Working in a Call Center

[PESolution]

I work for a branch of the Carphone Warehouse, and we deal with insurance.

If it's cold calling, balls it off.

We're inbound only, and it's a really nice job, well paid too!

on a "slightly" different subject, you've taken a Rover 420 and modified it. edit: and your name is rover416, man you've set your sights to high man!

 

[VFR_KID]

Couldn't agree more with this statement. I spent some time working for a well known isp providing technical support in their call centre. As many have said "a job is a job in this day and age" but at what cost?

There's nothing worse than getting up every day to go to a job you absolutley hate doing, and call centre work is completely soul destroying. Coupled with the fact the company I worked for seemed to have no interest in resolving customer issues their main focus being call stats.

I've found everything is very statiscally driven in this environment, this is all very well if you enjoy pressure and hassle and probably explains why the majority of call centre operators I worked beside were students simply topping up their grants with some easy money sitting on the phone. Dealing with in coming calls you'd be surprised with the idiots you'd have to deal with, and if you're company like's to outsource and you're dealing with internal transfers from abroad then your pretty much screwed as they're about as much use a fart in a spacesuit!

Granted my opinion maybe very biased as I'm relying on my own personal experiences and there's probably others out there who will disagree and would enjoy that type of work however the OP was asking for opinions and thats mine for what it's worth

That wouldnt happen to be the one with the red and white sign?

Down near Amazon in Grothes?

I heard about when most of the guys in there lost their jobs was a disgrace like

 

[Sonea Fifer]

That wouldnt happen to be the one with the red and white sign?

Down near Amazon in Grothes?

I heard about when most of the guys in there lost their jobs was a disgrace like

No actually, I know the one you're talking about though and agree it was a disgrace. My previous employer dealt specifically with ADSL broadband and not cable

 

[EffBee]

I suspect the staff turnover is high for call centre jobs. A lot of people must start, hate it and leave in the first few months. People who run call centres obviously know this.

I'd suggest giving it a try - nothing to lose - and any future employer won't hold it against you that you tried call centre work but couldn't stand it.

 

[Sankari]

Outbound is soul-destroying and I wouldn't touch it with a barge-pole. At least with taking inbound calls you have no control on what comes through so can have a breather between calls and it's less repetitive than cold-calling folk saying the same ol' rubbish.

Believe me, inbound is just as bad; we had a script that we were required to follow every time, and we lost marks on our monthly assessment for any deviation from our prescribed lines. Every call had to be the same. I would sooner work in a warehouse.

I suspect the staff turnover is high for call centre jobs. A lot of people must start, hate it and leave in the first few months. People who run call centres obviously know this.

Turnover is very high, for the reasons already given in this thread.

 

[starfighter]

I have never done cold calling but from working in Tech support for an ISP people are bad enough when they want help, never mind when they don't.

Tech support wasn't that bad and we had a laugh when it wasn't busy and was sublime compared to previous jobs in a supermarket. very good company nd we were allowed to spend time helping the customer, no script or time limits.

But being glued to a desk + phone is a pain. just a desk now, less of the phone.

 

[Jamesdavid3]

I HATE all phone work, i would never do it

 

[dienamite]

I worked for Yellow Pages taking inbound calls for a few month's whilst looking for a media based job. The most awful 4 month's of my life.

They kept a track of everything staff did. And I mean everything. For example I was called to a supervisor and told to drink less, as I was only logged onto the system for an average of 96.6% of the day due to toilet breaks (97% being the minimum amount of time I could be logged on). They also suggested I sit closer to the break room so I didn't take as long walking back and forth to my desk.

Eventually I discovered they didn't have a rule for how long the phone could be on pause mode. Shortly before I left I discovered I was on pause for an average of 3 hours a day

 

[Morba]

so from my experiance and others, working in a call centre cause's:
*Lack of sleep - errm, thats not the jobs fault, its your own for not being able to manage 'stress'
*bad lower backs - sit properly
*rsi mainly wrists - set up your desk area appropriately
*bad eyes - take breaks, focus on other things every now and then..
*low self estem - thats not the job...
*deprestion - again thats not the job...
*weight gain - learn some self control, thats not the job...
*sarcasm

:]

 

[Morba]

I've spoke to other people who work in call centres and they are all different. One huy I know works in a call centre but for a non high street bank. His training lasted months, and he recieves about 10 calls a day. Insane!!

Just because its a small amount of calls, doesnt mean there isnt a lot of offline work that needs to be done as a result of the call...
Inbound calls taken is a single stat, you need more than that to be a good judge of how busy the person is

 

[Frosti]

I worked for a few months with an insurance company in there "retentions" team.
I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy..

 

[CliffyBiro]

Well, from the quarterly stats that went round around Xmas time, it showed I was taking about 150 calls a day, was top of the leaderboard for calls taken, top of the leaderboard for call monitoring scores and top again for active time excluding time taken for breaks/follow up work.

My job consisted of:

Taking orders
Settng up deliveries
Taking and resolving complaints
Issuing refunds
Liasing with every Sainsburys store
Taking the abuse for someone else's mistake
Explaining the Securecode system
Explaining that fradulent transactions are nothing to do with us
Explaining that they should have read the Terms and Conditions
Managing accounts
Handling product life issues
Taking **** from team leaders
Taking **** from the managers
Feeling useless

 

[Stolly]

I couldn't imagine a more impersonal environment. I am sure battery hens have a similar work environment.

 

[Morba]

I couldn't imagine a more impersonal environment. I am sure battery hens have a similar work environment.

why? all call centres i have been in the agents get plenty of space. more space than normal admin staff thats for sure.

 

[The Funktopus]

Did 9 months working for o2, then a further 18 for the Carphone Warehouse, lost the will to live almost, developed a deep rooted hatred of telephones. Seriously, have any of the other ex-call centre workers on here also developed a Pavlovian rage response to the ringing of a telephone like I have?

 

[CliffyBiro]

Did 9 months working for o2, then a further 18 for the Carphone Warehouse, lost the will to live almost, developed a deep rooted hatred of telephones. Seriously, have any of the other ex-call centre workers on here also developed a Pavlovian rage response to the ringing of a telephone like I have?

I answer the phone a lot less than I used to.

 

[da_mic_1530]

in the spirit of getting any job after uni, then looking for better...

I have passed the telephone interview for the new leeds sky call centre

Tis £16,500 which ain't bad, got a few "proper" interviews and such on the go also though

 

[neil3k]

wow £16.500 is a lot for a call centre!

 

[A2Z]

I work for support for a software company...basically answering calls and emails from people that have issues or questions about the software we sell.

Only started about 2 months ago..on £17k...and well it can get pretty boring and annoying, but luckily the phones don't ring non stop so its a bit more relaxed. TBH im not doing it for the enjoyment but for the ££, took long enough to find a job

 

[Lopéz]

wow £16.500 is a lot for a call centre!

I get quite a bit more than that for working in a call centre and that's before bonus (which is max £3500 p/a and if you work hard, achievable)

I've worked in good call centres and bad ones. One was a slightly "battery hen" environment (old building, poor equipment, cramped) My current one is a nice, spacious office. Modern, clean bright, plenty of room.
And not impersonal in the slightest! Some will struggle with the strict time management and regular monitoring/feedback and so on but that's more an individual preference than anything.

I take about 15 inbound calls a day I suppose, same customers all the time, I have 4 high-spend customers and I basically do everything they need doing. There are far, far worse ways to make a living if you get the "right" call centre.

That's a random publicity shot of my office taken upstairs, I work downstairs which is exactly the same layout, but a quarter of the size (so less people)

As you can see call centres don't have to be pokey and dingy.