One Moment...

I have a problem... I am too helpful when I answer phones.

You see, I am used to working in the service industry.  I have answered phones for the better part of my life.  The first job was answering phones for my father's restaurant and I took down "to go" orders and dinner reservations.  I temped in a medical billing office.  I answered phones for a prenatal clinic.  I worked in nonprofit and trained/supervised volunteers in answering phones.  I worked as a receptionist at other offices.  And then I sold tickets at the improv theater and had to answer phones there.  All of these jobs required me to be friendly and helpful.  Standard procedure is the customer is always right.

But not my current job in a casting office.  Now I am a gatekeeper.  I've realized that the combination of training as an improv actor and the undying inner urge to please others has made it extraordinarily difficult for me to just answer a phone without wanting to help the caller as much as I can.  

I am all, "Hi!  Yes, he/she IS here!  Well, lemme see if he/she is available to talk!  I don't have the answer but would you like for me to find someone who does know the answer?  Let me see what I can do!" Sigh...

This may sound silly but I'm so used to selling (food, theater tickets, social services) or directing calls right away that taking this breath and simply answering "One moment..." does not come naturally.  Basically, I'm used to answering phones with a level of desperation.  Does that make sense?  The caller has always been the one in charge and I've been there to help get them what they need.  This job is not that.  Which is nice because I was ready for something new.

So I had to write myself a memo to simply answer the damn phone with "One moment..."  I'm not there to make sure the caller gets exactly what he/she needs for the first time in my life.  It's not going as smoothly as I would have hoped but still a nice change regardless of how petty and insignificant this may sound.