Tan Kin Lian's Blog: Name of company

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Name of company

I called a friend at his office number to confirm our appointment for lunch.

Receptionist, "May I know your name?"
Reply: Tan Kin Lian
Receptionist, "May I know the purpose?"
Reply: I wish to confirm my lunch with him today.
Receptionist, "Which company are you from?"
Reply: "It does not matter which company. I only want to confirm the lunch"
Receptionist, "Ok. I will put you through".

Singaporeans follow a script blindly and do not think. They always have to ask "which company". Does it really matters?

Tan Kin Lian

24 comments:

dsowerg said...: I do ask "which company" as a matter of course because it's my duty to sieve calls for my boss. I can't be putting every single call through as my boss will be swamped by irrelevant calls. Some people do try ways and means to get to speak to the CEO.

If an appointment is already in the calendar then I would simply confirm the appointment without putting the call through.; May 05, 2010 10:57 AM
Tan Kin Lian said...: Sometimes I attend an event in a personal capacity. They ask me, "Which company am I from". This is not relevant, as I am not representing my company.

I hope that people ask the relevant questions and do not act blindly - without thinking.; May 05, 2010 11:15 AM
cs said...: this is small matter lah!; May 05, 2010 11:22 AM
Anonymous said...: but it is appropiate to gather all facts possible to return a call or a dropped line.

imagine this scenario

Receptionist, "May I know your name?"
Reply: JOHN SMITH
Receptionist, "May I know the purpose?"
Reply: I wish to confirm my lunch with him today.
Receptionist, "Which company are you from?"

god knows how many john smiths are around, if your line dropped while being transfered (which sometimes happens) and you don't call back (eg; overseas call, idd issues etc).; May 05, 2010 12:06 PM
Anonymous said...: This report seems to suggest that hiring is picking up.

http://news.efinancialcareers.sg/newsandviews_item/newsItemId-25240; May 05, 2010 12:09 PM
Tan Kin Lian said...: Reply to 12:06 pm

The chance of a drop call is small, and if that happens, the caller will call back.

There is no need to impose unnecessary hassle to people who needs to re-confirm a lunch or other simple things.

When I am asked to give the name of a company, this is usually followed by "How do you spell it"?

I do not know what other unnecessary questions will follow.; May 05, 2010 12:37 PM
Tan Kin Lian said...: Here is my response to eve-line

I told my assistant to pass all calls to me. She does not know how to sieve the calls (as she just joined me) and it will be more troublesome for her, the caller and for me, if she tries to do the sieving.

Maybe your company is in a different situation, so you have to do what is best.

In my case, I will ask people to send me an e-mail if they wish to pass a message to me. They should call me only after I replied to their e-mail. It is inconsiderate for them to call me to discuss a matter "cold".; May 05, 2010 12:40 PM
Anonymous said...: In my line, I do get a number of cold calls. I would prefer people who pick up the call from me tell me more details about the call.

For example, Mr Chen from Citibank is on the line, he wants to confirm your lunch at 12 today. I may be busy with something so I'll reply, OK confirmed.

Could also be Mr Chen, your friend, wants to confirm lunch today at 12 today. That works for me too.; May 05, 2010 12:43 PM
Anonymous said...: m not respecting your view on this matter and i think u just want to hear 'sweet words'!
i have many secretary working with me before of the 18 years, and on "protocol" is their job to screen my calls, and receptionist's job to screen calls before passing to my secretary,so, is proper and who knows who is MR TAN KIN LIAN, hey,if u want score points for this, u are out! one moment u champion the fight for pple and the next, such minor thing u blog and to let 'THE WORLD' see what petty man u are! i know u will not publish my comment but Mr Tan, what is your direction for the latter part of your life, a public figure or just a blog writer,well, we see and find out soon enough and if u are 'greater' a man, do not write childish thing,u are getting old!; May 05, 2010 1:17 PM
Vincent Sear said...: One amusing annoyance (sounding oxymoron I'd admit) was filling in an application form. There was a series of boxes for contact numbers (home, office, mobile).I filled in my mobile phone number and handed in the form.

The receiving officer looked it over and said, sir, what's your home number. I said I've terminated my home phone. It's hardly used as all of us have mobile phones. He replied, but sir, this box has to be filled.

I said, then just put in my mobile phone number too. The idea is that I'm contactable, right? He replied, but sir, this box has the number 6 pre-printed, it must be filled with a valid home number.

Now you can see why I'm annoyed as well as amused. Chinese has a proverb for that, 啼笑皆非 (meaning don't know whether to laugh or cry). I took the form, obliqued over the pre-printed 6 and filled in an 8 followed by my mobile number. The officer looked blanked.

I said it's OK, submit this up and if there's any problem, his superior officer can always call me or e-mail me to clarify.; May 05, 2010 1:17 PM
CreateWealth8888 said...: May be these outsourced call centres and need to record sufficient details for audit checks by their customers and to produce monthly statistical reports for call handlings rate to their customers; May 05, 2010 1:27 PM
Tan Kin Lian said...: Reply to 1:17 pm
Stop your personal attack under an anonymous name. You do not need to visit my blog, if you do not like my views.; May 05, 2010 2:15 PM
Anonymous said...: Vincent Sear, I have similar experiences as well. Most of the time, those people are just going through the motion without thinking.

Most of the time, when I am told to fillup forms which I think is not necessary such as at Singapore pools to collect $60 for 4D winning, I just enter Tan Ah Kow as my name and my nric as 7654321L. You know what? I got off 100% of the time so far. By the way, there is no alphabet L for nric and of course my name is not Tan Ah Kow either.; May 05, 2010 2:20 PM
Anonymous said...: well old tan,since u do not want respect,u won't get respect..then why publish my comments!u sly fox and i can 'attack'u anytime i want since your blog is made public..hey your dying time is up and awaiting to be coffin...i dare u to print my comment & like many other people who are challanging u, surely death is just knocking at your door! long live the King of Singapore but certainly no u!; May 05, 2010 2:31 PM
Vincent Sear said...: Despite my earlier posting about rigid form-filling bureaucracy, I think that "which company are you from" is a valid and reasonable question for any receptionist or secretary to ask while they're working in their office. Unless they know the caller personally by voice, it's only natural that they ask. I don't see that as anything unnecessary or offensive.

The reply can be as simply as "I'm a personal friend" or "I'm from ABC Pte. Ltd." and all's smoothened out. In fact, in this day and age, the receptionist or secretary would have expected personal friends of their bosses to call on their mobile phones to make their personal appointments.

Then, their bosses would tell them to blank certain timeslots available for other appointments.

We have to spare a thought for them too. They're indeed paid to follow the script, not to think. The executives who come up with such scripts are the ones paid too think. This is not a peculiarly Singapore syndrome. It's worldwide.; May 05, 2010 2:51 PM
Anonymous said...: May 05, 2010 2:31 PM
back off whoever you are. You are equally petty and vicious too. You are maybe another of the Fxxx people.; May 05, 2010 2:56 PM
Annoyed said...: It is not that the secretary or anyone else is "not thinking"

The boss is where the responsibility lies. If his instructions are vague, or he is insistent on a particular way of screening, then the caller or customer has to face the "music".

Filling of forms is also the curse of the "manager".. who ever that is, insisting that all boxes, lines be filled. In that case, please have that instruction clearly printed on the form and allow variances!

The question: "which company?" is absolutely annoying. My response would be always: "..(my name) private limited.."
otherwise, she would not know what to do.

I would suggest people with secretaries or having calls screened, to have a polite and working script to follow.. encourage the screeners to use their common sense and allow flexibility.; May 05, 2010 3:02 PM
Tan Kin Lian said...: Hi Annoyed

I agree that the manager should be blamed. However, the secretary also can exercise her judgement.

I find that, as a trait, many Singaporeans tend to overdo things. Even if the instructions rae vague, they do more than "common sense" dictate. They want to "play safe". Of course, you will remember the term "kiasu".

We need to change this trait. Many Singaporeans just follow instructions blindly and do not want to take responsibility to use "common sense" and judgement.; May 05, 2010 3:08 PM
Vincent Sear said...: This reminds me of an episode in the 80s British sitcom Yes Minister. (Not verbatim, just as far as I could recall.)

Secretary : Minister, your afterlunch appointment for tomorrow has been cancelled, and Ron Jones is the queue, would you like me to fill him in?

Minister : Well alright, since I'm free with nothing much else better to do anyway.

Tomorrow afternoon...

Ron Jones : Hello Minister.

Minister : Hello, have a seat. You must be Ron Jones. You know, we may be able to get you the New Year's honours list for a knighthood, but don't let the bloody trade unions hear about this first. Otherwise, it's hell.

Ron Jones : ??? Is that so? I'm flattered. And may I ask, to what do I owe this honour to?

Minister : You just get your people in order to support the latest government initiative to retrench drivers and the remaining drivers to accept paycuts. Don't leak a word out first of course.

Ron Jones : I see, minister. As I was just about to say, I'm Ron Jones from the Drivers' Union, not Ron Jones from the Motor Trade Association. And I'm here to clarify that there's no truth in the rumours that government is promoting the retrenching of drivers and cutting their pays.

Minister : Oh, oh, oh God!?

Ron Jones : So I see. Either you quash the rumours or I get to be addressed Sir by next year.

Minister : Oh no, I mean that Ron Jones, not you Ron Jones, oh!?

Ron Jones : It's up to you, minister. Think about it. Goodbye.

Minisier (on intercom to secretary) : Come in now!!; May 05, 2010 4:35 PM
Eaton said...: Hello Vincent

Yes, it is possible! but thats because one depends so much on the assistant whom we take for granted as though he/she has no life but to look after the boss, day & night.

Its entirely the Minister's fault I say!!; May 05, 2010 7:03 PM
Anonymous said...: Hello Mr Tan,
Don't try to stand for election because I think we see the true colour of your personality.
Is not the first time you had posted very lowly comments about workers in Singapore such like this case which is really no fault of the receptionist.
On one hand you fake showing that you care for workers and on the other hand, you run down basic salary workers calling them by 'names'so what is your intend.
All receptionists & secretaries will have seen your blog.We take liberty to paste & post via emails as well as youtube for many to see your real face.
We are not what you will call MIW but surely we must expose you to be the like of MIW whether which camp of polictics you maybe standing.A leapoard cannot never change its spot and someone here commented and is so right.We did you a favour by exposing your real agendas.; May 05, 2010 10:46 PM
Anonymous said...: Do like to say that this particular post is highly controversial.

patriot; May 06, 2010 10:25 AM
Anonymous said...: I think the receptionist is doing an excellent job. She is asking simple but relevant questions.

If it is a personal call, you would have called the person via his handphone. If it is an official call, then it is ok for the receptionist to ask "which company you represent".

I don't know about the rest of the readers but this particular post doesn't sit well with me.

If everyone answers the way you did: "it does not matter which company - you just put me through", it sounded high-handed and I felt that it is not showing civic-mindedness and basic courtesy.

I pity the poor girl and worst of all, she is not even in the wrong.; May 07, 2010 12:41 AM
Unknown said...: I think nothing is wrong with both sides (Mr Tan and the recepitionist). The problem is that both are thinking the problem from his/her own standpoint, instead of the other side.

From the receptionist's viewpoint, she was just conducting her duty, following the requirement of her boss. She just did not want to make mistakes (that's the way how most Singaporeans handle their jobs). From Mr. Tan's viewpoint, she is asking a stupid question, because the fact Mr. Tan had a lunch appointment with her boss had already revealed the special relation between Mr. Tan and the boss. The receptionist's question looked very silly. The service quality of the receptionist really needed to improve.

Mr. Tan, do not be annoyed by prejudiced words. Everyone has his own limitations.

I respect you as a leader of grassrooted people. But to be frank, I also think you are not suitable to the politics of Singapore because you do not belong to that group.

So, be yourself, that's enough.; May 07, 2010 5:16 PM

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Name of company

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