What it's like working in a call centre

[Leper]

I still haven't gotten written notification or a breakdown for the dismissal. They said it was due to my "performance". I asked what it was about my performance they just said performance.
I asked why it hadn't been said to me earlier e.g. through verbal or written warnings they said I should have known. They said I am an excellent worker, I get on with everyone and they like having me around but it is due to performance. (It is a sales role).

Are we talking about a Call Centre here? If so, many do not realise the type of employment this usually is. The centres are usually made up of teams and probably given stupid titles like those at an Ann Somers sale, put through hectic training periods to rid them of their true personality etc and then unleashed on the unsuspecting public to tantalize the livin' daylights out of prospective customers and cajoling them into purchasing something they do not want. Leading questions are asked and some rapport is developed and suddenly somebody who minutes earlier thought he was never going to buy anything suddenly sees himself into an 18 month binding contract for landline, mobile-phone, internet and myriad of unwatchable television programmes and all for double of what you are paying at the moment. And let's not confine this to telecommunications, you can have unbeatable car, health, life insurance also for treble of what you are currently paying.

But, I'm going off the subject a little. After working in such a call centre for a time it occurs to you that you are a hen in a chicken coup. Your eggs are taken daily, but as soon as you are not laying enough you are attached to a moving "S" hook, your innards taken, then you are plucked, injected with fluid to bloat your appearance and increase your weight and packed in plastic then on to a shelf in Lidl or Aldi complete with a yellow and red sticker stating Free Range Chicken.

Your average Call Centre Jockey works hard in the belief that his contract will be extended beyond 3 months into another 3 months agreement. You over-perform in the hope of an extension into a 6 months contract before you are made "permanent". You learn to think and are on the look out for an elusive decent paying job someplace else, but they are few and far between. You punch in your hours, keep the smilies on your PC, meet the targets and soon accept burn out and realize you are going nowhere and fast. Now, you barely meet their targets set for you (targets can be different for others depending on their ability). But, you are not meeting your set targets and so now we must get rid of you and employ somebody on a new 3 months contract and probably at a lesser rate.

Add in the Jockey who thinks he will progress within the company eventhough you know his ability is the equivalent of a four year old footballer competing with the Irish Squad. This guy cannot legitimately think for himself and will always be living in hope and will go nowhere too.

If the above scenario is in any way true, just get out, put the whole lot down to experience, go back to college if you can, develop new skills and with what you've been through, I have no doubt you will excel.

 

[Bronte]

Leper that's an amazing summary.

Any tips on how to stop the guys from India in Microsoft California from calling every couple of months

 

[Leper]

Leper that's an amazing summary.

Any tips on how to stop the guys from India in Microsoft California from calling every couple of months

I know you meant your post as humorous and fair enough it is somewhat funny. Many do not realise that you can contact Eircom (if you have a landline telephone and even if you are not a customer of Eircom) and you can ask for your telephone number to be deleted from the Universal Call Centre Telephone Directory (not its actual title). Then refuse to fill in questionnaires about your age, way of life, occupation, hobbies, car insurance, life insurance, telecommunications, fitness, how often you drink soft drinks, etc etc. After all this (and using your head) you are then under the Call Centre Radar and can arrive home from work and enjoy your dinner.

But, if you fill in raffle tickets with your telephone number, answer online and off-line questionnaires, supply your telephone number to every Tom and Harry, you'll have every Dick ringing you just as you are about to attack a bottle of Rioja at dinnertime and you deserve it.

The one great thing about working in a Call Centre is that the local management keep telling you this is a Sales Force not a Call Centre. Worse again some of the Jockeys working there believe this.

 

[Purple]

Are we talking about a Call Centre here? If so, many do not realise the type of employment this usually is. The centres are usually made up of teams and probably given stupid titles like those at an Ann Somers sale, put through hectic training periods to rid them of their true personality etc and then unleashed on the unsuspecting public to tantalize the livin' daylights out of prospective customers and cajoling them into purchasing something they do not want. Leading questions are asked and some rapport is developed and suddenly somebody who minutes earlier thought he was never going to buy anything suddenly sees himself into an 18 month binding contract for landline, mobile-phone, internet and myriad of unwatchable television programmes and all for double of what you are paying at the moment. And let's not confine this to telecommunications, you can have unbeatable car, health, life insurance also for treble of what you are currently paying.

But, I'm going off the subject a little. After working in such a call centre for a time it occurs to you that you are a hen in a chicken coup. Your eggs are taken daily, but as soon as you are not laying enough you are attached to a moving "S" hook, your innards taken, then you are plucked, injected with fluid to bloat your appearance and increase your weight and packed in plastic then on to a shelf in Lidl or Aldi complete with a yellow and red sticker stating Free Range Chicken.

Your average Call Centre Jockey works hard in the belief that his contract will be extended beyond 3 months into another 3 months agreement. You over-perform in the hope of an extension into a 6 months contract before you are made "permanent". You learn to think and are on the look out for an elusive decent paying job someplace else, but they are few and far between. You punch in your hours, keep the smilies on your PC, meet the targets and soon accept burn out and realize you are going nowhere and fast. Now, you barely meet their targets set for you (targets can be different for others depending on their ability). But, you are not meeting your set targets and so now we must get rid of you and employ somebody on a new 3 months contract and probably at a lesser rate.

Add in the Jockey who thinks he will progress within the company eventhough you know his ability is the equivalent of a four year old footballer competing with the Irish Squad. This guy cannot legitimately think for himself and will always be living in hope and will go nowhere too.

If the above scenario is in any way true, just get out, put the whole lot down to experience, go back to college if you can, develop new skills and with what you've been through, I have no doubt you will excel.

Brilliant!
Just when I was thinking I was cynical.

 

[Bronte]

I know you meant your post as humorous and fair enough it is somewhat funny. .

Not only were your humorous, we got the serious meaning behind it. And your post was brillant. Sure it made me laugh.

I'm on a no advertising link so I've no idea why they call from 'California' but they did this week and hadn't heard from them in about 6 months. I just put down the phone. I think they are practising their English ! There cann't be a person in the worth who is not in on this scam by now. Never heard of anyone who got their computer connected to them by hitting the 'control and windows' buttons, is it even really possible.

 

[Leo]

Never heard of anyone who got their computer connected to them by hitting the 'control and windows' buttons, is it even really possible.

Once you hit the windows button, the cursor activates in the search box. They try talk people into typing a command into this box which will be executed on their computer. That's how they get in. If they weren't still getting people who do what they ask, they'd stop calling. It's actually pretty shocking the number of people who still get caught with this one.

 

[Terrence1]

Spent approximately eight years in various positions in call centres (not call taking/making though). Very strange places to work in hindsight.

The worse type of character there in my opinion was those who got promoted from 'the phones' to a team leader position. Even though it only meant a small raise money wise, the 'power' went straight to their heads (most of the time).

 

[Leper]

Spent approximately eight years in various positions in call centres (not call taking/making though). Very strange places to work in hindsight.

The worse type of character there in my opinion was those who got promoted from 'the phones' to a team leader position. Even though it only meant a small raise money wise, the 'power' went straight to their heads (most of the time).

Eight years in Call Centres; people spent less time in prison for murder. "Strange places to work" too, but harsh reality for some. I know what you mean by the "power" going "straight to their heads" - just a normal call centre.

I used to love the team meetings addressed by the Team Leaders asking if we had any "requestments." Most of them remind me of Healy in Orange is the New Black - pretend to care, appear to have the staff interests at heart, but actually couldn't care less. But, "Awards Day" was a sight to behold with Best Performing Bantam Hens running to the podium waving hands in sincere appreciation of being amongst the best Sales People. Pass the bucket, fast.

 

[moneybox]

But, "Awards Day" was a sight to behold with Best Performing Bantam Hens running to the podium waving hands in sincere appreciation of being amongst the best Sales People. Pass the bucket, fast.

Leper, I am chuckling into my weetabix as I read this, thank you for brightening my morning, there is a bit of a poet in you

 

[Leper]

Some outline information of what a Call Centre looks like and some insight how it operates:-
1. Telephone Calls answered in the fastest time are KING. What's not important are the customers, what the customers want, what the customers need.
2. (a) The Bleepers overlooking the operatives:- These electronic clocks, timers indicate the speed at which telephone calls are answered and how often and by whom. They sound Beep, Beep, Beep in one second intervals when things are quiet. Then as inward telephone calls to be answered increase in number the Beeps get faster, louder and more irritating. If you can imagine Ben Hur in the galleys and the senior slave pounding on the drum at top speed for more speed, you get the message.
(b) This is where the Team Leader comes into her own (usually a her) - Answer fast, get the contact telephone numbers - will ring back later. This ensures the team is seen to be answering calls pretty fast. In quieter times during the day the customers are recontacted for the sale/service.
3. Themed Days:- Some imagination required here. The few days leading up to the Fourth of July, St-Patrick's Day, Christmas and a few other chosen days of celebration can be marked by people eating hamburgers, hot-dogs, wearing stupid green hats, Christmas Cracker Hats etc etc. The operatives and Team Leaders look stupid, but are thinking so much about their relatively small pay and short contracts that they become somewhat brainwashed and if asked to pull a condom over their heads, would.
4. The Rollicking:- On the way to work, you pass a road traffic accident, four people have been killed, traffic is delayed. Your team leader will leer at you on your late arrival and inform you that you are a Slacker and an embarrassment to the hard working team which had to work harder in your absence because of your inconsideration. You won't be paid for the time not on duty and will probably be fined an administration fee too.You will be forced to work harder to make it up to your colleagues.
5. The Coffee Break:- You will be timed out and timed back by stop-watch. Even your toilet breaks are timed. These are the least of your problems.
6. Your speed of answering during the whole day will be discussed with you. Fair enough, if you're a good answerer (I didn't say good performer) you could be put forward as Team Player of the Week (Wow!). But, if you care about the customers and engage in friendly conversation and try to eke out what the customer needs you could be branded as a slow answerer and of course will come up at the time of renewing your short contract in a few weeks. Your contract probably will not be renewed. It is likely that you won't want it renewed anyway.
7. Your wages are so low that even the thought of joining a trades union is not considered. Your employers know this too and will always tell you that how lucky you are to work in their "modern sales environment."
8. Competition Time:- Looked forward to like turkeys look forward to Christmas (or should I have said Chicken Coup Hens?). For the fastest answerer or best sales person (well, the person with the most sales) one holiday to Santa Ponsa is the carrot. No runner up prizes. Winner takes all for a paid trip to Santa Ponsa (partner,friend, wife can travel at a cost) to a 3 Star Hotel for a week in early May. The time is part of your meagre holidays, but the elegance of Santa Ponsa awaits with its Brit Bars, Karaoke, Ballad Sessions, Discos etc too. Into the competition time, it becomes obvious that one of four will win and of course, friends are allowed to give their sales to the four top competitors and it's neck and neck until finally, the winner is announced. The runners-up can whistle Dixie for all their efforts. But, the winner goes to Santa Pondlife.
9. Promotion:- If you haven't got the message yet, contracts for Team Leaders come up for renewal every three months too. When their contracts are not renewed, positions become available to be fought for by the better performing galley slaves. You don't need to hear the course of the competition, believe me! Call Centre Jockeys, jockeying for position!
10. I have left out the Induction, the Training, the Brainwashing, the Anguish, the impending Depression.
11. Anybody caught reading this while at work will achieve instant dismissal; don't even talk about this, you could be letting your team down.

If you work in a Call Centre, learn to think for yourself and use your experience to improve your lot in your next job.

 

[Terrence1]

Great post above and very true.

In relation to your point about low pay though, what is the average net pay (including bonuses) for a call centre employee these days? Reason I ask as in some of the companies I worked in you would be surprised what they were taking home. The top 'performers' on one collection team I used to have to deal with were getting approx. €1500 a month in bonuses alone. As well as a decent base pay and lots of overtime hours.

* This was a few years ago. Circa 2007/8/

 

[Leper]

Great post above and very true.

In relation to your point about low pay though, what is the average net pay (including bonuses) for a call centre employee these days? Reason I ask as in some of the companies I worked in you would be surprised what they were taking home. The top 'performers' on one collection team I used to have to deal with were getting approx. €1500 a month in bonuses alone. As well as a decent base pay and lots of overtime hours.

* This was a few years ago. Circa 2007/8/

My experiences in a Call Centre were fifteen years ago. From where I worked, there was no overtime, no bonuses, comparatively little pay, little chance of getting work for more than 2 years, no contract beyond 3 months, lousy holiday entitlements, working hours that were not suitable to family life, no unsocial hours payments, no weekend payments, no night duty payments. In a sentence a family man could point out that Call Centres took from him the best hours of the day, the best days of the week, the best weeks of the year and the best years of his life.

I'm well away from Call Centres now, I don't know the current hourly rate, I don't want to know anything about call centres, their management, their owners, their investors.

My earlier posts mainly referred to the pitiful plight of the seasoned Call Centre Jockey. If I start on the real local management (not the Capo Grade otherwise known as Team Leaders) but the "more senior grades" prepare to hear of hypocritical human monuments.

 

[thedaddyman]

There are 2 types of call centres, there are the tech support call centres providing support, often to corporate customers. Those people are reasonably well paid but if they have any decent level of skills, they are gone in a couple of years to something that is more challenging and pay more. Walked through one of those recently and half the staff were on the internet, they are not in selling and were simply waiting for the next call to come in

Then you have the customer contact call centres (often outsourced). My experience in business on these is that they are run to meet the SLA, not to meet the customers needs. Customers are complaining? who cares? SLA is 90% of calls answered in 30 secs and we made 91% . High staff turnover, low morale, not brilliant pay and frankly the only experience you get out of it is how to listen to abuse down a phone. Imagine working on the Irish Water desk down on Cork with Abtran and you'll have an idea of what to expect. Worst one I saw was one that had egg-timers on the desk so when you went to the loo, you turned your egg timer and if you were not back on time it started beeping.

 

[Leper]

You are sitting down eating a medium cooked steak, glass of red on your right, your wife/partner supplying good conversation, you might be going away for a romantic few nights shortly . . . and your phone rings. Somebody has a questionnaire that will take only a few minutes and two minutes into the call you are being asked to upgrade your television service or buy a new mobile phone etc. Your train of thought has been interrupted and on your precious quality time. You don't want a tv upgrade, your mobile has been good for years you are happy with your lot.

How do you get your own back on Call Centres? You ring them; repeat you ring them. But, when you hear "Our Sales People are dying to receive your call and you have been placed on a waiting list of no more than ninety seconds. Wait, and within ten seconds of your call to be answered, just hang up. The Missed Call drives Call Centre Team Leaders to the point of elastic lunacy. "You missed a call, and the potential for sky news, sky sport, sky history, sky this and sky that has been lost" - "Do you realise what you cost this company (and of course, my bonus)?" - The Missed Call drives them to the point of having a seizure. Try it, great satisfaction!

 

[cremeegg]

You are sitting down eating a medium cooked steak, glass of red on your right, your wife/partner supplying good conversation, you might be going away for a romantic few nights shortly . . .

Ah yes the tough life of the lowly public servant. Nice to see how the other half lives.