I don't know, I think it works both ways. Customers calling in should be civil; people answering the phone should consider how they would feel in the customer's shoes and whether they would be equally upset or frustrated. Sometimes people just need to vent, and you don't have to take it personally. I've been sworn at and cried at and shouted at, and in most cases it hasn't bothered me too much. I think if you're going to work on the phones you need to recognise that most of the time it's not you personally they're angry with, it's the situation or the organisation.