How to politley decline a request at work

[Please and Thank You]

I am working on my spine. It's improving daily. However, when I am at work and expected to provide excellent customer service things can get a little trickier.

I work in a bookstore and on a regular basis customers will be sent by friends or loved ones to pick up something for said friend/loved one and know very little about it. This often results in them making a call on their cell phone to clarify if it was A or B or C that the person wanted.

Very often the person will then hand me their cell phone and want me to continue the conversation. How difficult is it to get the details themselves and then tell me? I would prefer not to hold your less than clean looking cell phone to my face. (I have no problem talking on the work phone because I disinfect that regularly.)

I don't want to seem unhelpful. I also don't want to talk on random cell phones, some of which clearly bear a grimy film that I can easily see as it's being handed to me.

How would you handle this situation?

PaT

[PastryGoddess]

You could put it on speaker. Most phones make it pretty easy to send it to speaker with the push of a button.  And you can always turn the volume down so it's not blasting super duper loud through the store.

I'm right there with you about not wanting other people's grime on my face blech 

[katycoo]

You tell them its against store policy for you to handle personal belongings of customers and while you're sorry its a PITA, if they wish you to speak with someone, that someone will need to telephone the store.

[andi]

We are not allowed to touch a customers cell phone at my store - if we damaged it in any way we'd be liable. Id simplely tell the cusmter to either puttheir friend on "speaker" and have them hold the phoe or else give them the store number and have the friend call you.

[Ceallach]

It sounds as though you definitely need some stock answers ready.   I know how hard it is when you're put on the spot!

As PPs have mentioned, blaming store policy is often an effective route ....unless they go complain to management about it!  Keep your response simple and non-specific, and divert away from that topic straight away ("that topic" being YOU holding their phone) by suggesting an alternative.

"Oh I'm sorry but I'm not allowed to touch customer's phones.  Could you put them on speakerphone?"   If they say no, suggest the friend calls the store line instead.

Basically, as long as it appears that you're trying to be helpful then most people won't be offended.   It's saying no without offering a solution that upsets them.

[mharbourgirl]

Ooog, my skin is crawling just thinking about it!  But I know I have issues regarding things like that.  I have to cover the front desk at work a couple times a week to give the receptionist a lunch break, and I refuse to use her headset.  She's a very clean person - that's not it.  It touches her head.  And so I can't let it touch my head.  I santize the handset and use that instead.  If I were faced with a customer handing me their phone and I could see they hadn't cleaned it recently (or at all!), I literally would not be able to touch it.

BRB, going to wash my hands, I feel dirty just thinking about it. 

[rashea]

I think that if you're going to make the "store policy" claim, it would be better to get everyone on board first. And it's probably a smart policy anyway. But if you make the claim, and then someone else comes out with "no it isn't" you're going to feel silly.

[wonderfullyanonymous]

Use this...

I'm sorry, if something happened to it while I were holding it, it would be my responsibility, and I'm not comfortable with that. Have your friend call the store please, at this number.


I actually use something along these line with specialty cakes at the store, because I did almost drop one. This does not make people happy, especially when I refuse to pick up their giant sheet cake out of a cart so I can ring it up, but I am also not going to be responsible for dropping said cake.

[Please and Thank You]

OP checking back in~

Thank you for the wise advice. I will definitely use the above suggestions.

Why is sometimes the thing to do is so simple and straightforward and obvious but very complicated when it comes to the follow through? (For me at least. Not with this particular situation, but this sort of thing in general.)

PaT