@Jdine 29 July 2020 edited

A glimpse in the life of a call center agent...

I have been in the industry since 2019. I have handles different accounts in different companies. From being a *technical support* for AT&T to being a *collections specialist* for Synchrony Bank to being a *categorist* for a car company campaign to being *associated with electric companies* in the US (we deal with central air and solar panels)... ***Customer service is not as easy as it sounds.*** You need to be calm and you need to know how to deal with different kinds of customers. Being in a call center industry is like any other sales and customer service jobs, the only difference is you ***interact over the phone***. I usually work 9 hours a day, including my 1-hour break. And this is a ***graveyard shift*** because timezone is 12 hours behind here in the Philippines. In other companies***, overtimes are mandatory***. In my current job, they will ask us politely if we are willing to take overtime. It usually takes ***1 to 4 hours of overtime***. In my previous employer, our mandatory overtime almost every day is 4 hours. My shift starts at midnight to noon (GMT +8). And I had to endure the traffic jam at noon before I can finally relax. During your first week working as a call center agent, the ***culture shock*** will sometimes get in your nerves. The ***irate customers*** (callers) ***screaming*** over the phone regarding their ***subscription***, their ***bill,*** everything that concerns them. ***Even a simple screensaver of a computer can be one irate customer's problem when he didn't know it was just a screensaver and claims his pc has a virus.*** Irate customers will intimidate you or at least try. They will ***curse you*** and tell you thinks that you may consider as ***below the belt***. These are just out of their frustration, so ***don't take it personally.*** Their mood will turn drastically when they feel that you are helping them resolve the issue and explaining what could've caused it. You will also encounter customers that are as ***rude, arrogant and pervert*** as you can never imagine. Many are ***liars*** too. They will try to tell you they did what you asked them to (in technical problems), and it may confuse you now cause it still doesn't work. But there are also those ***very gentle, kind and very considerate customers.*** These customers are like ***angels and heaven*** during your shift. When you press that auto-in and you start taking in calls or making calls, you should be ready in all types of people. When a customer is rude, you'll still entertain them and still be nice, when they are not listening anymore and is cursing you and you realize there is no sense in communicating right now, ***you don't have to tolerate the profanity,*** you can ***politely*** tell them to call back some other time. ***You don't get to scream back and curtly answer them.*** The calls are recorded for quality purposes. Quality analysts including your team leader (supervisor) listen to those recordings to know if you are doing good. And the customers can also mark you bad during the survey. Some also ask for a supervisor or manager immediately just after you said your opening spiel out of their frustration and lack of trust in agents. It's your job to turn that upside down. It's your job to make them trust you. ***This will be by your tone and empathy.*** You need to build rapport and let them know you have enough knowledge regarding the campaign you handle and you need to listen attentively to their issues so you won't circle looking for solutions. All of this for the whole shift. You barely get the chance to be silent. There are ***no holidays*** in mostly (majority)call center companies. You will be working either during ***New Year's Eve or Christmas Eve,*** sometimes ***both***. There are ***no storms***, ***no excuses*** (unless it's life and death scenario). There are demerits even when you are excused for work. Big centers are really strict in attendance. Many big centers already have their clinics wherein you are sent when you feel unwell.. The doctor or nurse in duty will be the one to say if you're sent home or not. There's also a quarter (males and females are separated) where you can take a nap. Small centers also have their own way to let their agents rest. They say that you earn pretty good when you're working in a call center company. And that's true. There are also a lot of compensations. Working in a call center company is as fun as any other jobs as long as you love what you're doing... It may be very exhausting, but it is all worth it when you see your pay slip every after 15 days... ***You might want to check out*** @Ashma ***'c community. This community gives sponsorship and rewards to participants who with they quality content and engagement. Here's the link:*** ***https://read.cash/c/get-sponsored-2a0b*** Don't forget to like,comment subscribe and upvote. Spread love and positivity!