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Posted: 6 months ago by gnikgnok:
Since there was a bit of a thread-jack on iny's cell phone topic, I thought I'd bring it over here.
You can be a member of one of two camps: Call Center Employee Supporter or Call Center Employee Abuser.
Which do you belong to and why?
Score: [-] 195 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by dOntEAtpOOp:
Supporter.
Cause I work at a call center.
Score: [-] 119 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by 2manyusernames:
if call center includes telemarketers, the only "abuse" I give them when they call me is I try to sell them a home.
I will just act as if they called to find out about buying a home and some land and will start in asking their name and current housing situation, how many bedrooms they need, etc, etc.
It is amazing how long some of them stay on the phone.
I do that because I only receive such calls at work where I am suppose to be selling homes. I figure if they call and take up my valuable time than I can try and do my job by selling them a house.
Score: [-] 107 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by gnikgnok:
I didn't realize it before, but here on Plime we must have a pretty high percentage of people that work at call centers, at least compared to the population in general.
I am usually an abuser... but I always start out stressing that I understand it's not the fault of the person taking my call; and that they are just doing the best job they can with the jacked-up training they've obviously received. I hate when the employee can't help me so he is frustrated, I'm not getting what I need so I'm frustrated, and we are at an impasse because it is against policy to transfer me up the chain of command.
That's when I usually go b***hcakes.
By the end of the conversation, however, I always thank them for their time.
Any employees want to share rant stories?
Score: [-] 0 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by cheeselog1234:
I think I'm more of an abuser than a supporter. I've never met anyone (aside from Plimates) that actually works in a call center.
I imagine it's a suxass job anyway and probably has a high turnover rate. So I don't feel bad messing with them. If anything, they should use the abuse they receive as motivation to get a degree or a better paying/more respectable job.
And a question for DEP: Do the callers really get reprimanded for forwarding a call to the manager? Do you managers really hate taking calls? Is there REALLY 'nothing' you can do?
Score: [-] 24 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by Jerry520:
« dOntEAtpOOp : Supporter.
Cause I work at a call center. Hear hear! Don't abuse us, we mean no harm. It is (quite literally) our job to try and assist you to the best of our abilities.
Score: [-] 24 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by moe:
I used to be the WORST kind of Call Center worker...a PHONE COP FOR NYNEX.
Let me tell you what. There is no worse curse anyone can give than to have the phone company on your ass.
That having been said I am a supporter until:
1) It is apparent that there is no competence on the other end of the phone
2) They try to BS me by using words bigger than my vocabulary to shut me up.
3) They call me trying to sell something
Response
1) Insist on talking to someone with a functional brain
2) Use bigger words than they do. This is usually easy because I am at times a computer support person.
3) Make screwy sh*t up. People trying to sell me a "warranty" for my car end up looking up book values on 1957 Edsels or 1997 Lear Jets.
Score: [-] 58 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by IcePigs:
« cheeselog1234 :
And a question for DEP: Do the callers really get reprimanded for forwarding a call to the manager? Do you managers really hate taking calls? Is there REALLY 'nothing' you can do? I'll answer this...
90% of the time you're not talking to a manager. You're talking to the person in the next cubical over.
Most people just want to think they're talking to someone in charge. It usually doesn't change the outcome.
Score: [-] 54 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by theclansman:
I would have to say that I am an abuser, I worked at a call center for a summer and I totally abused them...
We had this system where you would type in "break out" on your computer, and then you could go have lunch or a smoke or whatever and when you came back you typed "break in" and the computer recorded how long you were gone, you were allowed to have an hour of break time on an 8 hour shift. I figured out if you typed break out, left for 5 or 6 hours and came back and instead of typing break in you restart your computer it never logged the time, so I was taking 5 hour breaks every day.
I worked for Synovate and we did surveys, when you were in a survey sometimes they would "watch" your computer and make sure your doing it all right. I figured out how to find out when they are watching me, and when they weren't I would fill out surveys with garbage data (this was good because otherwise I would have got fired for not meeting quota since I was gone for over half the day).
We did lots of surveys for banking and insurance companies, all of whom were very clear that they did not want anyone to know they were responsible for the surveys. I told everyone that information, along with the fact that we had ALL their personal information..many people were quite angry that their bank had given their information to a call center without their permission. It was kind of funny, one guy was a lawyer and he was especially pissed off
Score: [-] 54 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by dOntEAtpOOp:
« cheeselog1234: So I don't feel bad messing with them. If anything, they should use the abuse they receive as motivation to get a degree or a better paying/more respectable job.
And a question for DEP: Do the callers really get reprimanded for forwarding a call to the manager? Do you managers really hate taking calls? Is there REALLY 'nothing' you can do? Not where I work. That's a bulls**t excuse if you ask me. I get the impression that the person just didn't want to get their supervisor on the line because I can't imagine the company having that policy.
Where I work, if the customer wants to talk to a supervisor, we get on the phones and talk to them. Always. And you will never talk to the person in the cubicle next to the person, as icepigs mentioned, at my company.
And it's not a suckass job, actually; I've worked at three of them over the course of the last 10 years, (Almost 7 years at one before it was outsourced, 2 months at another while I waited for a better paying job to come along, and a little over 3 years at the place I'm at now.)
They're not low paying jobs, at least for the most part. And in the area I live, the entry level position at a telemarketing firm pays more than anything else around here. I'm just a supervisor in a call center and I make more than my wifes former snooty boss who is all uppity-as-f**k and thinks his s**t don't stink because he's an executive in some "major" advertising firm.
And treating telemarketers like crap just because you think it will motivate them to get a better job is a really s**tty excuse. A lot of people don't have a choice in the matter. If that's what you feel you need to do to outlet your frustration, fine; be a d**k, but don't go acting like you have some noble underlying cause behind it.
Is that how you treat the people who make your food? I mean, they have a suckass job. What about the waiters and dishwashers and pretty much anyone else who you feel is somehow below you? f**k em, right? Maybe if you act like an a*****e towards them they'll somehow be motivated to do something with their lives that you will deem worthwhile.
Way to go, champ.
By the way, if it's telemarketers calling you that is pissing you off, consider where they got the number. Perhaps you should not be so free with your information.
Now if you're just "humorously" f**king with them, go for it; we like that. But being outright rude for no reason except that you feel like it is wrong, and it gives you an unfair advantage because the telemarketer can't say anything back to you without risking their job.
« theclansman : I would have to say that I am an abuser, I worked at a call center for a summer and I totally abused them...
We had this system where you would type in "break out" on your computer, and then you could go have lunch or a smoke or whatever and when you came back you typed "break in" and the computer recorded how long you were gone, you were allowed to have an hour of break time on an 8 hour shift. I figured out if you typed break out, left for 5 or 6 hours and came back and instead of typing break in you restart your computer it never logged the time, so I was taking 5 hour breaks every day.
I worked for Synovate and we did surveys, when you were in a survey sometimes they would "watch" your computer and make sure your doing it all right. I figured out how to find out when they are watching me, and when they weren't I would fill out surveys with garbage data (this was good because otherwise I would have got fired for not meeting quota since I was gone for over half the day).
We did lots of surveys for banking and insurance companies, all of whom were very clear that they did not want anyone to know they were responsible for the surveys. I told everyone that information, along with the fact that we had ALL their personal information..many people were quite angry that their bank had given their information to a call center without their permission. It was kind of funny, one guy was a lawyer and he was especially pissed off My 7-year job was surveys. I would have fired you in a second, and if you violated the client confidentiality, I would have sued you.
Score: [-] 151 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by maven:
I'm polite with call centers I've contacted, since I WANT them to help me and being rude is seldom the best way to gain cooperation.
I'm short with telemarketers that call me. I listen politely, say no thank you, and hang up. I will NOT argue, I will NOT be baited, I just hang up. I don't blame them for having a thankless job but nor will I support the industry by buying anything from them.
It's a karma thing. Be rude to strangers, but don't be surprised when that comes back to you.
Score: [-] 55 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by 86Apex:
« maven : I'm polite with call centers I've contacted, since I WANT them to help me and being rude is seldom the best way to gain cooperation.
I'm short with telemarketers that call me. I listen politely, say no thank you, and hang up. I will NOT argue, I will NOT be baited, I just hang up. I don't blame them for having a thankless job but nor will I support the industry by buying anything from them.
It's a karma thing. Be rude to strangers, but don't be surprised when that comes back to you. I couldn't agree more with you. I try to be as courteous as possible with people that work at these call centers because you're shooting yourself in the foot if you're rude to them. If that was you on their side of the call, do think you would be willing to help someone that's rude to you? You're not going to get the proper help that you need.
Score: [-] 86 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by cheeselog1234:
« dOntEAtpOOp : commentary Yeah...I signed up on the donotcall.gov - so ppl don't really call me anyways.
Score: [-] 43 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by dollyllama:
I'm in both camps.
I worked for an electronics company, a really swarmy one that mis-advertised and sold crap to people and then didn't live up to their promises. All calls came through us first and we couldn't put the calls through to the stores (we could try but no one there was stupid enough to answer a call). So the customers would rant on us. They'd threaten to bring their fridge back and throw it through a window, etc. We also weren't allowed to put the calls through to customer service until they spoke to someone at the store, catch 22. We did eventually find a number we could transfer them to. It was a dead line but they would get hold music and it wouldn't ring back to us. Since it never rang anywhere that let them cool their heels for a few and generally they were either calmer or more explosive, but not so much with us but with the idiots that "never answered".
We had to be respectful to a point, that point was "no swearing". I used to the customer rant and when he was all calmed down I'd take his information and promise to get it to someone. That usually worked. Except for one guy. He cursed me out from the moment I picked up the call, after about 5 minutes I just lost it on him. I cursed him out so bad. He went completely quiet during my tirade. After that I said, "now, can I help you or do you want to come at me again with more foul language?" after a moment he said, very quietly, "would you go out with me?"
On the other hand
I try not to be abusive to the call people, but the moment I start getting the non-responses, the can't help you's, the whatever standard bs story I escalate to a manager. If they pull the same crap, then I get a bit more abusive. But, I tend now to get their name and a call back number and then I get the phone number for the corporate headquarters. And once I get corporate on the phone, I will be getting what I want. The only glitch I've found in this, so far, is Dell. I found about 8 numbers for their corporate headquarters, all of which were "no longer in service". I'm still searching.
And one more story if you can stand it, somewhat related.
I found an injured bunny or squirrel or something when living in NJ. I used to know a wildlife rehabilitater but she moved away. I started calling all the SPCA, Humane and Wildlife people I could find in the phone book, no one would help. They kept brushing me off or giving me another number to call. I was calling my "last hope" number and a nice woman answered. I blurted out my tragic story of this injured creature and how no one would help and they were my last hope. She says "would you like to speak to the Governor?" (this was McGreevey at that time). I said "well gee, I hope it doesn't come to that but and I'm sure he wouldn't care" She said "I don't know, he's a nice guy, I bet he'd care" I said "Oh, you know him?" and she says "Yes, I'm his assistant, you called his office"
"..."
"Oh, I meant to dial [whatever phone number], says me, flabbergasted. She says "well you were close, let me transfer you" well, you can imagine that whoever she transferred me to saw that it was McGreevey's office and the call not only got picked up before the first ring finished but I got the names of 3 wildlife rehabilitaters from them and a promise to continue to help if that wasn't sufficient.
You can bet, I kept that phone number.
Score: [-] 67 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by dOntEAtpOOp:
« cheeselog1234 : Yeah...I signed up on the donotcall.gov - so ppl don't really call me anyways. If you only understood the loopholes.
If you have done business within the company calling youin the last 6 months, they are still allowed to contact you.
If you have gone to a companies website, or called them, they have 3 months that they can call you in.
If the company calling you is doing anything other than attempting to sell you something, they are allowed to call you as often as they like because they are completely exempt.
Score: [-] 55 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by dollyllama:
What double post?
Score: [-] 0 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by theclansman:
« dOntEAtpOOpMy 7-year job was surveys. I would have fired you in a second, and if you violated the client confidentiality, I would have sued you. Uhh I fully expected to lose my job everyday, and was constantly surprised by how badly they needed people. They finally busted me on my break thing when I tried to go for the record and have 7 hours and 50 minutes of break on an 8 hour shift. They phoned me at home and I stupidly answered, they told me not to bother coming in again...then a week later they are phoning me and asking me to come back! hilarious how bad they needed people.
As for the suing part..We both know that wouldn't happen
« dOntEAtpOOp
If you only understood the loopholes.
Yeah I really hated the company I worked at for that, people would ask to be put on a do not call list and we had all these different methods of making them agree to have their name removed from THAT surveys list, or other such bulls**t techniques.
In all honesty the best way to not get calls is to threaten them (violently)
Score: [-] 24 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by dOntEAtpOOp:
« dollyllama : I'm in both camps.
You can bet, I kept that phone number. You double posted 30 minutes apart? How the hell does that even happen?
Score: [-] 34 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by dollyllama:
« dOntEAtpOOp : You double posted 30 minutes apart? How the hell does that even happen? It's pun magic.
Score: [-] 34 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by Bornbad:
Doesn't anyone here have a job where you have to lift something other than a phone?
Score: [-] 56 [+].
Posted: 6 months ago by dOntEAtpOOp:
« Bornbad : Doesn't anyone here have a job where you have to lift something other than a phone? I worked in an aluminum plant for 2 months. It was mind numbing. It paid way less than I made using the phone, hurted my footzers, and because of the noise I became socially isolated. I just couldn't do it. Plus they had me on swing shift despite telling me that I wouldn't be on swing shift.
So I quit and went back to the call centers.
Score: [-] 67 [+].
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