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Now, I’, m expected to justify why I don’t want a loan from my bank!

     

     

    Now, I’, m expected to justify why I don’t want a loan from my bank!

     

    I got a call from my bank a couple of minutes ago and a male voice (borderline of rude and loud) goes ‘Am I speaking with Mrs. Rashmi Arun?’ and I say ‘Yes’. Not disappointed till here and all is good. Anything other than a ‘Who is this?’ is fine by me. Don’t you all sense a Scope of improvement for Soft Skills trainers here because I surely do. May I sincerely suggest it might do the company a great deal of good if their employees, especially tele-callers are given basic training on their communication and language skills instead of boring them with lessons in different accents and styles (No offense to all those wonderful trainers who sincerely try to bring in sophistication and service together and make all customers feed good).

    Back to my story, this guy on the other end of my telephone doesn’t seem to let go and gets back to the conversation, coming across as more adamant as ever. While I gave my reply a few minutes ago and waiting to hear the ‘click’ when the line goes dead, let me tell you that there is sometimes, a rudeness in this as well. While a ‘click’ is a pleasant sound, ‘Baaaaang’ is not so. Your experience with a tele-caller is completely unpredictable and you have absolutely no control over it. Are you asking ‘how come?’. Well, simply because you have no control over his / her life that day? His dog chewed up one of his shoes and he had no time to buy a new pair so he unhappily settled for an older pair (no sneakers allowed at work and it was not a Saturday but he was smart to come in to office earlier than the rest and got out of his chair only twice the whole day and his colleagues were busy offering personal loan to their clients). If your tele-caller is a ‘her’, my sincere advice is for you to either shout ‘Hello hellllllooooo. I’m not able to hear you sorry please call back’ or sound an emergency situation like you are having a heart attack and currently getting to the hospital in your car (avoid saying ‘driving to the hospital for god sake) and you may consider her offer of a personal loan!!!.

    Well my caller was a guy, relentless I must say, for, I found his next question very ridiculous and it left me with thinking for an answer. He asked me (by now it was almost 3 minutes in to the call and I was already creating a mind map for this article and he had mellowed down a bit in his tone) ‘Can I know why you don’t want a personal loan mam?’. (Sorry to be flashing a red card here again for trainers, refer back to the lesson on ‘May I and Can I’ please).

    I didn’t know where to begin for this question? I didn’t know whether it is proud that I should be feeling or guilty or even a little hopeless for that matter. While it was clear to me that the bank expected me to jump at the offer and begin taking copies of the necessary documents for loan processing, the guilt came because somewhere in my mind I thought I’m a disappointing customer to the bank.

    I was jolted by the ring of my home phone and I realised that the caller is still waiting for my reply (I could imagine him sitting at his desk, his head tilted right to balance his cell phone resting on his shoulders, furiously ticking the pen in his hands and scratching my name from the big list of customer lying on his table who will be his victims today).

    I finally collected the words from the back of my mind and said ‘I’m sorry I don’t have any big plans on spending that kind of money right now and I will surely contact the bank in future If a need arises’. Perfect line isn’t it? I have not forgotten anything from my Soft skills and Communication training.

    I heard the sound of pen so harsh on his list (he must have cut off my name furiously, for a moment thinking it’s my head he is cutting-off) and this time I heard a ‘Bang’ on his phone.

    All the best to all the remaining customers on the list and hope your experience is very different from mine and so will be the story.

    Trin… Trin …. My cell phone is ringing again and ‘ I’m calling from Airtel, Am I speaking with Mrs. Rashmi Arun?’……..

     

     

     

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