Customer Service not Customer Suffer!

And it has taught me endurance.

All this oyibo people sef, if they talk well for once sef, will they die? They speak like they can’t breathe, how the hell am I supposed to understand them all the time?

And sometimes they act mad! All the time!

Did you know that there are different kinds of Customer Support Agents?

The good ones and the ones from hell, the ones that attend to you at your local banks are the ones from the pit of hell, because those people don’t act like they were trained to have empathy.

Not everyone naturally possesses empathy—take me, for example. However, I learned and developed it over time. Why? Because empathy is one of the most essential skills for a customer service agent. And don’t forget the importance of smiling—it cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, many people at the bank seem to lack these skills; they don’t even know how to communicate effectively.

One thing I was taught is this: never bring your personal problems to the office. Leave them at the gate and put on a smile when attending to customers. But some people—bankers, office attendants, or salespeople at the mall—act like you’re the cause of all their problems. Like, bruh, I don’t even know you!

Having worked with Nigerian customers, I have firsthand experience of how frustrated and temperamental they can become, especially after investing time and money in unresolved issues. However, once they’ve vented their frustrations, they are open to receiving solutions because, ultimately, that’s all they seek.

Once, a customer angrily threatened to come to the office and shoot us 😂😂😂. The funny thing is, after all the shouting, when they realize you don’t match their rudeness, they often end up apologizing. Not all of them, though. But hey, "the customer is always right," right? (Total myth.)

BUT IWUGO THIS OYIBO PEOPLE!!! (that are COLONIZING us till date) ARE A DIFFERENT BREED OF HUMANS…

I appreciate the gentle people—the ones who calmly say, "I'm not interested, please remove me from your list." They're the ones whose requests I respect, promptly marking their calls as Do Not Call.

I immediately mark calls from those who scream vulgarities like “MOTHERF***ER, COME SUCK MY BALLS” as Hangup or No Answer. Why? So someone else can deal with them since they clearly have the energy to shout!

I can’t be rude and I have to stick to my script, all I can do is smile and swallow the insults (mtchewww)…
(shior, oshisko PLC, in Iya Tiwa’s Voice from SGIT)

(this is the tip of iceberg)

The challenges I’ve encountered in less than a month of working with the colonizers far outweigh anything I experienced in six months of working with my Nigerian peers. I don’t even have the energy to engage with people anymore.

How could I not, when I interact with over 500 people a day? I pour every bit of energy I have into them, and trust me, when those people want to talk, they really know how to talk. Damn!

And while building rapport, your rapport has to be in sync with theirs.
A man once taught me how to fish, and a woman showed Nina how to make tortilla wraps—though my girl wasn’t even paying attention. I once joked that I’m a grandmother to my cat, “Scar”—well, Scar is actually my friend’s cat. For the record, I also have a dog, all in the spirit of building rapport.

When someone tells you they’re 5’3” or taller, you compliment them, saying you envy their height and wish you were taller—even if you’re already taller. When someone mentions they’re 71 years young, and sound frail, you respond with, “You sound so healthy! Oh my goodness, what’s your secret?” May God forgive us for all the little lies we tell in the name of building rapport. Amen.

Why on earth would someone be named JESUS, for Christ's sake? How am I supposed to intentionally pronounce it as “Hesus”? No you think am na…

The first time I saw it on my screen, I called my guy JESUS and I swear it was so funny 😂, Nina legit had to scream the correct pronunciation 😊.

(you can’t blame me, I mean…)

(this is what works look like)

I miss my Nigerian customers because I understood how to connect with them and make them feel confident that their complaints would be resolved—without explicitly "assuring" them. However, dealing with these OYIBO PEOPLE, who we are reaching out to provide a service they clearly need, is baffling due to their egotistical behavior, which I can never fully understand.

From what I’ve observed, Nigerians are generally calm people. The irony, however, lies in the fact that Nigerians take action, while my colonizers are all talk and no action. I mean, where would you even find me? You think you’d leave Arizona to come all the way to Nigeria just because I’m calling you?

13-12-2024:- The worst experience I’ve had as a cold caller was when a man casually asked me, “Hey, what kind of panties are you wearing?” I’ve never felt more violated in my life—absolutely disgusting! I froze for a few seconds, stunned, while I could hear the creep chuckling on the other end. My team leader, who was monitoring the call, had to text me to apologize on his behalf. What a horrible moment.

All because I need to qualify leads (GOLD TRANSFERS).

Being a CSA teaches you lots of things, it also enhances self awareness from my point of view and it can make or break you. Pick your poison.

SO to all my Customer Support Agent out there; whether you’re a cold caller or a warm caller, telemarketer or appointment setters, or a customer service representative (as long as you apply your skills)…
One week in a year isn’t enough to celebrate you, you deserve your flowers🌸🌸 🌿🌹.

One day I’ll get to talk about how we are still being colonized but for now:-

Enjoy a weekend free from colonial influences.