Working in a call centre

[FoxesDeb]

3 minutes ago, Costock_Fox said:

This one wasn’t me but someone that was sitting next to me at the time.

 

Customer calls and it’s not their account, the call handler says they will need to speak to the account holder but was told “they have gone upstairs” to which they asked them to go and get them…

 

What they meant by gone upstairs was they had actually died, awkward.

That reminds of the time a colleague told a customer he hoped they'd find their Mum soon after being told by said customer that they'd lost their Mum recently.

[Parafox]

This reminds me of things many of us have experienced whilst being inexperienced.

 

I spent some time when I was 19 as a print apprentice for the LM. I recall being told to go to the parts department and ask for a long weight.

 

Took me at least half an hour before I twigged.

 

A friend of mine worked for a well known commercial paint and decorating company back then. (Cundy's) 

 

He sat in the storeroom and got laughed at after asking for a tin of striped paint.

 

We were all young and inexperienced once. 

 

 

[TJQuik]

Unfortunately the default with call centers is for people to think they're all a hive mind, and the people answering your call are just drones who are just as complicit in your problem as the people running the company, and love to sit there and take your abuse.

 

"You've done this, you've done that" when the person you're speaking to has never spoken to you in their life. Either that or they ring them and attempt to use emotional blackmail or use them like it's Samaritans when the operator is not a mental health professional and probably has their own issues to deal with.

 

Meanwhile if someone understands employees are human beings who are just trying to earn a modest living, tries to be as efficient as possible with their call and wishes them a nice day, etc, it's a good sign they're not a complete selfish ****. You could call this "the **** test" if you will.

[Tommy Fresh]

Not call centre related but on the theme above, there used to a bit of an over the top staff member at Birstall Tesco, non stop 'banter' regardless of the situation. My mum was buying some alcohol, when said something like "does your mum know you're buying these?" to which she replied "I should hope not she's been dead over ten years" 

[Foxdiamond]

I worked in phone based customer services for over 30 years. A company that really did value customers and staff expected to be helpful, professional and knowledgeable. Although not brain surgery or life or death it was quite a stressful job trying to deal with orders, queries and complaints. 

[Stuntman_Mike]

On 12/03/2023 at 17:19, FoxesDeb said:

That reminds of the time a colleague told a customer he hoped they'd find their Mum soon after being told by said customer that they'd lost their Mum recently.

 

Same thing happened to my mum a few years ago when she was talking to someone she knew out shopping. They said "Oh Clare (my mum) I've lost my husband" and she replied "Oh they're buggers for wandering off ain't they"

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

On 11/03/2023 at 09:12, Wolfox said:

Worked at British Gas with Gok Wan

 

I used to have take test calls inbound from the Scotland call centre at 11pm as they put them through the night time service in Leicester…. A call came through from Scotland and we always had a ‘bit of banter’…. I asked them to say curly wurly so I could laugh at their accent…. They obliged, I laughed and I wished them good night…. They sounded confused and explained that their boiler has broken down…. Turns out it was a very confused punter!

Do you know if he has a car with the reg “LE24 GOK” which I saw in a pub car park today?

[Koke]

Worked for Next Directory in Enderby back in the early 2000s, when people used to call and order clothes via the Next catalogue. It was OK as it was inbound calls and I didn't have to forcibly sell things to people.

 

Edited Sunday at 18:24 by Koke

[Parafox]

57 minutes ago, Wasyls Pec Deck said:

Do you know if he has a car with the reg “LE24 GOK” which I saw in a pub car park today?

 

I don't think Gok Wan would have had personalised plates whilst working at a BG call centre.

[hebangsthedrums]

Worked at the Autoglass 'Contact' Centre (definitely not a call centre ) when I was in sixth form, during my year out and then on/off at weekends/hols when at uni.

Awful company and some crazy people working there - amazing sometimes the amount of effort people will put in to not have to make an effort and do the job...

 

Anyway, some decent people but as others have said you get a measure of people by how they speak to strangers over the phone. 

I was  by no means an automaton that having seen been on the other side of, can be frustrating but so so many willy pullers.

2 highlights;

the lady who the day of the London bombings in 2005, called in to moan that her appt hadn't been met (she lived in central London which was gridlocked). Threw a big strop and moaned that the attacks were not her problem...

The BMW (obv) driver who had an unusual spec of windscreen glass in his 5 series (remember those coloured top tints?) and wouldn't accept an alternative, so would have to wait for a sotck piece to arrive from Belgium.

Got more and more pissy asking for escalation (I answered calls and was escalation point), until he said unless his I could guarantee windscreen was replaced in 24hrs he would call his solicitor.

When I asked if his solicitor had a windscreen and was going to fit it for him he hung up and next time I heard his voice was the call being played back to me next shift. 

Managerial ticking off didn't really work when he was sniggering whilst delivering it. 

[Dr The Singh]

I used to develop, as in software, call centre solutions.

 

I worked in Brum in Chinatown best job i ever had, loads of pussy, we had a beer fridge, games room and we can stay overnight in the office.

[Dr The Singh]

On 12/03/2023 at 17:06, filthyfox said:

I have a few call centre stories....

BUT (being a Copper 20 years ago), some of the things we got up to then would definitely NOT be allowed now.

 

Coming into work and doing a breath test, and getting your bud to drive if it failed- not me personally.

 

Looking at your mates latest conquest on love@lycos

 

Bullying the new boy into getting your cups of tea before shift

 

 

 

 

Your so filthy

[filthyfox]

7 hours ago, Dr The Singh said:

Your so filthy

Now you know the origin of the name,

[Wolfox]

13 hours ago, Wasyls Pec Deck said:

Do you know if he has a car with the reg “LE24 GOK” which I saw in a pub car park today?

Not a clue !  I haven’t set eyes on him for 25 years or so!!

[Mike Oxlong]

20 hours ago, Dr The Singh said:

I used to develop, as in software, call centre solutions.

 

I worked in Brum in Chinatown best job i ever had, loads of pussy, we had a beer fridge, games room and we can stay overnight in the office.

No good for me

 

I’m allergic to cats 

[Raj]

On 12/03/2023 at 19:04, Parafox said:

This reminds me of things many of us have experienced whilst being inexperienced.

 

I spent some time when I was 19 as a print apprentice for the LM. I recall being told to go to the parts department and ask for a long weight.

 

Took me at least half an hour before I twigged.

 

A friend of mine worked for a well known commercial paint and decorating company back then. (Cundy's) 

 

He sat in the storeroom and got laughed at after asking for a tin of striped paint.

 

We were all young and inexperienced once. 

 

 

Didnt you get told to get a box of half tone dots!!!

[leicsmac]

On 26/05/2024 at 19:24, Koke said:

Worked for Next Directory in Enderby back in the early 2000s, when people used to call and order clothes via the Next catalogue. It was OK as it was inbound calls and I didn't have to forcibly sell things to people.

 

Did the same around the same time too. Were a couple of situations where people would get a bit annoyed about their orders not being delivered exactly as they wanted it, but as you say, mostly OK.

[Trav Le Bleu]

On 12/03/2023 at 19:19, TJQuik said:

Unfortunately the default with call centers is for people to think they're all a hive mind, and the people answering your call are just drones who are just as complicit in your problem as the people running the company, and love to sit there and take your abuse.

 

"You've done this, you've done that" when the person you're speaking to has never spoken to you in their life. Either that or they ring them and attempt to use emotional blackmail or use them like it's Samaritans when the operator is not a mental health professional and probably has their own issues to deal with.

 

Meanwhile if someone understands employees are human beings who are just trying to earn a modest living, tries to be as efficient as possible with their call and wishes them a nice day, etc, it's a good sign they're not a complete selfish ****. You could call this "the **** test" if you will.

I've worked in a couple of calls centres for a few years and one of the problems I think is the English language.

 

We don't have an impersonal plural "you". Whether you mean this person or them, it's all you. French has tu & vous, German has du & sie, Spanish has 4 words!

 

So it's very easy to say "you did this..." meaning the company, but for that person to feel personally accused.

 

NB, we did used to have this if course.

Thee and thou... But apparently that was "too complicated", all those thees and thous!

 

Edited Tuesday at 13:48 by Trav Le Bleu

[FerrisBueller]

Worked in a few call centres when I was younger, got really good at minesweeper.

[Trav Le Bleu]

On 26/05/2024 at 19:24, Koke said:

Worked for Next Directory in Enderby back in the early 2000s, when people used to call and order clothes via the Next catalogue. It was OK as it was inbound calls and I didn't have to forcibly sell things to people.

 

 

7 hours ago, leicsmac said:

Did the same around the same time too. Were a couple of situations where people would get a bit annoyed about their orders not being delivered exactly as they wanted it, but as you say, mostly OK.

I was also working there for about 6 months as a temp around that time. Best thing was the staff shop. I have over 100 ties that cost 50p or £1 because they've got a nick or a mark on the thin part you tuck away that no one else sees.

[MPH]

8 hours ago, Raj said:

Didnt you get told to get a box of half tone dots!!!

 

 

got sent to the co-op to get a jar of elbow grease on my first job.

[kyleolly]

8 minutes ago, Trav Le Bleu said:

 

I was also working there for about 6 months as a temp around that time. Best thing was the staff shop. I have over 100 ties that cost 50p or £1 because they've got a nick or a mark on the thin part you tuck away that no one else sees.

So you spent over 50 quid on ties

[Trav Le Bleu]

23 minutes ago, kyleolly said:

So you spent over 50 quid on ties

Not all at once

 

[Parafox]

On 12/03/2023 at 19:04, Parafox said:

 

 

I recall being told to go to the parts department and ask for a long weight.

 

 

 

 

 

12 hours ago, Raj said:

Didnt you get told to get a box of half tone dots!!!

 

4 hours ago, MPH said:

 

 

got sent to the co-op to get a jar of elbow grease on my first job.

 

Replacement bubble for a spirit level.

Edited Tuesday at 18:18 by Parafox

[RoboFox]

Absolute masterclass on both ends of the line here. 

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 18:30 by RoboFox