What I always think about, but fortunately… never did.
When all else fails, maybe I’ll just do what the Japanese do. Ignore. Ignore. Ignore.
The most commonly used, sugar-coated term is managing out or counseling out. I personally believe there is not harm in thinking as long as you don’t entertain the thought.
I’m having an Ally McBeal moment.
More de-motivators at Despair.com.
I found a time-waster. Check out Call Center Charlie!
Charlie is a Filipino Call Center Worker. It’s her first day on the job, but there’s one problem: There’s two agents absent! Now she has to cover the calls the other two agents were supposed to take. She even says “Hello?” with a Filipina accent and earns in peso!
In the real world, call center agents don’t usually have to handle several different phone lines and accounts at one time. However, serious multi-tasking is definitely needed in the call center industry. This game also shows that being at work on time all the time is important to cover business needs. It’s true that if there are agents absent, the calls they were supposed to get that day will be shouldered by the other agents.
One at a time, of course. 
I think it’ll be a humongous “DUH” if I say headsets and telephones play a vital part in the call center industry. In a span of 4 years, I have used 8 different headsets and 5 different hard phones. For those who work in call centers, some of these might be familiar to you.
I couldn’t remember the brand of the very first headset I’ve used. But it is very similar to this one by Armor. It was very lightweight, but my customers always complain that they can’t hear me. So that really made selling phone service really hard at the time. The headsets are connected to a dial pad. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to use this combination ever again.
The next headset I encountered was pretty stylish. I was actually excited to finish training so I can start using them. It was the GN 2100 by GN Netcom. It was extremely lightweight and had the cutest little mouthpiece have every seen. The small mouthpiece was a lot more sensitive that I expected. My customers actually hear me clearly! The only problem I had with this was that the rotating mouthpiece became loose after a year. I used this with a refurbished Avaya hard phone, which model I already forgot. I used the same one when I got promoted and acquired a refurbished Avaya Lucent 6211 (same as the one below except in white). Though it was an old phone, I extremely miss it.
Now part of being a supervisor is monitoring calls. Which is the part I hated the most because I had to use this extremely huge Legend Headset. I don’t think they sell or even refurbish these anymore. But they were extremely heavy and uncomfortable. I think it was because of this headset that I started disliking listening to calls.
It really gave me a headache sometimes. Plus you get “headset hair” after.
Now let’s talk about the headset that I now use: The Plantronics Switcher paired with the Plantronics Supra Headset. It lives up to its name because you can use it to take calls and at the same time monitor recorded calls from your PC. I’m pretty satisfied with it.
Well! That’s about all the major headsets I’ve used. I wonder if there will come a time that Philippine Call Centers will start investing on bluetooth headsets for all their agents. I would like to see someone go to the bathroom while on call. Hihihi!
Check out more headsets from this Plantronics Fashion Show:
Hips… Shoulders… Shoulders… Pose… Hello?
Image Sources: Ahern, PhonServ, UsedPhones, Plantronics, BroadBandBuyer
This whole week is probably the closest I can get back to high school when it comes to being teased to someone. There was a certain “visitor” in the office who have noticeably been coming by my station often which in return led to this hype.
I quote a person in the office: “He said you look good. Yiheeeeeee!!!!”
Ugh.
Awkward moments. Bleh.
Fine. I might have not have handled people’s comments in the most graceful manner. I didn’t know how to handle it then in high school, I honestly don’t respond to it any better now.
The chances of that person actually reading this entry may be quite slim. But just in case he reads this, here’s what I have to say:
“Dear Visitor, I’d like to apologize if there was anything that I did that offended you. The box of soft cookies was really sweet. I knew you were leaving this weekend, so sorry if I wasn’t able to say goodbye. I’ll try make it up to you when you get back around April (given that all this hopefully dies down).”
I’m finally out. Out of the drowning black hole… also called a big pile of workload.
AAAAAAAHHHHH!!! January was very, very, very, very, very (to infinity) hectic!!!
Not that this month is any different. Last year’s overall performance reviews have been signed, sealed and delivered. One of our company’s partners are in town conducting enhancement training to the operations team. I’ve also been a stage mom to two of my agents, Ade and Mahbelle, who are applying for a promotion; results are to be announced hours from now. Four agents from a dissolved team will be transferring to my current team of ten starting next week.
And most of all… I’m going crazy.
It’s a good thing my reliable friend, Double Espresso, has been there for me to keep me going.
I’ve been dying to write again, really. But now my brain’s mush.
I’m off to the spa today to get a well-deserved foot spa, manicure, pedicure, and body massage. Hopefully, I can write something better than this entry after.
If you have read my post about my Festival Mall experience, check out this strip by Hazel of Callwork. She dedicated this strip to me! I almost fell off my seat laughing when I saw it. Thanks Hazel!
Translation:
Sarah: Hmm, that guy keeps on looking at me. Does he like me?
Sarah: Oh my! He’s about to approach me! Might be a bandit!
Guy: Excuse me miss, are you interested in applying in a call center?
Sarah: Wow! Recruiter in a mall!
A co-worker of mine, Jill, made a comment. She said I have a lot of shoes.
I was taken aback by it. Believe me I was. So when I went home today, I counted all my shoes.
I have 46 pairs, all except 7 were bought with my own income, but only 27 of those are the ones I still use. I have seen people with a lot more shoes than that so I’m not really sure if that’s a lot. And besides, my mom has more shoes than me.
So why am I writing about this… Well, I have been communicating with someone named Jan, who is conducting a study that taps the purchasing power of people working in call centers. She had asked me questions such as…
What, in your best estimation, is the “purchasing power” of the average call center worker? I’ve heard, for example, that the starting salaries are quite a bit higher for a call center worker than someone working in customer service in retail (for example)? Is this the case? And if so, do higher wages or salaries translate into more ability to consume?
Hmmm… When I answered this question before Christmas, I said I couldn’t really say. I even suggested a survey because I really couldn’t generalize. Not until I counted my shoes, I honestly have not been counting them. I actually thought I only had 15 or so. Though I’m surprised that I have 46, I still don’t think that means I have high levels of purchasing power. I am no Paris, Nicole or Lindsay.
Jan also asked me…
Are call center workers able to buy more “non-necessities” (brand-named clothing, gourmet coffee, electronics, etc.) than other kinds of workers in the Philippines or are people pretty much only able to make ends meet? Is there a trend in what call center workers like to shop for?
Well… I am guilty of the designer coffee part. I have already gotten 3 planners from Starbucks and I’m already halfway in finishing my 4th card. But I’ve been addicted to coffee since I was in college so I really don’t think that counts.
Alright. So maybe my 46 pairs of shoes and 3 Starbucks planners, to certain extent, show that a call center worker like me does have purchasing power. True, people at work do dress well. Some even have branded clothing (not sure if they’re real though). I’ve heard that someone in management bought a house last year. There was also a time that several people of my level were able to acquire cars. The parking lot is always full during the peak hours.
Note to Self: Save, LJ. Save. People have already acquired cars and houses, and all you have are shoes and Starbucks planners.
Hihihi! I’m a girl who loves coffee. So sue me. 
I previously mentioned that I was scheduled to work on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. People have been asking me how I spent my holidays and seemed to be sympathetic when I replied: “I had work.”
My honest opinion: It ain’t that bad!
Sure. I have spent every Christmas and New Year at home with my family. As I said, I was not thrilled about it, but it never stopped me from going to work. I was completely aware that going to work during the holidays was part of the job when I signed my contract.
Just to share, one reason why it wasn’t as bad as I expected was that my family was waiting for me when I arrived home. Hey, it’s probably still New Year’s Eve in some parts of the world. And think about what you were taught while in school — Christmas is everyday. It need not be celebrated exactly a few hours before midnight. So if you’re scheduled to work during the holidays, tell your family about it. Work around what you can do so that you can still be together and celebrate the season. It may not be the exact time as everyone else’s, but remember that what’s important is that you are together with your loved ones.
SO TO ALL THOSE PEOPLE WHO WORKED DURING THE HOLIDAYS: KUDOS TO ALL OF YOU!
Besides, I’m sure you’ll be happy when you see your payslips this cut-off.
I’m back! My vacation leave was great and I enjoyed every single thing I did on those 10 days. Being in places I’ve never been before. Watching reruns of old TV shows. Playing Cake Mania 2. Staring in blank space (seriously, its very relaxing). Fun, fun, fun.
I’ve been back to work since Monday and after reading my gazillion emails that welcomed me at the office, things have been pretty hectic. People seriously started approaching me for stuff to do before I can even badge in. Complaints Training. Soft skills Training. Client Monitors. Town Hall. Blackout Days Concerns.
Let me digress for a bit… Blackout days for call centers refer to the days wherein no vacation leaves are allowed on certain dates due to high staffing needs or foreseen high absenteeism. Normally this can result to double the usual sanction or some sort of corrective action.
Things have been pretty busy and my just-came-back-from-a-vacation-leave aura just started to wear off. Sigh. Good and bad at the same time. Based on experience, I can tolerate the stress from work longer than the boredom of nothing to do for a prolonged period of time.
I also just found out that I am scheduled to work on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, both of which are blackout days. For obvious reasons, I’m not that thrilled about it. But hey, I’ve already anticipated it to happen and that’s really normal for call centers. My team, surprisingly, have handled the situation pretty well compared to others. However, I’m still keeping my fingers crossed. I know at least one of them reads this blog and even left comments. So if any of my agents get to read this post… Hint! Hint! No absences please! Pretty please!
That’s all for now. I need to sleep. Today was a really long day.
Its been awhile since I’ve graced the blog, due to work and other stuff. Please bear with me if I’m not up to par just yet. I’ll be writing a bit while LJ is on vacation.
Now I have worked in this industry for over 5 years now and I’ve noticed that alot of people resign due to health reasons. Thats understandable since the majority of the people who work in call centers smoke, drink or party after their shift (in some cases its all of the above). I myself am guilty of chain smoking my ass to kingdom come. If you don’t slow down and take better care of yourself, you will definitely feel the effects of your lifestyle. Here are a few health problems call center peeps are liable to get from:
SMOKING:
Smoking causes many forms of cancer, particularly lung cancer, cancer of the kidney, cancer of the larynx and head and neck, breast cancer, bladder, esophagus, pancreas, and stomach. It also increases the chances of Cardiovascular disease, Respiratory ailments and Buerger’s Disease (an acute inflammation and thrombosis (clotting) of arteries and veins of the hands and feet). It can also lead to birth defects of pregnant smokers’ offspring and impotence (GASP!!!!)
ALCOHOL DRINKING:
Alcohol consumption causes Alcoholic liver disease.
COFFEE:
Excessive coffee consumption may lead to a magnesium deficiency and may be a risk factor for coronary heart disease.
Luckily most call centers/ BPO’s have health plans that help save us from the rigors of work and unhealthy lifestyle habits. If you work during ungodly hours, its a good bet that you should take good care of yourself. Exercise, a good diet and lack of vices is the key to have a lasting career in my industry. As for me…… Its in my New Year’s Resolution =p
”Nuff Said!
