Reminder: yes I played tricks on telemarketers but customer service representatives clearly differs from telemarketers.

Maybe it was just me but I think it really is happening. What you say? Customer service executives in Malaysia, some of them, seem to have attitude problem.

Customer service executives. The designation itself has the part of 'service'. And you are in the service industry. Your job is basically to serve people or you are too proud to read through your job requirement hence you are not in the know. According to Dictionary.com (one entry only because it will be too long to paste everything), service means
- the performance of any duties or work for another; helpful or professional activity:

I used to be a customer service representative and I always think that I want to make other executives' lives better now. I know that listening and picking up phone calls can be tiring especially when the queue shows like 50 at a time. So, I try to be the customer who addresses the executives by name and be nice and sound nice.

Know what I get? Rubbish. Rubbish service for the call that I made.

My very recent experience was when I called a fast-food outlet. I was trying to be helpful and spelled my office address in country code. And talk about arrogance, he stopped me saying:
'Ya, I know..' and proceeded to say something else.
' No, that's not the name of the company. Get this down.' Mr Know It-All, you think I don't know the name of my own company?
And when the order came, my company name was spelled wrongly.

Seriously, do they ever train their staffs? Or would they want to consider providing hearing aids to their customer reps?

Then, another experience with telecommunication provider. I called up to change my credit limit and I know it was very early in the morning but that was the only time that I'm free. Definitely not at 5, I'm not that crazy. And the person who picked up the call sounded just fresh out of the bed and I was the one who greeted her very cheerfully, Good Morning and all. OK fine, I know it's very early.

When I proceeded to ask how can I change my credit limit, she went on and said, 'You have to pay this amount first before asking for a change,' which is fine. And then she added a second later: 'Faham tak?' in this patronizing voice.

I was shocked. It wasn't like I asked her three times. She told me to pay my bill the first time only and I truly don't get it when she said Faham tak like I asked her three times. Her evaluation? I gave her 2 out of 5. And that was considered generous.

In my last job, we were told to handle the customers well and if the customers are rude, we were to warn them three times before putting down the phone. There should be no sarcasm unless the customers are really really rude. And we have to apologise if the system was down or of the like although we were not at fault. Yes, it sounded dumb but that's what you do when you are in the service industry. People don't call you up for free and I'm sorry to add this but that is your job.

I rarely use customer service help in Malaysia and when I do, most of the times I will be disappointed. Of course, there are a few who are good but when I asked around, this is the kind of treatment that they get. If these customer reps are working in ... well, another country near us, they are done for. My colleague's name appeared in one of the newspapers as one customer made a complaint about an airline and he was just the messenger.

My advice is this: if you think that you are too good, too impatient, too arrogant, too intelligent, too smart, too lazy then too bad, just quit the job of customer service rep because as far as I'm concerned, Malaysians are reasonable. Of course, unless you wronged them. Hence, if you are not patient enough or can't bear answering simple questions, why not take a raincheck and apply for other jobs?

I'm sad. Again, do they ever train customer service representatives properly over here?