Thanks for being nice...

I work at a consumer research center. That's just fancy talk for "call center". I'm the annoying person who interrupts you during dinner, begging you to take a survey.

I complain sometimes but it's really not that bad of a job. As long as I'm getting surveys, I'm getting paid pretty well, and the hours are really flexible. It's the perfect job for a college student. And in this economy, I'm grateful to have a job at all.

But sometimes I get really discouraged by the reactions I get from the people I'm calling. I've been sworn at, threatened, and even hit-on. It's like, people think that, because they can't see me, I'm not a person. Do you really think I do this for some twisted vindictive reason? I'm not caling you during dinner because I want you to starve to death. I'm calling because A) That's when my hours are, and B) I didn't know you were having dinner right then. I do this because I have a responsibility to help support my young family. Every time someone asks me, "What's wrong with you? Why the "beep" are you calling me right now?" I wish so badly that I could just respond with, "I'm calling because it's my job and this is how I get food on the table."

On the other hand, every so often I speak with someone really nice. And I'm not just talking about the people who take my surveys and help me get paid a decent wage. Even the people that tell me, "You know what, I just don't feel comfortable taking surveys on the phone. Sorry! I hope you have better luck with you next call." or "Sorry, I really don't want to do it. But thanks for calling." That's right, there are people out there who actually thank me for interrupting there dinner. Those are the people that keep me going. If I've had an especially rough day, and one person is nice like that, it lifts my spirits so much that I often respond with, "That's fine, thank you so much for being nice to me." My co-workers laugh, but they understand. When someone treats you with respect and acknowledges your humanity, you just can't help but want to make them feel good too somehow.

Sometimes, I call lonely people who take my surveys just so they can talk to someone. Even though it cuts back on my pay I will sometimes stay on the line and talk with them for a bit after the survey. I want to find some way of serving them. I have a rough job, it shows me both the good and the bad sides of people. It makes me feel determined to be better myself. I try to make people happy when I talk to them on the phone, and I think that sometimes they appreciate it; even if I did call in the middle of Dancing with the Stars.

This is kind of a rambling blog, but I guess my point is that we should treat everyone with respect, whether that person is a waitress, a bellhop, or a telemarketer.

And if you were one of the nice people I called, whether you took my survey or not, thank you! You made my day.