phone fear

Sue

Well-known member
just started doing work experience in the local aquarium doing general office work. every time the phonr rings i nearly have a heart attack. its doing my head in. im expecting a really grouchy customer everytime i pick it up.

is it just a matter of getting used to it or deos anyone else have this fear.
i started on monday and still cant shake this feeling :?
 

sheree

Well-known member
I don't know i've not spoken on a phone to a stranger for 2 years
the phone is an evil thing! :?
 

black_mamba

Well-known member
Last year I rang about 50 companies looking for work. At first it took a while to pluck up the courage to dial the number, and sometimes I would even abort my call before it rang because I got anxious suddenly. But after 20 or so phone calls I was fine and got the general idea baout loosening up and letting the conversation flow instead of always sticking to my little written speech. It gets so much better with time.

Good luck to you sue. :)
 

IceLad

Well-known member
The main reason why I haven't gone for promotion at work is the fear of using the phone.

I've been told that I sound very good by a lot of my colleagues, but the trouble is that I don't feel very good at all, before, during and after the call. Sometimes I stutter and my mind goes blank, and that is pretty embarrassing in an open plan office. Even routine calls still make my heart jump when I think about making the call.

I keep being asked why I haven't gone for promotion at work. I don't want to admit to people the real reason, so I keep inventing excuses.
 

Nvenya

Member
black_mamba said:
Last year I rang about 50 companies looking for work. At first it took a while to pluck up the courage to dial the number, and sometimes I would even abort my call before it rang because I got anxious suddenly. But after 20 or so phone calls I was fine and got the general idea baout loosening up and letting the conversation flow instead of always sticking to my little written speech. It gets so much better with time.

Good luck to you sue. :)

I agree, it really does get better with time and experience. I used to have a horrible time on the phone and would end up hanging up on people simply because I couldn't take the stress of how horrible I sounded. After getting into admin work things started to improve greatly. I finally broke from my fear of the phone when I got a job at a call center for a telephone company. Now I'm practically a pro at answering phones. Now if only I can break from my fear of being judged by what I write...
 

Angie_05

Well-known member
I used to work in customer service and took about 120 calls in an 8 hour shift. For me, it got harder as time went on because I also was scared of it being an angry customer or associate. They were very demanding and I was going through so much stress already with my SP. I began to dread work and eventually quit for this and other reasons.

The problem I had was that I took the bad calls personally. It takes work to think of yourself as only a representative of your company. When someone complains to you, they aren't complaining about you personally, it's about an experience they had. Also, they don't know you or what you look like. you could pass them on the street and they would probably think of you as a cool person.
 
Yes making phone calls is one of the hardest things for me to do, I avoid them at all cost and seems a very common symptom amongst SA/SPers. I just don’t understand it because it seems so anonymous, if the other person can’t see you, don’t know what you look like and have never met you, then why does it worry you…I share your frustration. Hate the sound of the darn phone ringing too, gets me on edge...
 

redlady

Well-known member
skins wrote:


Hate the sound of the darn phone ringing too, gets me on edge...

Ooooh me too - my pulse rises at the sound of it - a lot of the time i keep the phone off the hook. I hate the spontaneity of the whole experience - don't know who's on the other end - so i can't possibly prepare anything to say. I also fear answering to a telemarketer - because i can never just say - look i don't want to take part in this questionaire or whatever thankyou, goodbye - so i always get roped into them.
 

thugaveli

Well-known member
My heart pelts when the phone rings at home, i don't answer it unless its my mum i have to wait for her talking on the answer machine b4 i pick up

I won't call anyone either while people are around me, i find it so frustrating and forget what im about to say

Hopefully as time passes you will feel more comfortable
 

jenz

Well-known member
that is soo funny really...here thinking that Im the only one who's experienced this!!!! but since ive taken a cashier/receptionist job things have changed a bit...I used be afraid of anserwering the phones but now its my favorite thing to do at work to either talk to the customers or talk to people on the phone becuase talk is so minimal ...my problem lies in not having anything to talk about with co workers... :?
 

Karail

Active member
i used to be terrified of phone calls, i always used to jumble my words and get very nervous. So i went out and found the ideal job for me ... i started working in a complaints call centre! It was horrible, i would have walked out so many times if i didnt need the money so bad but the experiance really did help me and although i still get nervous, when i have to transfer a call to the boss or explain something technical to someone at my new job, my phone manor these days is much better.
 
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