I've worked quite a few customer service jobs, and it seems to be common for people not to be able to give simple yes or no answers to very direct questions. To people who do this, why?

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I believe this is due to their quest for clarity, their consideration of difficulties, or their conversational approach to establishing rapport.

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You mean like when you're on the phone with them? I think people are highly suspicious of callers they don't know because of all the scams that exist these days, so they probably just don't trust anyone on the phones. I know that's how I am sometimes.

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In my experience, it seems like people sometimes feel the need to explain or even defend themselves when talking to a company representative on the phone.

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I can see that. It's a pet peeve of mine, for sure, but I can see where you're coming from.

LOL, i notice that as well.

I think it's usually because they are being dishonest. People over embellish stories when they’re lying because they think it makes their lies sound more believable.

Having non-linear conversations is part of the human experience. We don't just want problems to be solved, we want to feel heard. Unfortunately, the incentives aren't the same on both sides of a customer service call. CSRs want to solve problems quickly, but customers also want to feel understood. And sometimes in ways that are completely unrelated to the conversation.

It's called "buying time" so that the person can give you everything they know to answer your question.

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