce themselves: we don't take calls from the public, so 99.999% of the time, it's a broker or someone else internal, and they may be mean but they're smart enough to know that if we know who is treating us like such shit we will call their manager and raise hell.

I had the same experience when I was working at a job where I fielded a lot of internal calls in addition to the external call load. People were always v. careful to be nice (with one exception -- a woman in the CEO's office who was just plain mean to me a couple of times. I hated her without ever meeting her, and then when I was introduced, realized that she was someone I'd been exchanging pleasant, meaningless conversation with every few days in the cafeteria because we took lunch at the same time. The sense of betrayal I felt!).