Say What Again?

Every now and then, the very busy in my office screen calls for the even-busier. That's what I've been doing this week to give one of our owners a chance to completely focus on design and deadlines.

It's been a long time since I was a receptionist - and even longer since my much-hated summer telemarketing jobs - but I still can sniff out a scam artist with the best of them.

Such was the case with one call that was routed through my office this week:

Me: J's office. How can I help you?

Caller: I need to speak to J.

Me: He's in a meeting, Can I help you?

Caller: Well, no. I'm calling for J. so I need to speak to him.

Me: Ok. I can take a message for him.

Caller: No, that's fine. I'll call back later.

Me: Sir, you can call back later, but you won't speak to him without speaking to me. So you might as well leave a message.

Caller: I'm just following up on a call I made to him in late January/early February. He'll know what it's about.

Me: That's interesting - I'd love to know what it's about. You see, he's always on sabbatical out of the country at that time of year. So how about you leave a message?

Caller: Actually, this is really just a high-pressure sales call, so I'm not going to bother.

I couldn't help it - I laughed, out loud. After all, I can appreciate a little honesty!