You MUST Be Insane to Work in a Call Centre!

[HawaiianShirts]

I managed six months in a call center. I left more because of stupidity in management than because of customer-related insanity, but I think DD is right in some respects. It takes a unique personality to take a call center job, do it well, and not blow a gasket or two. My hat goes off to many CSRs as well, especially those who do outbound calls or that handle stuff like collections where customers are nearly always angry.

I have to admit that I did enjoy some of my call center work. I talked to quite a few nice and interesting people, and one of the accounts I covered gave me exactly the experience I needed to get into my Major Electronics Retailer job a few months later. I had some really funny conversations, which meant I had good stories to tell my friends. I didn't have too much of a problem with the stupid callers, and I could even deal with some of the mean callers. It's when they got stupid and mean (like DD's customer) that I started feeling my grip on sanity weaken.

[DemoDiva]

@fireheart17: I live on the coast of New South Wales, in a little tourist town about seven hours North of Sydney.

@HawaiianShirts: Sometimes it's harder to deal with getting an annoying phone call than an annoying person in front of you. That overruling gut feeling that you should just slam down the phone is so powerful sometimes. I'm working on Step 1: Keeping my voice serene and musical at all times, even when it is being firm.

That is so helpful, I've found. Because, A: It can potentially cause the customer to calm down a little, and B: Even if it doesn't, it makes it sound like I'm in control and they're an idiot, which is important when I'm on the line, reflecting on different cutting last lines before breaking the receiver with the power of my phoneslam.

@Midorikawa: I dunno, I've worked with sucky customers since I was 15 and I still feel empathetic towards their problems. I always try to do my best to help them, which is what makes it so frustrating when they don't accept my help or they insult me further. I have a hard time doing jobs that force me to stop caring about people. That's why I quit selling door-to-door; I had to stop seeing them as people or customers and start seeing them as little $100 bills that I had to beat into submission so that I could pay my rent and eat. I hated that part of it.

@trailerparkmedic: I drank a lot when I did door-to-door. I made twice as many sales when I was hungover because I didn't give a good goddamn.

@JustaCashier: How could I have possibly forgotten about SpecialAwesomePhone?!?! Thanks for reminding me, this cracked me right up.

@EricKei: Fortunately, warranty doesn't cover serious physical damage. I desperately want this bitch to come in, though, just so I can tell my awesome SM that she abused me on the phone and wanted a refund because it was Sunday. We're lucky in that respect -- the SM and owners are RAD and work in the store all the time. They ALWAYS stand behind us. A note like that would probably be tacked on the wall so everybody could laugh and add to it things about my varied and masterful displays of trainee incompetence. XD (DD forgot to say Good Morning. DD sneezed in my general direction. DD has a funny accent. DD SMELLS!!!)

@TheComputerError: EVERYDAY is Saturday for this old bitch. :P (Except Monday. MONDAY IS WRONG BECAUSE IT'S NOT SATURDAY!)

Thanks for all the comments.

DD

[fireheart]

Damn, I always wish for another South Aussie on the boards. Oh well, another Aussie is better than anything (there are only three of us, one of whom is my boyfriend and doesn't usually post and the other one I met at Gumeracha-yes, he lives up to his name )

Also, I'm being deliberately vague here but do you work for Big Blue Phone Company? Or is it red letter or red comma?

One of my boyfriend's re-enactment mates works in a call centre. Unfortunately, this happens to be the call centre for the welfare system in our state. So she's usually the go-to for advice on whether you're receiving correct payments or not (if you're eligible that is, and my friends who are on welfare use it responsibly )

[DemoDiva]

Damn, I always wish for another South Aussie on the boards. Oh well, another Aussie is better than anything (there are only three of us, one of whom is my boyfriend and doesn't usually post and the other one I met at Gumeracha-yes, he lives up to his name )

Also, I'm being deliberately vague here but do you work for Big Blue Phone Company? Or is it red letter or red comma?

One of my boyfriend's re-enactment mates works in a call centre. Unfortunately, this happens to be the call centre for the welfare system in our state. So she's usually the go-to for advice on whether you're receiving correct payments or not (if you're eligible that is, and my friends who are on welfare use it responsibly )

The pseudonym I use is Telecommunicus, and the first three letters are correct.

I love Centrelink! They're awesome. If only I was eligible for any benefits.
Immigration has made it clear that I get no government assistance unless I unexpectedly get some horrible disease or break both of my legs and am unable to work for this completely unforeseen reason.

[MoonCat]

Hi there, I'm new and this is my first comment....I've been insane, er, working in a call center for 30+ years. I feel your pain!

[ShootMePlease]

Whenever anyone yells at me and calls me names or talks to me like a lesser than on the phone I laugh at them. The few customer calls I handled before I changed positions where folks did that I just laughed. One heard me and told my manager. He didn't care much, as I think he was surprised I reacted that way. Even when folks are abusive in person I rarely get upset. I have more of a "are you done now ? " attitude. I figure if you want to look like a major asshole be my guest. Trust me, the other customers and employees are laughing at you. They DO NOT think you're superior and scary.

[godaistudios]

I've worked now in two different call centers since Feb of 97 - so well past the thirteen year mark. The tech work I've done for three and a half years I've been with <wireless provider> has been above and beyond better than the ten years I spent at "Aren't OnLine" - a better class of customer - and while I started in tech - and did tech, billing and a mix of things inbetween - it convinced me that I never again want to do billing - because I've discovered that when people call, they turn off their brains a great deal of the time - and get angry and abusive more about money than anything else.

There are some customers who do get to me, but they are rare. When somebody gets entitled to the point of being abusive and condescending - like the customer who falls under this style:

Customer: Close your mouth and do your job, do you understand, are you going to comply? I'm right, you're wrong, and that's how it is, because I'm the customer and you will do as I tell you. You're too stupid to help me, get me somebody else, you aren't hearing me.

Me: I'm doing what I can--

Customer: Didn't you hear a word I said? Shut up and transfer me to your supervisor.

Me: Okay, I just need to--

Customer: Shut up, were done speaking now, Not another word from you.

Ad nauseam.

Those types I find, can and will get through the thick skin I've built. On occasion, I have hung up on them. If they allow me to actually tell them I need their permission to place them on hold, then at that point, I'm willing to get them a supervisor, but they are going to be placed on hold (as a time out for their tantrum) perhaps a bit longer than I would for a reasonable person, so I'll take my time getting notes on an account I"m working with, maybe take a sip of water, and sit there while I compose myself so I can then go get the supervisor and give them a breakdown of what is going on.

The sad part is that what they often want, is not only often unreasonable - but against corporate policy - and I've seen spineless after spineless supervisor give in and give them above and beyond, which pisses me off all the more. If I had supervisors who would just ack me up and I'd be more willing to get abusive SC to them.

Anyway, it's those extra special EW's that make some of the more "tame" SC's far more easy to deal with.

[Whiskey]

If she was so hellbent on registering on saturday, why didn't she just wait till the next saturday came around. I doubt DD'sColleague said which saturday she'd be able to register on

[Sauletekis]

Not so much insane as... as... ok, you do have to be a little insane!

I've always liked working in call centres in the UK as it's a way to get to talk to people from all over - Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Enland, and I do love hearing all of the different accents (at both normal and 'ARRGGH SHOUT SHOUT' volumes). Means I can use my American-ness as a weapon, too (the accent takes them by surprise).

This lady you were talking to was trying to make you promise something you can't. I hate the assholes that do that - they're deliberately trying to trip you up so they can use it against you later. You handled this one like a pro!