How do you proceed when people scream at you in the workplace ?

@CountScrofula customer service, making schedules. Everything is clearly explained but some people try to skip steps and are impatient. Their program takes time by the law and our schedules are booked in advance by order of demand. Takes about 2 to 3 weeks to begin. (Business doing great !) When someone doesn't follow the steps, it is their responsibility to contact us. But they kind of expect us to do everything even though they did not follow through.

Yep. Trying to be calm and concise takes a toll on me. I keep my words polite and work hard to keep my tone lower but I feel my whole body trembling because this behaviour is just disrespectful and unfair. I broke down at work today after such a conversation on the phone. I was calm but my coworker saw my eyes and asked me what's wrong and I just .. cried. I believe it is okay to have issues that you want to solve and even if it is the institution fault , most institutions have solutions too.. but the feel that such kind of cruelty has no place in the office overwhelmed me. It was one too much.

The client is always right and life is unfair, I know.. but let's try to keep it professional and respectful because after all we are HUMANS.

Given that we do our best to assist in solving problems .. it is utterly arrogant to behave like this. Thank you for reading. It poured out.

@Busybee333 I firmly believe that people should lose the right to your business if they're cruel to customer service staff. Nobody should have to put up with that stuff at a workplace.

Is this phone or in person?

@CountScrofula today was by phone but last week it happened in person a few times. It is just that they try to get their way with anger. They think if they scream and disrespect the team, the team will magically drop the rules and let them do what they want.

Also, age. Usually it is the taller and older people. I bite my lips not to bluntly answer something in the lines of "look I am not your daughter or relative , you cannot speak to me like that. Keep a respectful tone or get out". It is blunt and unprofessional but I might accidentally say it some day -_- ...

@Busybee333 Ugh. The big piece of advice I can give is to let the angry people talk themselves out. Let 'em rant and then restate yourself. Don't engage until they're calmer. Check your company policy as well because there may be something about your ability to remove yourself from those conversations. If someone is abusive you may have some protections under labour law.

If you don't have protections, your options become either to force the company to give them to you or find other work both of which are shitty and stressful. :\ Wish there was an easier solution. Customer service is messed up.

@CountScrofula thank you, I will apply your advice . Well, I don't want to quit. Let's see if this works. If not I may have to. The truth is, arrogance can happen anywhere .. I have to know how to deal with it in all cases :) 💕