Recruitment companies usually don't give out the name of the company until you go in for the interview.
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What’s it like working at a call center?
- Thread starter Kaelan
- Start date
Recruitment companies usually don't give out the name of the company until you go in for the interview.
While I haven't worked at a call center full time, I do have to help out on our company's IT support line every so often when they're short staffed. It's rare but it happens. It's the worst. People treat you like garbage (and these are in-house employees, not outside customers), are extremely demanding and half the time do not cooperate with you. Thank god it's not very often that I have to do it.
Although, if you need the money, it's certainly a gig that will pay the bills. It'll teach you valuable people skills too.
Although, if you need the money, it's certainly a gig that will pay the bills. It'll teach you valuable people skills too.
This isn't universal. My career began via a call center job. The job itself was easy and after a while I took on a training rotation, followed by a jr. business analyst position, then business analyst, then project manager. I sometimes miss the call center work because it's the kind of work you can do and then forget about it at the end of the day.
It really really matters where you work. Working at a newspaper's call center was pretty OK but nothing great. I've heard horror stories about the various ISPs customer service departments. But, working my current job? One of the best job experiences I've ever had.
The worst job I ever had. It won't seem that bad at the start. But after a few months you'll be calling in sick, praying for a power outage, using all your time off, crying in the shower before work. And then you'll leave.
Really depends on location and business practices of that location. I haven't experienced horror, but I've certainly experienced severe annoyance and plenty of frustration.
Do it for the paycheck. Don't forget to look for other opportunities. Skill-crafting is very limited in a call center, I think.
Do it for the paycheck. Don't forget to look for other opportunities. Skill-crafting is very limited in a call center, I think.
Never worked at one myself, but we have a handful in the area so I know plenty who have. Everyone says it's dreadful. It's money though, so you gotta weigh your options, especially if cash is tight.
I came close to taking a call center job for Nintendo because it was the one call center job I heard good things about from people that work there. They're very light on external pressure there, and lenient on what you can do to keep the customer happy and avoid things from becoming adversarial. Everyone seemed nice and in high spirits when I interviewed there.
But I know even then I could never handle that job. I have a very weak stomach for negative interactions and that's simply going to happen in that job no matter what.
I can't imagine how anyone deals with it in companies with stricter performance demands and stingy policies that make calls become adversarial.
But I know even then I could never handle that job. I have a very weak stomach for negative interactions and that's simply going to happen in that job no matter what.
I can't imagine how anyone deals with it in companies with stricter performance demands and stingy policies that make calls become adversarial.
Hell on earth because the average general public are a bunch of cunts.
But sprinkle in some decent people you can help who appreciate it and what is usually a chill and good fun office environment.
High burn out jobs. If its short term you'll be fine.
It's better than retail not to be face to face with the trash of the earth, but like on the internet when people are on a phone and separated from you there's a lot of part-time bad asses. Expect abuse from people you know only have the confidence due to being "anonymous".
But sprinkle in some decent people you can help who appreciate it and what is usually a chill and good fun office environment.
High burn out jobs. If its short term you'll be fine.
It's better than retail not to be face to face with the trash of the earth, but like on the internet when people are on a phone and separated from you there's a lot of part-time bad asses. Expect abuse from people you know only have the confidence due to being "anonymous".
Depends on the company, it can range from super shitty dead end to somewhat tolerable with opportunity for advancement. It's draining sitting there on the phones all day and having every second of your work timed.
Interestingly enough, we used to hire our agents directly but then switched to temps from Adecco. Majority of them don't work out so there's a constant influx of new people. The good ones get hired on after 3 months or so. The sucky part is while your a temp, Adecco is likely paying you 3-5 dollars per hour less than what an actual employee is making for the same work.
Interestingly enough, we used to hire our agents directly but then switched to temps from Adecco. Majority of them don't work out so there's a constant influx of new people. The good ones get hired on after 3 months or so. The sucky part is while your a temp, Adecco is likely paying you 3-5 dollars per hour less than what an actual employee is making for the same work.
Its pretty bad and usually not a job that you can build from.
The call center I worked at was basically like what you hear about Amazon. Your "status" is tracked at all times. You are pretty much forced to be in the call queue 95% of the time which can make it feel like you are chained to the desk. We had the standard 30 mins of break a day but the twist is that you had to be in this status even to go take a shit in the bathroom or to go run and take a personal call or something.
Don't even get me started on metrics and random call grading which we had to go over once a week. It also will affect your social skills. I grew very anti-social from having to talk all day. Very very draining job for sure.
The call center I worked at was basically like what you hear about Amazon. Your "status" is tracked at all times. You are pretty much forced to be in the call queue 95% of the time which can make it feel like you are chained to the desk. We had the standard 30 mins of break a day but the twist is that you had to be in this status even to go take a shit in the bathroom or to go run and take a personal call or something.
Don't even get me started on metrics and random call grading which we had to go over once a week. It also will affect your social skills. I grew very anti-social from having to talk all day. Very very draining job for sure.
Call centers - the run of the mill ones - suck. You're under pressure to keep calls under a time limit, not satisfy the customer.
I'd recommend trying to get a tier 1 position at a helpdesk instead. They generally also want you to finish in a certain time period per call, but you're usually allowed to escalate issues and create tickets to return to the issue later. (I mean IT helpdesk here).
But hey, better than retail.
I'd recommend trying to get a tier 1 position at a helpdesk instead. They generally also want you to finish in a certain time period per call, but you're usually allowed to escalate issues and create tickets to return to the issue later. (I mean IT helpdesk here).
But hey, better than retail.
Finally something near and dear to my heart. OP, I currently work at a call center for a large retail pharmacy chain and it's an ok position. Very derivative and mundane busy work, but I can assure you that as long as your workplace has some structure it's a decent job. Naturally, there are people who will complain and say it's a shitty job but more often than not these are people who have sense of entitlement, and usually place themselves higher on the career totem pole than they should be. Those who are not suited for it or feel it's below them, AND actually have the resume to back it up are often able to shift towards desktop support which is the more hands-on equivalent of a tech support position.
That said, I didn't go through the thread but my call center is a little different as the starting wage is $16/hr and they encourage promotion from within. (After a year and a half, but the usual time to jump ships is about every two years.) There's also ample amount of OT so if there is a deficit in taking the position, working a couple of extra hours pads out your check a bit.
That said, I didn't go through the thread but my call center is a little different as the starting wage is $16/hr and they encourage promotion from within. (After a year and a half, but the usual time to jump ships is about every two years.) There's also ample amount of OT so if there is a deficit in taking the position, working a couple of extra hours pads out your check a bit.
3 years in a call centre while studying. Nothing but trash. Lazy management, constant bullying and threats, denied bereavement leave for my Grandmother and fiancee, HR would rather sit on their ass than help, managers that would sign in then walk away for hours to go shopping then come back and logout. Never again
I worked at one (Coca Cola) as a temp position when I really needed the money, I lasted three days. Cold calling was terrible, nobody wanted to speak with you, the long term staff were horrible and cliquey and the targets insane. I got fired/quit for joking around with two other temps for something any normal job would have just been office banter.
I did work another small temporary one for the government as an inbound helpline, that was OK becuse there was no pressure. However the woman managing us was so inexperienced and skittish and could not make any decent decisions. I think she was actually just and admin with no management experience. For example, one morning we come I. And all the phones are blowing up, the reason being the fax machine was out of paper so they were calling to say they could not send thier documents. Simple fill the fax machine with paper right? Nope she shouted at me to get back on the phones even though I told her the volume of calls was becuse there was no fax paper. She didn't know how to put the paper in, would not let me do it and had to wait for someone from another office to help her.
I did work another small temporary one for the government as an inbound helpline, that was OK becuse there was no pressure. However the woman managing us was so inexperienced and skittish and could not make any decent decisions. I think she was actually just and admin with no management experience. For example, one morning we come I. And all the phones are blowing up, the reason being the fax machine was out of paper so they were calling to say they could not send thier documents. Simple fill the fax machine with paper right? Nope she shouted at me to get back on the phones even though I told her the volume of calls was becuse there was no fax paper. She didn't know how to put the paper in, would not let me do it and had to wait for someone from another office to help her.
I have to disagree. Generally call center work for an established company comes with greater earning potential via bonuses for performance, better benefits, you don't have to deal with people in person, you don't have to stand the whole day, etc.
One of the worst jobs you can have. You basically install a daily window on yourself where you'll think of only negative things (harm to others, suicide, etc.)
You can do better, submit your name with a hiring agency and get an upgrade.
You can do better, submit your name with a hiring agency and get an upgrade.
I hated it and dreaded every day. Luckily I was able to move into head office after only a year but man was it brutal. I eventually got used to the annoying customers making me lose faith in humanity every other hour because that's the job, but what bothered me most were the metrics and my hands being tied behind my back.
Just annoying. there are worse jobs though and it depends on your personality type. This was for a major telecom company.
Just annoying. there are worse jobs though and it depends on your personality type. This was for a major telecom company.
I worked for the DNC at a call center, I hated it. You can have 9 good calls but number 10 could be bad and that's the one your supervisor chose to listen in on, you're getting coached. If they think you could have gotten more money, you're getting coached. Rewarding experiences are few and far between because everyone is just on the other end of a phone, you'll never see these people. You don't get much time at all to get up and take a minute away, everything is timed and you need to hit your metrics.
That's really the thing. If you're extroverted it can be a job that you can excel in due to the mentioned incentive structure, but if you're the kind of person for whom human interaction is draining then it quickly turns into hell.
The fuckup at work I mentioned above had them take me off the phones while they figured out what to do with me and my job satisfaction would be in a *great* place if I weren't afraid they were considering letting me go. For me it's something to avoid having be a part of the primary job description (I do fine with it in small doses, but all day everyday it falls apart).
Roadside assistance > surveys > other cold calling > IT support.
I didn't mind roadside assistance at all because it felt like I was actually helping people. On the other side, with IT support be prepared for the foulest language you've ever heard directed at you personally. Lasted about 4 weeks because I couldn't handle it at all.
Also as a heads up, 10+ years ago Adecco was a shit company that monitored how long you took for even your pee breaks. No idea what it\s like now, but watch out.
I didn't mind roadside assistance at all because it felt like I was actually helping people. On the other side, with IT support be prepared for the foulest language you've ever heard directed at you personally. Lasted about 4 weeks because I couldn't handle it at all.
Also as a heads up, 10+ years ago Adecco was a shit company that monitored how long you took for even your pee breaks. No idea what it\s like now, but watch out.
Not the end of the world like some make it out to be. It will wear on you over time, but mostly because most call centers have policies where they will write you and up fire you based on being 1 minute late, 2 or 3 times. Also, you can't walk away from your desk without hitting the make busy button in the system, which tracks your make busy time and you are only alloted X amount of make busy a day.
Everything above is tracked on dynamic reports that will be used against you. Sounds like hell on the surface but if you're a hard working person who can always be on time, its a good gig ... for awhile. They can operate like this, because there is always 10 people outside dying to have your job.
Everything above is tracked on dynamic reports that will be used against you. Sounds like hell on the surface but if you're a hard working person who can always be on time, its a good gig ... for awhile. They can operate like this, because there is always 10 people outside dying to have your job.
It's the worst! But remember one thing: When you are completely sure you met the most stupid person in the world, you get the next call.
Just have to be VERY patient, don't take any call personally, and be polite. If so, you won't have a terrible time. Working hours are shit though.
Just have to be VERY patient, don't take any call personally, and be polite. If so, you won't have a terrible time. Working hours are shit though.
It really depends on the call center, I worked at the one for Apple an it was ok I had to make sure I keep my time limit down but it really depends on the call. I would say it was better than my manager job at Walmart now that job was the worst thing I could've done to my body omg the stress lol. Anyways call centers are good for stacking money but you kinda wanna get out soon if possible. Maybe stay 4-8 months.