HammedOnline's Article on Call Center Jobs

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Here's another article from Hammed that I liked - Call Centers are not for not-so intellectual people.

He talks about how others perceive call center agents and call center jobs. I also talked about this in my previous post, Life of a Call Center Employee.

He made really great points in this article for those who think that being a call center employee is easy and not for those who have "dreams" or "goals" in life.

Let me share with you what I think with what he pointed out in his article.

"First, there is growth in call centers. In less than a year, you can be supervisors; few months after, a manager. No, it wouldn’t necessarily take you years to get promoted. There are so many opportunities awaiting for call center agents. Unlike other industries, politics though ever-present is not that ubiquitous in this industry. There is growth indeed. But the best growth is that you get to be a better person."

I'm a perfect example of how much you can grow as a call center employee. I have been a Quality Specialist/Analyst (QA) with my second company and a Team Leader with my last employer. How long before I got promoted? Right after regularization or 6 months. Way too easy? I don't think so. There are a lot of people fighting for that chance to be promoted so you really have to be good to get the post. Although in some cases, work politics will come in, I'm proud to say I wasn't part of any of that.

I was even next in line for the Operations Manager post but I had to move here to Cebu. If I didn't leave, I could be earning PhP 50,000-80,000 right now as an Operations Manager.

When I was a QA, I was earning around PhP 25,000-28,000 a month. As a TL, PhP 28,000-30,000. Imagine how much I was helping my family financially with that salary.

"Second, call centers are for intellectual people. The first thing that you need to take a look into is time management. It takes an intellectual brain, to say the least, to do proper time management. You need to think over your priorities and goals. And did I mention you only have a month or so to learn all about the American system, culture, the applications and software among other super technical stuff? The job doesn’t just require computer literacy and knowledge of internet and various software; it also requires comprehension and good listening and communication skills. Because you’re not only there to process documents, analyze a procedure or issue, you’re there to listen, comprehend, ponder and give out quick solutions. Every call you get you think. Not all call center agents just read scripts to sell. You need communication skills primarily not to mention problem solving skills. You don’t have the luxury of time to think of a plan or answer. You need to provide solutions right there and then."

That's so true. Just adjusting your body clock to night shift, taking care and bonding with your family when you get home, that takes a hell lot of time management skills.

You also need to get through a series of tests which looks at how well you comprehend in English, how well you communicate in English, your computer literacy, how quickly you can learn things taught during your 1-month training. It's not EASY!

"Third, the job of call center agents is very important for they could either make or break customer relationships. And lest we forget, customers are the primary assets of the company. Without them, the company is dead."

Being a Customer Service Rep (CSR) or Tech Support Rep (TSR) takes a lot of patience. There are a lot of stupid, ignorant, rude customers out there that they have to face EVERY SINGLE DAY. They represent their client so all ounce of patience needs to be put out there so they can continue resolving customers' issues.

Imagine how emotionally difficult it is for CSRs or TSRs to talk to irate or rude customers. No matter how much you tell yourself not to be affected, you will be... eventually. So, for me, people who want to work in call centers should be emotionally and mentally STABLE.

"Fourth, I can totally understand why some people criticize educated people working on call centers thinking that they are not fully utilizing their potentials, that money is not everything, that sometimes you’ve got to be an idealist (subtlety) to be successful in the future. Wonderful ideals indeed. Poetic words. But if you’ve been waiting for 3 months for some goddamn company to contact you for a mere final interview, I guess it’s just not worth the wait, is it? If there are no other available opportunities out there, should you just wait, lift your arms to the heaven and pray that the so ideal and so perfect job will come your way? Never mind the fact that you’re hungry. Never mind the fact that your family is depending on you. It’s easy to say for other people whose opportunities are just within their reach. But why don’t they put themselves in the shoes of these people. That’s one of the best lesson you’ll ever learn in a call center- empathy. Learn to empathize. Learn to see their perspective."

Those people who criticize educated people working in call centers are HYPOCRITES. Not everyone has an easy life. Not everyone can afford to wait for a big opportunity to practice what they learned in college.

I agree, you'll learn empathy when you work in call centers. You will learn to put yourself in someone else's shoes before you judge them.

Also, like what I mentioned in my previous post about life in a call center, you'll start demanding for QUALITY customer service from anyone. You'll learn to always demand for your money's worth.

"Instead of focusing on the negative effects of this industry (if there are), why not see the brighter side of the story. Instead of these professionals going abroad they stay here. Economy is doing better. People are being employed. Family are being fed. Dreams are being fulfilled.

So no, I beg to disagree. Call centers are not for not-so-intellectual people; they are for people who are not afraid to be ridiculed by the so-called intellectual people."

I completely agree with you, Hammed. That's what my reps are telling me. There were some of them who were supposed to go abroad and were glad that they got accepted in a call center that they don't have to leave their families or kids here in PH.

My previous boss told me that my calling is being a Team Leader in a call center. I'm proud to say I work in call centers. I help my family financially well. Me and my partner can enjoy luxuries in life out of the moolah we earn from this job.

I can be a web or graphics designer if I want to. Hell, we can even setup our own business if we want to. But, I'll continue working in call centers. I enjoy it and I don't have any regrets.

All I can say is you can't say shit about something until you've tried it yourself.

Oh, by the way, I found this cool site: Call Center Comics. The comics below is from their site: