I am the person you called today for help with your service.<br />
You yelled at me for half an hour and I allowed you to. You said, “don’t take it personal, and I’m not mad at you - per say - but” than go on to belittle and berate the company I work for. I must tell you that I take it very personally because as you ranted and raved for more than fifteen minutes, you are eating up the eight minute per call allotment laid down for me to spend on each call. I can get fired or written up, not because I was not able to help you, but because you just went over my eight minute per call restriction, or maybe you called and it carried over into the time that I was scheduled to take one, of my two daily breaks (which can change on a moments notice in our scheduling program and which must be followed to the second, and I mean second or it goes against our grade) - so I say to you don’t take it personally if I try to cut you off while you rant and rave to try to get to the heart of your problem (keep to the problem and leave emotions out). My company is grading me on every movement I make over my ten hour day – from how much time I take to speak with you, to how many seconds I put you on hold to check on your issue (if an issue that only a high level group has access to). This grade is what can get me fired or give me a good enough grade that my work day week might be scheduled to be between 7am – 4pm (very few exists) with the weekends or a (as in one) weekend day off. Yes, I to have a family that I am trying to support and also spend time with.<br />
This is what you, the public, my customer, need to understand about the US call centers. In a day I am given so much time to relieve myself, although if I use that time it goes against my grade. Like other workers in the work place, we acquire sick days but if we don’t give a twenty-four hour notice that we are going to be sick that also goes against my grade. You were surprised and astonished that you were hung up on by the last two representatives you spoke with, you probably reached that magical eight minute mark that someone in the/a corporate office decided would allow the workers to move on to another customers problem, in an effort to try to address that number one customer complaint - the hold times are to long. So it’s a lose - lose situation, for you the customer that I really need more than eight minutes to solve your problem, and for me, if I take the time I need to get your issue resolved. We are told it should all even out – that the customer (your Grandmother who might have just had a stroke and now has a hard time relaying information – understandably) I spend a hour with, will even out with the caller I spent four minutes with, but realistically speaking there can only be one number one, the representative who makes the grade that then allows that representative to chose their weekly schedule, the one that might allow them time with their family, and maybe the representative you are speaking with does not want to take the chance of spending more than eight minutes with you, (maybe they have young children at home and would like to be home with them while they are awake).<br />
We – in the United States call centers are competing with other countries, and in order to compete with their sweat shop call centers, the company you are doing business with is turning your support representatives work place into a sweet shop, because – well – they can always move our jobs to India or the Philippines. (Speaking personally I would rather speak with someone in the United States about my issue if the company is located in the United States.) I would like to help you and I know just what I need to do to help you, but forgive me (don’t take it personally) If I like the last three representatives you spoke with hang up on you after eight minutes. <br />
I am also a consumer and even though I work for a company that has no regards for my most basic of human requirements (penalizing its workers for using the bathroom or being unexpectedly sick). I have got to think of those who come after me and what kind of work environment we are allowing these companies to create for the future generations. You and I are not taken on a personal basis, so as much as I would like to solve you’re problem on a person basis, that is not how the company you just called will be productive and/or make money. We as call center representatives perform company imposed triage and must move on to shorten call times, it has nothing to do with help and support we do our best, and I for one would really like to help you. In closing I can’t help but wonder if that scary word UNION would help us both. We certainly need a champion because its only going to get worse!!<br />
I sign anonymous, because my employer would like to keep the public in the dark about the policies I must follow to keep my job, and that’s PERSONAL.