If you’ve ever had a phone call with a customer service representative mysteriously “cut out,” it could be that they’ve found a way to end the conversation without getting in trouble.
At least, that’s what a viral video published by self-proclaimed Customer Service Guru and TikToker @nikkabesnappin suggests. Her clip has accrued over 2.2 million views as of Sunday, and is one of many on her feed that humorously deals with the realities of working as a service rep.
Many call centers utilize logging systems that track workers’ calls and call times, which means that a manager can know if an employee hangs up on a customer. However, @nikkebesnappin may’ve discovered a solution—sneakily cutting the power supply.
@nikkabesnappin One of my favorite tricks to pull 👌🏽😂😂 IYKYK! #fyp #foryou #foryoupage ♬ original sound – nikkabesnappin
The eight-second video begins with a shot of the TikToker’s feet with a text overlay that reads, “When the customer getting on your last nerves.”
As the video progresses, the TikToker’s foot slowly floats towards a power supply on the floor, that has several plugs placed inside of it, presumably powering several electronic devices. The foot then hits a switch, before cutting to the TikToker’s face—she’s wearing a headset and begins looking around, bewildered.
“Damn, my computer turned off,” she says, feigning like she doesn’t know what happened. She adds in a caption for her video that it’s “one of [her] favorite tricks to pull” followed by an OK finger and two laughing emojis.
Seeing the responses of numerous viewers, it seems like this is a tactic employed by several other call center workers.
“Gotta do it while you’re talking… Cut it off mid sentence,” one wrote, suggesting ways to sell the power outage so it comes off as a genuine accident.
“Shhhhh you not supposed to tell our secrets!” another said, admonishing the TikToker for letting the cat out of the bag.
Other TikTokers commented on different ways call center employees deftly avoided their queries. For example, one person said how the service rep strategically got them to hang up at the proverbial buzzer.
“How about I called an insurance rep and he said he couldn’t hear me,” a user shared. “Called back and they were closed that man knew.”
However, for some folks, this doesn’t always work, as one user wrote, “I tried this before and when I turned everything back on the customer was still holding on the line screaming hello.”
According to several online resources, one of the rules of telephone customer service calls is that employees are never allowed to hang up on the caller. This, according to ProPublica, has led to some pretty harrowing situations. For instance, a rep assisting a person on the phone realized during their call that the man on the other end was pleasuring himself to the sound of her voice. Some service reps said that they would keep a jar under their desk to urinate into because they were afraid of leaving their station to use the restroom.
On Brand 24 also reinforced the notion that customer service employees should never, under any circumstance, hang the phone up on a caller, writing, “Agents hang up the phone on rude or angry customers. This is absolutely forbidden: Customer service reps should never hang up on customers.”
However, that doesn’t mean that folks haven’t had that happen to them before. Take AT&T and Xfinity, whose customers have complained about being hung up on while phoning into the service center for assistance.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @nikkabesnappin via TikTok comment.