Call centre workers: spill the beans

Insomniscene

Podge52 wrote: »

It would appear that I'm in a minority as I actually enjoy my job. It may simply be that the people asking for my help need it immediately and in 99% of cases I can resolve the issue, albeit not always to the customers satisfaction.

I reckon if I had a job in an inbound role, I'd enjoy the job a massive amount more. Its something I feel I would be good at, as I enjoy taking the time and putting the effort in when it comes to genuine help with people.

Podge52

Insomniscene wrote: »

I reckon if I had a job in an inbound role, I'd enjoy the job a massive amount more. Its something I feel I would be good at, as I enjoy taking the time and putting the effort in when it comes to genuine help with people.

That's a fair point.

I don't even think I could work in an outbound call center roll.

RuthnJasper

I try and be as nice as possible if I ring a company. Not because I'm a paragon of good virtue - I'm not (;)) or because I'm not genuinely furious with the company (I'm probably livid if I've taken the time to 'phone up), but because it's so patently not the fault of the poor s*d who answers the call.

Whether a receptionist or a call-centre agent, they aren't responsible for shabby management decisions or incompetence higher up the chain. Ruining some poor innocent's day with abuse isn't helpful to anyone. I think I have "lost it" on a couple of occasions when I was REALLY strung out; but both times I apologised to the person.

In my view, as soon as you start to swear and rant you've lost the moral high-ground - however genuine your grievance is.

At least a call-centre person is a human and not one of those god-awful computer answering systems.

duchy

And you probably get far better service because you have that healthy attitude.

I must admit I'm like podge in that I actually *like* talking to most people and get satisfaction in solving their problems.
My boss got me to do some training yesterday and introduced me saying that for five years I've consistently got top marks in customer satisfaction from surveys.

I get quite bored on days all the issues are simple and prefer a bigger problem to get my teeth into

I do think tho if you like your job it shows in how you perform.

RuthnJasper wrote: »

I try and be as nice as possible if I ring a company. Not because I'm a paragon of good virtue - I'm not (;)) or because I'm not genuinely furious with the company (I'm probably livid if I've taken the time to 'phone up), but because it's so patently not the fault of the poor s*d who answers the call.

Whether a receptionist or a call-centre agent, they aren't responsible for shabby management decisions or incompetence higher up the chain. Ruining some poor innocent's day with abuse isn't helpful to anyone. I think I have "lost it" on a couple of occasions when I was REALLY strung out; but both times I apologised to the person.

In my view, as soon as you start to swear and rant you've lost the moral high-ground - however genuine your grievance is.

At least a call-centre person is a human and not one of those god-awful computer answering systems.

KAPTAIN_KRUNCH

I've just had to take a Data centre job, it's £5.50 an hour if your over 25, £4.50 if your under. They don't give you a proper wage slip so you don't know if you've been paid all your hour's, they take money off you for using there equipment I think, last week I worked 14 hour's which at £5.50 an hour should be £77, I had £55 put into my bank account. This is my 5th week, I've had my job seekers allowance stopped, my rent and council tax suspended. We work 4 hour session 10 till 2 in the morning and 4 till 8 in the evening, they let you go outside for a quick fag after 2 hour's then tell you to get back to work as if your on a chain gang ( am shaking it boss....I'm shaking it ). They ring people who are on TPS all the time.


I'd like to know what Martin think's of this, so much for Great Britain

daytona0

KAPTAIN_KRUNCH wrote: »

I've just had to take a Data centre job, it's £5.50 an hour if your over 25, £4.50 if your under. They don't give you a proper wage slip so you don't know if you've been paid all your hour's, they take money off you for using there equipment I think, last week I worked 14 hour's which at £5.50 an hour should be £77, I had £55 put into my bank account. This is my 5th week, I've had my job seekers allowance stopped, my rent and council tax suspended. We work 4 hour session 10 till 2 in the morning and 4 till 8 in the evening, they let you go outside for a quick fag after 2 hour's then tell you to get back to work as if your on a chain gang ( am shaking it boss....I'm shaking it ). They ring people who are on TPS all the time.


I'd like to know what Martin think's of this, so much for Great Britain

You know what lad, that's a monkey job. Get out of it right now.

When I was between jobs I did agency work for racecourse bookmakers. It involved a "1 hour" coach journey which turned into 2 hours on the journey there and 1.5 hours on the way back (waiting for people to arrive and then waiting for people to cash up and leave). They paid for 1.5 hours of travel time and then 6 hours on the racecourse. Translation: 7.5 hours pay for 11 hours of your life. That job was swiftly jibbed off in a way which meant that the dole didn't get a sniff of it

CKhalvashi

KAPTAIN_KRUNCH wrote: »

I've just had to take a Data centre job, it's £5.50 an hour if your over 25, £4.50 if your under. They don't give you a proper wage slip so you don't know if you've been paid all your hour's, they take money off you for using there equipment I think, last week I worked 14 hour's which at £5.50 an hour should be £77, I had £55 put into my bank account. This is my 5th week, I've had my job seekers allowance stopped, my rent and council tax suspended. We work 4 hour session 10 till 2 in the morning and 4 till 8 in the evening, they let you go outside for a quick fag after 2 hour's then tell you to get back to work as if your on a chain gang ( am shaking it boss....I'm shaking it ). They ring people who are on TPS all the time.


I'd like to know what Martin think's of this, so much for Great Britain

https://www.gov.uk/pay-and-work-rights-helpline

mattyprice4004

Call centre work for most of my life - golden rule, never ever lose your temper or shout. I don't care if you've queued up for an hour to speak to me, I'll just hang up on you.

The second anyone lost their rag, it's time to end the call. The person at the call centre didn't cause your issue, so don't scream at them.

[Deleted User]

KAPTAIN_KRUNCH wrote: »

I've just had to take a Data centre job, it's £5.50 an hour if your over 25, £4.50 if your under. They don't give you a proper wage slip so you don't know if you've been paid all your hour's, they take money off you for using there equipment I think, last week I worked 14 hour's which at £5.50 an hour should be £77, I had £55 put into my bank account. This is my 5th week, I've had my job seekers allowance stopped, my rent and council tax suspended. We work 4 hour session 10 till 2 in the morning and 4 till 8 in the evening, they let you go outside for a quick fag after 2 hour's then tell you to get back to work as if your on a chain gang ( am shaking it boss....I'm shaking it ). They ring people who are on TPS all the time.


I'd like to know what Martin think's of this, so much for Great Britain

The National minimum wage for someone 21 and over is £6.50.., https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-ratesthey are breaking the law.

Use the contact given above.., see what they say. Keep anything that records your hours at all (even if your payslip doesn't). Perhaps you or someone else could record on a camera phone a discussion between employee and team leader as to what time it is when they drag you back in again etc.

My Ex was had a similiarly 'no hours marked' payslip and his employer managed to convince the Employment Tribunal that he worked a 40 hour week rather than a 48 hour week because he had 'evidence' (it was false but we weren't given an opportunity to prove this) except for the vague payslips (although it was obvious from the payslips and correspondence from the Inland Revenue, he was giving yet another set of figures to them, including pocketing some of my ex's PAYE). I wish you luck. I know it feels really bad to be treated this way.

chrisb4

Podge52 wrote: »

It would appear that I'm in a minority as I actually enjoy my job. It may simply be that the people asking for my help need it immediately and in 99% of cases I can resolve the issue, albeit not always to the customers satisfaction.

I agree. I worked in the customer service team of a medium size high street retailer for around eight months and genuinely enjoyed every moment. The office environment itself, due to the medium size of the company, was relaxed and easy going, with no call targets to meet and a wide range of freedom to do what had to be done to resolve the issue, casual wear etc. I would imagine working in a larger, more corporate organisation's CS dept must be soul destroying with more of a culture of target meeting, which is my experience generally does more to harm the customer service experience than to improve it.

But, to answer the original query, as has already been said - treat the person answering your call as you would wish to be treated yourself. Most people who work in CS are underpaid and overworked, and most do it because it's the only job they can get. And, of course, employees are more inclined to help the nicer customers and do the bare minimum for the nastier ones.

Oh, and one chap used to call us up, ask to speak to me... and when transferred, would spend ten minutes telling me about his grandkids before moving onto this query (he was a regular caller, you may tell!). He was a joy to speak to. We're all human after all