Call center agents dont use their real names  

I didn't know that fact before. Until I landed int he call center industry and was asked to think of an American name that I can use. We were advised that its for security and so that customers would think that they are talking to Americans. But I sometimes laugh at other people using Americans name that sometimes they can really put justice to the name they have chosen.

Well, yeah it is for their own security and purpose that they do that! I have read in a book where Kalpana - an Indian name changes to Agent Candy in a call center and the name Varun changes to Agent Vroom!!! Well, this has to be done and I think it is certainly correct!

hello albert,

When i was working there i used to have a name that i am using in my facebook now. but the name is related to a meat company that they had to reversed it not to mistake it as a meat guy on the floor but i guess it's a way to prevent from being known and being scold if seen in person

They can come up with the most American name possible...it doesn't help, we can tell instantly when we reach a call center outside the U.S. or Canada. Nothing personal against these people or their countries, but if I generaly don't use companies that hire call centers outside the U.S. for customer service. I have had numerous difficulties with understanding the person on the other end of the phone and there are usualy numerous issues with them understanding me. It is pretty frustrating. Besides, I like to know that a company in my country is hiring people in my country, not empoying someone half way around the world, when there are plenty of people here at home who need jobs.
Also, I had a girlfriend a while ago who worked for a call center, she used her own real name. This was a call center in Ontario Canada. It was hillarious how many people from the U.S. would reach her line, hear her voice and say "Oh! thank god, your american!"......lol.

well, in my case and my boyfriend's case... we used our real names. the clients preferred us to use our real names so as not to confuse everyone and we might actually use different code names if that would be the case. i don't think there are security reasons not mentioning your real name...

Hi,

I have heard that before, personally I have worked in 3 different call centres (in the UK) for big companies and have never myself had to use a different name or ever known any of my colleagues or co-workers have to.

If a company wanted me or a colleague to use a different name for commercial reasons or because they didn't want customers to think they were talking to foreigners, then I would refuse to work for them.

I would only ever consider using a different name for a company if there were genuine security reasons or giving out my real name would put me or somebody else in danger.

Thanks, Ian

In Australia it's much the same. The call centre in which I worked for several years was managed by a human resource officer who took our highly dangerous jobs rather seriously. While the customer service representatives - three hundred or so people - scoffed at the suggestion that safety could/would be compromised in any way, she was quite adamant that the threat was real and genuine.

The human resource officer's solution was that - whenever we responded to a customer via email - we had to use a fake name. Nothing fancy, mind you (because that might give the devious ploy away to customers); but something like 'George' or 'Jason' or 'Bob'. The funny thing is that - when we spoke on the phone - we had to use our real names, which kind of defeated the purpose.

In hindsight, the only real danger to staff was the human resource officer and her freakish ideas!

in my previous call center, i was with a collections account so we are bounded by law to give our real names including the last one. i think we are the exception rather than the rule. lol!

i completely understand the reasoning about giving false names. it protects the company and the agent in more ways than one. feel sorry though for the clients calling up. actually, on second thought, no, i don't feel sorry for them. lol! they are obnoxious and rude and the least thing agents want is that these callers know are real names. lol!

cheers!!!

I do not blame them for not using their real names for security purposes, and even so that Americans will think they're talking to someone in the USA. I wasn't actually aware of this, but I definitely do not blame them. I just hope that they use the same name just in case a customer wants to call back and speak directly to them.

exactly! almost 98 percent of call center agents don't use their real names. In fact they speak naturally, have a good accent and sounds like a real american but they are keep telling lie to their customers may be just because of security reasons and racism.