Call Centres: The Poor-Houses of the 21st Century?

[fattybear 10]

Quality mate..

 

lol

[karandak 10]

I currently work in a call centre on the edge of rotherham! It outsources its work to lots of different companies! Ive worked there so for 2 and a half years so far, and i think im reaching the end of my time there!!

 

I absolutely hate it now!!! I started off working on the Telewest unit, upgrading/downgrading tv packages and taking credit card payments!! Simple stuff, enjoyable as it was straight-forward! Hardly had any irate customers that ended up having to speak to a manager as i was usually able to deal with the call myself! Customers only spoke to my manager if they wouldn't believe a word i was saying!!

 

Ive now been shipped to the British Gas unit....absolute hell! haha I have never spoken to people on the phone who are as rude and nasty as some of the customers who come through there! I admit they are angry for a reason, and even though i try to help them out as much as i possibly can, i just cant win! The amount of abusive ive taken is unreal!!!

 

I do understand that customers may be angry for having to wait in queues, and get annoyed by the IVR's etc and then generally the problem they are ringing up for, but to take it out on the person on the other end of the phone, generally doesnt help at all! I hear this all day every day, and it does get to you, i go to work everyday dreading whats gonna come through when i click available!! Thats why whenever i ring up somewhere, i dont get irate, i dont moan about the queue times, as they probably hear it all day, and i dont even mention anything about them putting me on hold...they might be new, so dont scare them into keeping u on hold even longer hehe

 

To make it worse, when they said we were being transferred onto the unit, it was customer service only! excellent, now a yr down the line and we have daily sales targets, which seem to be more important than making sure we do our "original" jobs correctly!!

 

Taken from an earlier post aswell, most of the people i work with are intelligent people! Im using it as a stepping-stone (albeit a very long one the way its shaping up) until i decided what type of career i want! (I started there after my a-levels as didnt want to go to uni, as didnt know what course i wanted to do, so didnt see the point in getting into debt for something i wasnt sure about!) Ive stayed there a lot longer than i wanted too, but its easy money in comparision to other jobs!! Its getting all too stale though now...ive gotta make the decisions to get out!!

 

I do think that if run correctly call centres could be a great thing, but there are certain areas where it lacks the professionalism to make it work brilliantly, and this is where all this negativity comes..from both those who work in them, and those who phone them up!!

 

Sorry about the VERY long post, but im new to the forum, and have been catchin up on everything thats been said...

[Sam Miguel 10]

I'm sorry, but it's no use apologising for the length of you post, It won't wash with me.

 

Seriously, though, if these places do things like this to their loyal employees (and customers) , then isn't it time for a re-think?

[fnkysknky 10]

I used to work for DSG and the place is a hell hole. New building but roof leaks when it rains, air conditioning makes the air so dry you get chapped lips in a couple of hours and can't breath without a drink etc. Never got stressed out there though (never been stressed in any job to be honest), maybe because I have the attitude - what's the worst they're going to do, fire me? Oh no the sheer hell of it

 

Quite why someone (Skatiechik me thinks) remarked that people who work in call centres aren't that clever is beyond me. They are normal people like anyone else - some are clever, some not so clever but they can all just about string a sentence together which is a lot more than staff at other places can do.

 

What you do realise after working in any customer service based role - it's the general public that are retarded....

[jubby 10]

Originally posted by karandak

I currently work in a call centre on the edge of rotherham! It outsources its work to lots of different companies! Ive worked there so for 2 and a half years so far, and i think im reaching the end of my time there!!

 

I absolutely hate it now!!! I started off working on the Telewest unit, upgrading/downgrading tv packages and taking credit card payments!! Simple stuff, enjoyable as it was straight-forward! Hardly had any irate customers that ended up having to speak to a manager as i was usually able to deal with the call myself! Customers only spoke to my manager if they wouldn't believe a word i was saying!!

 

Ive now been shipped to the British Gas unit....absolute hell! haha I have never spoken to people on the phone who are as rude and nasty as some of the customers who come through there! I admit they are angry for a reason, and even though i try to help them out as much as i possibly can, i just cant win! The amount of abusive ive taken is unreal!!!

 

I do understand that customers may be angry for having to wait in queues, and get annoyed by the IVR's etc and then generally the problem they are ringing up for, but to take it out on the person on the other end of the phone, generally doesnt help at all! I hear this all day every day, and it does get to you, i go to work everyday dreading whats gonna come through when i click available!! Thats why whenever i ring up somewhere, i dont get irate, i dont moan about the queue times, as they probably hear it all day, and i dont even mention anything about them putting me on hold...they might be new, so dont scare them into keeping u on hold even longer hehe

 

To make it worse, when they said we were being transferred onto the unit, it was customer service only! excellent, now a yr down the line and we have daily sales targets, which seem to be more important than making sure we do our "original" jobs correctly!!

 

Taken from an earlier post aswell, most of the people i work with are intelligent people! Im using it as a stepping-stone (albeit a very long one the way its shaping up) until i decided what type of career i want! (I started there after my a-levels as didnt want to go to uni, as didnt know what course i wanted to do, so didnt see the point in getting into debt for something i wasnt sure about!) Ive stayed there a lot longer than i wanted too, but its easy money in comparision to other jobs!! Its getting all too stale though now...ive gotta make the decisions to get out!!

 

I do think that if run correctly call centres could be a great thing, but there are certain areas where it lacks the professionalism to make it work brilliantly, and this is where all this negativity comes..from both those who work in them, and those who phone them up!!

 

Sorry about the VERY long post, but im new to the forum, and have been catchin up on everything thats been said...

 

Ypu must be at Ventura. Never have heard a good thing about that place. The problem when compaines out source, is the company you're representing sometimes loses touch with what is happening to their customers ringing and the call handlers taking the calls. At the end of the day Ventura is there to make money and taking on targets keeps them in the market place, if they don't meet these targets the compainies may take there business elsewhere.

[jubby 10]

Originally posted by Sam Miguel

Can you not see that this silly, pathetic money-saving invention is not working and is never going to work?

 

As I said in a previous post: the first big company to admit that they were wrong and go back to the human-friendly method of old, might just start the ball rolling.

 

The World, I am sure, does not want - nor need, call-centres!!

 

Sorry to disappoint you people who work in these places but, if the system did collapse, I'm certain there would be places for you all answering the phone and sorting out problems in the friendly way that they used to.

 

Sir! I need a pee!

 

Sorry Sam meant to pick up on this earlier.

 

If the company I work for which is on the PC World Branch Helpline stopped and you went to the old way it would be cr*p.

 

99% of the calls I take are - is this in stock, when do you open etc. So if I am not there to answer that you would have to get of your backside go to store andsee if it is open and the products are in stock. By phoning me you can stay dry and warm and possible not have a wasted journey. The other calls I take that the old way wouldn't help is "Where are you?" and they mean the store not me personally. Some things I can't solve like business queires and store complaints they have to go though o the strore by me transferring them.

I admit that some things can be done the old fashion way but in support with the phone lines or should that be the phones lines should be in support of the old fashion way. There are people out there that can't get to places easy do age, disabilty or just a rubbish public transport system (theres a thread on that on here).

 

Next time its blowing a gale and chucking it down and you need to pay for something what would rather do Sam stay in the house nice and dry and be in a Q for 20 mins etc or leave the house drive etc to a bank or shop etc? I know which I'd rather do!!!

[jubby 10]

Anyone who works in the call centre world may be interested that thee is a trade magazine out there.

 

It is on a free subscription to thoses who meet the citrea, I assume that is you work in the industry...

 

Here is the link

 

http://www.callcentre.co.uk/

 

Cheers

 

Jubby

[Sam Miguel 10]

Wht should anyone have to go through a call centre to find out if something is in stock or find out if a particular item is in stock. query re opening times?

 

It absolutely beats me.

 

Jubby: are you telling me that if I want to know such basic things as this, I have to go through the call centre?

 

If so, it's much, much worse than I thought.

 

I mean, where's it all going to end?

 

Christ on a bike! If things carry on like this, even the local corner shops are going to belong to some sort of call-centre syndicate where call-handlers answer queries on their behalf.

 

I'm sorry, but I think I'd sooner get in the car and take my chances than be held in a queue to find out when some retail giant's late-night opening is, or if they have any floppy disks left.

 

It's just gone plain crazy.

[jubby 10]

Originally posted by Sam Miguel

Wht should anyone have to go through a call centre to find out if something is in stock or find out if a particular item is in stock. query re opening times?

 

It absolutely beats me.

 

Jubby: are you telling me that if I want to know such basic things as this, I have to go through the call centre?

 

If so, it's much, much worse than I thought.

 

I mean, where's it all going to end?

 

Christ on a bike! If things carry on like this, even the local corner shops are going to belong to some sort of call-centre syndicate where call-handlers answer queries on their behalf.

 

I'm sorry, but I think I'd sooner get in the car and take my chances than be held in a queue to find out when some retail giant's late-night opening is, or if they have any floppy disks left.

 

It's just gone plain crazy.

 

When the sale period is on things go out of stock. As for opening times do you know when PC World is open to on which days?? Sundays is tricky as to which 6 hours are they open it varies from store to store. Also you might be after a paticluar item or peice of software, PC World is very big and we stock 1000's of items but not everything!! If you want to get in your car and have a wasted journey so be it, in the wind and rain etc as well...

A lot of our customers aren't lucky to have a store nearby. Ikea do the same thing and there nearest Ikea to Sheffield is Nottingham then Leeds a long way to go to find out its out of stock or closed.

[jubby 10]

Originally posted by jubby

When the sale period is on things go out of stock. As for opening times do you know when PC World is open to on which days?? Sundays is tricky as to which 6 hours are they open it varies from store to store. Also you might be after a paticluar item or peice of software, PC World is very big and we stock 1000's of items but not everything!! If you want to get in your car and have a wasted journey so be it, in the wind and rain etc as well...

A lot of our customers aren't lucky to have a store nearby. Ikea do the same thing and there nearest Ikea to Sheffield is Nottingham then Leeds a long way to go to find out its out of stock or closed.

 

Also the phone line offers a mail order facility, and some things are cheaper online and not everyone has web access (might be why they're buying a computer) With large items you might not have room in the car to bring them home (or even a car) so whats the point to go to a store to arrange it to be delivered when you can do that on the phone.

 

Also no one said you had to go though a callcentre the choice to phone or go to store is up to you

[Sam Miguel 10]

Sorry, Jubby, I'm with you now. I thought that you were saying that you couldn't phone the store direct. I really panicked. I really thought the human race was done for!!

 

Yes, I would phone a store to find out if something was in stock or what their opening times were.

 

But I would not phone a call-centre for something as trivial as this.

[jubby 10]

Originally posted by Sam Miguel

Sorry, Jubby, I'm with you now. I thought that you were saying that you couldn't phone the store direct. I really panicked. I really thought the human race was done for!!

 

Yes, I would phone a store to find out if something was in stock or what their opening times were.

 

But I would not phone a call-centre for something as trivial as this.

 

Hate to burst you're bubble here

 

in the case of PC World you can't phone the stores direct all calls are fielded by the contact centre. This is so over 130 people aren't employed in stores just to answer the phone (1 each store) over the various shift patterns. When a group of people centrally can check for you. This makes life a bit easier for the customer becuase say you wanted something in Sheffield and it was out of stock we could check stock at rotherham chesterfield and barnsley (when that store opens) all at the same time safeing you possibly 3 more calls and therefore saving time and money. You may disagree. People tend to want store staff dealing with quries with people in store not talking on the phone. What would happen if the telephone person was sick, one less on the shop floor!!! You then as a in store customer not be served. The choice is there for you. Phone in advance or risk your trip to store. Also if only one person is there to answer the phone the wait may be longer than calling a call centre. A lot of calls we get are for the same areas, today I took 7 calls for Derby store in a row. this is for example.