With 2024 almost at an end, we thought it was a good time to reflect on the state of the contact center space heading into the new year.
It’s been a big 12 months for customer service and experience technology, particularly with the rise of agentic AI in the second half of the year.
However, amongst all the excitement around new features and innovations, it’s easy sometimes to overlook the agents that are actually using the tech.
While the agent experience has come a long way from the monotonous, repetitive, script-driven environment of the 90s, it can still be a challenging sector to operate in.
That’s why we’ve decided to take a step back and round out 2024 by looking at the lighter side of things.
We’ve taken a deep dive into Reddit’s treasure trove of contact center forums to find firsthand accounts of some of the more amusing aspects of working in a contact center.
So, without further ado, here are five of the funniest contact center stories from around the globe:
1. Dealing with Angry Customers
Unfortunately, taking calls from angry customers is part and parcel of being a contact center agent.
Some of the time, a customer is calling from a point of frustration with a product or service; some of the time, they may have been on hold for a considerable period, and some of the time, they might just be in a bad mood.
Whatever the reason, customers get angry.
While companies deploy many strategies and support systems to help their staff deal with angry customers, it is unlikely that any would recommend the approach from one agent who decided to take a bathroom break mid-call.
Reddit user renderingme explained how during call center training, their group was taking calls under coach supervision.
One trainee was tasked with handling an angry customer who ranted nonstop, leaving no room to respond. After 15–20 minutes of one-way traffic, the trainee gambled that they would not be needed anytime soon so they muted the call and left to use the bathroom.
The coach took over his headset, ready to step in if the customer paused … but that wasn’t necessary.
According to renderingme:“The guy literally went to the bathroom and came back, and that customer was none the wiser.”
2. Unusual Products
Depending on the company they’re working for, most agents will, at one point or another, have been blindsided by a surprising topic/product.
While contact center staff are usually disciplined when discussing unusual or private items, ensuring they remain professional and stony-voiced … their customer service armor has been known to be breached.
This was certainly the case for a Reddit user from a major pharmacy chain when asking a customer for the name of the product that they were inquiring about.
To their surprise, the caller laughed and said: “I can’t make this s**t up,” before proceeding to confirm that the item in question was called “Monkey Butt Powder.”
Ever the professional, the agent continued to follow protocol and requested an image of the product to ascertain that it was genuine before they both shared a laugh over the ‘interesting’ choice of name.
3. A Diamond in the Rough
Over the years, stories about working in contact centers have tended to focus on the less pleasant customer interactions.
And although there are undoubtedly deep-seated issues with how customers treat contact center agents, there can also be a great deal of job satisfaction when they get to speak to considerate, polite, and friendly callers.
For Reddit user, Nebula Nachos, one of their most memorable customer interactions came during the covid pandemic.
Having only recently recovered from an illness, the agent was forced to mute herself mid-call for 30 seconds when she started coughing.
However, rather than the customer becoming angry with the agent, she immediately took their side – questioning why the “a******s” were making her work, offering to speak to their manager to out in a good word for them, and even making a remedy of warm tea with ginger and honey.
Even though the agent had not been forced to work and actually shared the recording with their evaluator for a bit of fun, as they put it, it was a nice reminder that “you do get some sweet ones [customers] from time to time.”
4. Muscle Memory
Next on our list is a trend we noticed across several forums: contact center life bleeding into real life.
I’m sure many of you have been guilty of inadvertently slipping into work mode when outside of office hours over the years, but it seems to be particularly prevalent for contact center agents.
Indeed, one anonymous Reddit user described a time when they were helping out their best friend over the phone.
After the problem was fixed, the user’s contact center muscle memory kicked in, leading to them ending the call withL “That’s great! If you need any further assistance, just call me back. I’m here to help.”
A different user named slothygon explained how this was also a recurring issue for them, even with their own mother:
“I’ll be on the phone to my mom and end it with: ‘have a lovely day. If you need any more help, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.’”
Another related issue that was common amongst agents was automatically slipping into their well-honed ‘phone voices’ for personal calls, resulting in several users reporting incidents of being mistaken for automated recordings.
5. Damned if You Do, Damned if You Don’t
Last up is a story that may resonate more with our British readers, who could be stereotyped as being a little less enthusiastic than their American counterparts.
Of course, regardless of their demeanor during their day-to-day lives, most contact center agents from around the globe will try to convey an upbeat, friendly, and cheerful tone when speaking to customers in order to make them feel positive about the call.
Yet, for one Reddit user, their enthusiastic attitude actually backfired during a call when the customer informed them that they were “too bloody chipper for this early in the morning.”
For those of you who may be thinking that the caller might have been joking … you’d be mistaken.
The customer requested to speak to the agent’s supervisor and made it clear that he was 100 percent serious, as the agent explained:
“I actually asked him if he was serious. He assured me – in an even grumpier voice – that he was, indeed, sincere.”
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