Working in a Call center, being on the OTHER side of that phone call.
By Jekca
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
Centralia, Missouri
October 13, 2015 8:34am CST
We have all had to call a company for billing or technical support at least once in our lives (I just bet), and have had both good, ok, and bad experiences. I have MUCH more sympathy for those answering the phone now, since I have been there, and done that.
Things you should know before you yell at them:
1. They most likely have to ask you before they put you on hold, and check back with you often, just go with it.
2. To keep their job they have to educate and most likely try and sell you stuff, so just keep politely saying no.
3. Remember, THEY didn't create the problem, their company somehow did, so don't make it personal.
4. Try to be engaging, if you are nice they are a lot more likely to help and not stonewall you.
5. Every millisecond counts, if a call goes on too long, their job could be on the line, so be concise with your problem and what you need.
6. Dead air time is considered bad, so if the agent is a bit chattery, it's because they HAVE to keep there from being dead air. Weird, but yeah, totally a thing.
7. Everyone threatens to disconnect or cancel if they don't get what they want like RIGHT THAT SECOND. Honestly, often whatever it is is simply not possible, and really? That threats gets old and numbers support most people just talking out of their....well the end they sit on.
I could go on and on and on, but I want to hear from you! What have you learned?
6 people like this
7 responses
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
13 Oct 15
I worked in a call centre for one and a half years. It was a living Hell. I am more polite to staff at such centres when I need them or they call me - actually the customers were usually alright but management were shocking
2 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
13 Oct 15
Yeah, call center management is for the most part, completely horrid. They were the biggest kiss-youknowwhats, and that's the only reason they got promoted, not that they have a clue how to be a sup, plus the company itself has people so removed from reality who put rules in place with no idea how that will actually be implemented, and then it doesn't work in the field. It was a paycheck, and I was completely and utterly miserable
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
13 Oct 15
@Jessicalynnt I was actually happy when they fired me - my sales were poor and I managed to sell someone completely the wrong product in the end. My concentration turned to silly putty.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (44366)
• United States
13 Oct 15
It would help if the person actually speaks the same language as the callers, actually knows what you are talking about, and gives a darn. They are often your last resort to solve a problem and much of the time, I don't understand them. I had one saying, "I'm sorry. Not working." That is all she knew how to say and was no help with my problem.
2 people like this
@Juliaacv (56443)
• Canada
13 Oct 15
From my experience a lot of the reason that there is a language barrier is because the average American feels that this type of work is below them. I have worked in 5 centres, all of them except for 1 had American callers. The centre I am currently in is a Canadian company with a Canadian customer base and its all good. It is upsetting when the first question a caller asks is if they are calling another country. And of course the worst answer is to have to lie to them because your head office has instructed you to do so. But, there have been threats, so there is a method to their madness.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
14 Oct 15
yep, we have our call centers IN america, so english is a given. this is also true at the drive through, people NEED to speak clearly and the actual language
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
14 Oct 15
@Juliaacv I dont care what county you are in if you speak clear understandable english for me
@Rollo1 (16676)
• Boston, Massachusetts
14 Oct 15
@Jessicalynnt But they do get paid more, so it's more fair that they have to deal with me when I am upset than the regular agents. It's about anger appropriate salary grades.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
14 Oct 15
Well, in my company the sups cant do a thing more than the agent can like 99.9% of the time. Plus they don't handle escos, and you can't talk directly to the team that does that.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
14 Oct 15
@Rollo1 I will give you that one, the lowbie phone agent nowhere near get paid enough for that
@kevin1877uk (36987)
•
13 Oct 15
I'm sure I've phoned many over the years, I wouldn't like to work in one.
1 person likes this
@kevin1877uk (36987)
•
15 Oct 15
@Jessicalynnt Oh dear sorry to hear. No I couldn't do the job myself.
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
14 Oct 15
it has got to be the worst air conditioned job in the world. I say that because i worked in a soda pop factor once and the heat alone made that one worse.
1 person likes this
@thesids (22180)
• Bhubaneswar, India
13 Oct 15
Having worked in one of those torture chambers (okay, you call them call centers) - I have to agree with you.
The worst is the technical call center - where I worked. The solutions to your queries are all pre written, the options are too limited and even if you being a technical guy with all those knowledge and certifications, know that the answer to a query is wrong, there is nothing you can do right then. Definitely, that is asking for trouble - from the caller - especially if the caller is a technical guy too.
People/callers tend to forget that we (workers of call centers) are limited in our approach and have more complicated issues than theirs (on most cases). All we expect is a little politeness from the callers.
2 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
14 Oct 15
torture chamber I like that. The ice box of doom. Yeah, we just started using the scripts, well the call center did, I hoped departments, mine ignores the scripts when they insist we use something or other, we just don't. We are a off branch and they can't enforce that stupidness on us. yet anyways
1 person likes this
@sofssu (23660)
•
14 Oct 15
I for one know that they know nothing about the problem I have. They are just standing in the gap until the actual service guys fix it. I yell only when they never pick up calls or act cheeky. I ask for the boss and let him have it if my problem is not attended to within the stipulated time.
1 person likes this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
14 Oct 15
that's exactly it! most of the time they don't understand, and have NOTHING to do with whats even going on.
1 person likes this
@Juliaacv (56443)
• Canada
13 Oct 15
Having worked in a few different call centres since 2002 or 2003 I have to say that the caller that vents on me who is answering as a front line agent has a lot to learn about how to effectively get what they really want. We direct the calls, and we often speak with the supervisor or other department who will be stuck with the screaming customer. It doesn't usually end well for the customer that has loudly voiced their opinion as soon as the call began. There really is no reason to be ignorant or rude to the front line agent, anymore it is for a front line agent to be rude to the screaming caller. I realize that most people have a very low regard for a call centre worker, but then again, those are usually the screamers in the world. I'm just earning a living.
1 person likes this
