A customer service worker went viral for sharing tips on how to annoy customers while remaining professional.
The video, posted by Kaelin (@whatsinthekoolaid), has garnered over 344,000 views as of Thursday. As in a previous video of hers, Kaelin shares tips that involve subtle phrases to use on aggressive customers.
@whatsinthekoolaid if youre gonna yell at me in my workplace where you know i cant speak freely, i will ensure to the best of my ability that you leave here as annoyed as i am ❤️
♬ original sound - kaelin
In the caption of her latest post, Kaelin warns potentially rude customers, "If you're gonna yell at me in my workplace where you know I can't speak freely, I will ensure to the best of my ability that you leave here as annoyed as I am."
"Just because you work in customer service does not mean you have to like the customers,” she explains. “In fact, I don't know many people who do. They f*cking suck and they are so rude. If you want to keep your job, you can't be rude back, but what you can do is irritate them in return."
One of Kaelin's most used methods is "call this a bummer situation."
The creator continues, "I use this one all the time… In order for this to work, you gotta hit them with a face and say, 'I'm so sorry, I know it's a bummer.' They hate that sh*t. They want to say, ‘It's not a bummer, I'm very angry, and I'm righteous in my anger.’ Nah, that's a bummer you didn't get your way."
Her next tip is to end a conversation with a rude customer with "I really hope your day gets better."
This is Kaelin's "zinger." The one she uses to annoy customers "that are so angry that they're foaming at the mouth … red in the face." she says.
She also warns, "I will tell you, the number of times I've been told f*ck you to that sentence is astronomical."
Her final tip advises customer service workers to let customers "use their words."
"This is a life hack," Kaelin explains. "If you are a people pleaser, you may already have the quality of hyper vigilance where you monitor other people's emotions. Stop doing that with customers. If they are huffing and puffing and sighing loudly and they want you to be like, ‘What's wrong, baby girl?’ Let them use their words. Let them huff and puff, sigh, cross their arms, and stomp their feet. You can allow them to feel what they're feeling. If they need something, they can tell you like an adult."
Again, she finishes by warning viewers of the downsides: "Just let it be known they will hit you with a frustrated outburst at some point."
Many users shared their own tips on how to annoy customers who step out of line.
"'Have the day you deserve' was my go-to," a user wrote.
"When I had rude customers, I would get [sickeningly] sweet and nice and polite," a second added.
"I don’t even look at customers when I can feel them coming up to me. They can say ‘excuse me’ and we will go from there," a third shared.
A fourth agreed that being super positive is a simple way to annoy customers: "That last one. I will smile at them and say ‘hello’ in my brightest customer service voice. Nothing pisses them off more then."
Rudeness is widespread in post-pandemic America. Stories of people attacking hostesses, flight attendants, and servers regularly circulate on the internet. The time-tested belief that the "customer is always right" has frayed to the point of conflict as companies desperately seek staff.
Though some of Kaelin's on how to annoy customers tips may border on unprofessional, they at least offer ways for employees to stand up for themselves.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Kaelin via email for further information.
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