Call centre survival tips

Jen Pigs Fly

Anyone work in a call centre? Want to give some survival tips, dreading heading into work tomorrow ...

Wasn't even a call centre job I applied for. I was in the 2014 CO competition and was successful

We found out three weeks into training that we would be manning the phone lines. Few grumbles (few left) but were told "that was what you were hired for!" - if I knew it would be a call centre I wouldn't have applied in the first place ..

Anyway, I'm just over a year in the call centre. I hate it. The other work is great and I want to stay in the civil service, however I still feel jilted that I didn't actually sign up for this! (One person left a 35k call centre job to get away from the call centre and then ended up in a 21k call centre job!)

I'm applying for every internal/external competitons on public jobs - and have had zero luck in any ... I have done 6 interviews alone this year.

Can anyone please share some survival tips - the constant shouting, crying and stress of the calls is really getting me down

Atlantic Dawn

Try to be so nice to people who scream down the phone at you that they are actually apologising to you at the end.

The Guvnor

Sounds rough Jenny.

Know a few who've worked in call centres not civil service - paypal and the likes.

TBH most felt much the same as yourself.

Is there scope for promotion where you are - sometimes you find a team leader is overseeing a few people and would spend less time fielding calls.

In the meantime - keep smiling - the fat man is nearly ready to clamber down the chimney.

Maybe 7 times is the charm re the applications!

Jen Pigs Fly

The Guvnor wrote: »

Sounds rough Jenny.

Know a few who've worked in call centres not civil service - paypal and the likes.

TBH most felt much the same as yourself.

Is there scope for promotion where you are - sometimes you find a team leader is overseeing a few people and would spend less time fielding calls.

In the meantime - keep smiling - the fat man is nearly ready to clamber down the chimney.

Maybe 7 times is the charm re the applications!

I'm the civil service the supervisor is EO grade, I'm only CO so I need to go through long and difficult interviews to try to go up to that grade.

Can't really do head to head transfer because as soon as you mention it's in the call centre no one wants to transfer!

I'm just going to keep doing the interviews and hopefully I will get lucky and get out of there before it kills me!

Christmas is the worst time on the phones here - it gets crazy busy, and people are more rude and angry than normal ...

Jen Pigs Fly

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

Try to be so nice to people who scream down the phone at you that they are actually apologising to you at the end.

I find that helps a lot, kill them with kindness, make them feel bad ... it's just difficult as It's hard to recover sometimes.
Especially after pensioners, I have physically cried inconsolably after speaking to some of them and the hardships they face.
I find trying to be fair to people while also following the legislation is the hardest part. I feel like the bad guy when all I want is to help the person at the other end.

livedadream

My first grown up job was in a call centre mentally their tough jobs, I found my colleagues great, killing the assholy customers with kindness, and plenty of breaks helped. I think the average for call centres is about two years I saw a lot of people burn out really fast and I was in a good company there's only so much negativity you can take to be fair

Creol1

It can be helpful to explain what the reason is for rule x or y to help the public understand where you're coming from and to show a degree of empathy ("I can understand why you're frustrated...").

Don't be afraid to be firm where necessary or even end the call. The good thing is that you're working for the Civil Service, so it's not like you have to take all the abuse in the interests of retaining customers.

Jen Pigs Fly

Creol1 wrote: »

It can be helpful to explain what the reason is for rule x or y to help the public understand where you're coming from and to show a degree of empathy ("I can understand why you're frustrated...").

Don't be afraid to be firm where necessary or even end the call. The good thing is that you're working for the Civil Service, so it's not like you have to take all the abuse in the interests of retaining customers.

Yea one benefit is no matter how shouty they are they still need to stay on my good side too haha

Arcade_Tryer

What area are you in?

I imagine the conditions in a Civil Service call centre are demonstrably better than in the average private sector equivalent.

Jen Pigs Fly

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

What area are you in?

I imagine the conditions in a Civil Service call centre are demonstrably better than in the average private sector equivalent.

Would rather not say.

Condition ma be better, but considering I didn't apply for a call centre job makes it difficult, if I knew what I was getting in for I'd have no cause for complaint!

As someone with a lot of anxiety it gets to me a lot!

Augme

Be a lot firmer and more confrontational in a sense. Don't be afraid to tell people to behave themselves and don't be afraid to end the call. It's the kind of job where if you let people trample all over you and treat you like dirt they will.

5rtytry56

Augme wrote: »

Be a lot firmer ...

Be more ASSERTIVE than you would be if talking face to face.......stick to your guns.

Jen Pigs Fly

Augme wrote: »

Be a lot firmer and more confrontational in a sense. Don't be afraid to tell people to behave themselves and don't be afraid to end the call. It's the kind of job where if you let people trample all over you and treat you like dirt they will.

5rtytry56 wrote: »

Be more ASSERTIVE than you would be if talking face to face.......stick to your guns.

I'm a natural people pleaser so I tend to be submissive to make others happy.
But both of you are right, I need to start being more assertive and sure of myself and stop trying to please everyone because it won't happen! My own line manager (not call centre manager) has said the same to me, she good for the pep talks when we come back depressed and quiet after our stint!

Always thought retail was hard ... it's a doozy compared to this

Creol1

I don't know how serious your anxiety is, but if it's serious and you could get a doctor's letter, you could talk to your manager confidentially and he/she would probably let you off the phones.

Jen Pigs Fly

Creol1 wrote: »

I don't know how serious your anxiety is, but if it's serious and you could get a doctor's letter, you could talk to your manager confidentially and he/she would probably let you off the phones.

I'm considering this. Even just to shorten the days I'm on, I was waiting until I was made permanent before I started rocking the boat, but now that I am permanent I can produce a doctors letter

gerbilgranny

Creol1 wrote: »

The good thing is that you're working for the Civil Service, so it's not like you have to take all the abuse in the interests of retaining customers.

Hmm...I see it differently. Sure, I understand how important is to retain or increase customers in a sales/business environment, but I reckon that because in the public service our customers don't have a choice - they ARE our 'customers' whether they want to be our not, and they haven't the option of going elsewhere to get the service they require, it's so important to do our best to always be polite and professional. It's the taxpayers' money that we're using, and there's an expectation that we will provide a very...'civil' service.

That doesn't mean it's easy...I know!:p

Creol1

gerbilgranny wrote: »

Hmm...I see it differently. Sure, I understand how important is to retain or increase customers in a sales/business environment, but I reckon that because in the public service our customers don't have a choice - they ARE our 'customers' whether they want to be our not, and they haven't the option of going elsewhere to get the service they require, it's so important to do our best to always be polite and professional. It's the taxpayers' money that we're using, and there's an expectation that we will provide a very...'civil' service.

That doesn't mean it's easy...I know!:p

I very much agree that it's important to be polite and professional to the public and have always striven to be so myself. But in the private sector there is a saying that "the customer is always right" which is nonsense because there are plenty of people who are simply unreasonable and outright obnoxious, and staff are often made feel responsible for not satisfying them, which I think is wrong. In the public service it's easier to be straightforward and firm with these people and not tolerate abuse.

the_syco

Learn to care less about the abusive ones. One way that pisses them off is if you listen, get the gist of their anger is, and start asking questions about it, as they can't shout angry crap whilst explaining her issue.

claregal1

I also worked in a call centre for the CS for over two years - granted I was a TCO but in my office the ones who weren't able for it were able to speak to our EO and were transferred to another section within the office . Have you tried talking to your EO or HEO?
I found the day flew when I was on the phones and when I did get a bad call I just let them rant for as long as they wanted by tuning out ...

pilly

I have found standing up for a particularly difficult phone call can help. I've been told it makes you more assertive and I've found it true.

pilly

Also, tell yourself constantly that this is only your job not your life is important.

Jen Pigs Fly

Thanks everyone, I have a small silver lining the AP In the department is hinting at a innterdepartmental move to an area where my degree would be used better! So fingers crossed

Until then I'll just keep on going, not let the bad get to me and just remember the customer needs the service I provide not the other way around!

mohawk

Don't work in a call centre but we need to be available to take customer phone calls. It is mind blowing how nasty some people can be. I go the extra mile for the nice people and do the bare minimum for the crazy, shouty people. I sometimes turn down the volume a bit when people are ranting at me so I can filter it out. There has been times where colleagues have been in tears after calls because the person was so mean.
Hope you get a transfer soon OP. Dealing with the public is the worst.

Tchaikovsky

I somehow managed to survive 2 and a half years in a Customer Service role OP, so you have my sympathy and empathy! They usually say 2 years is the max that anyone can handle so I'll take it as a good sign, haha.

With regards to moving away from the phones, if the recent news you received comes to nothing, how about asking your manager for some admin/reporting duties? If this were a possibility, you would be able to spend a few hours doing this work while still being available for calls when/if things got busy.

Anyway, I managed to move on to a role more suited to my degree in the same company, so I have no doubt that the same will happen for you!

Jen Pigs Fly

Tchaikovsky wrote: »

I somehow managed to survive 2 and a half years in a Customer Service role OP, so you have my sympathy and empathy! They usually say 2 years is the max that anyone can handle so I'll take it as a good sign, haha.

With regards to moving away from the phones, if the recent news you received comes to nothing, how about asking your manager for some admin/reporting duties? If this were a possibility, you would be able to spend a few hours doing this work while still being available for calls when/if things got busy.

Anyway, I managed to move on to a role more suited to my degree in the same company, so I have no doubt that the same will happen for you!

They're just getting busier and busier, heard supervisor getting into not so much an argument but disagreement because they wanted more people on from our district but didn't have anymore! Unfortunately if you're in work your on, I'll just keep taking each day and hope I get out soon!

celligraphy

Hi op I work as detentions agent ,which means every phone call is an angry call dealing with customers trying to cancel their accounts.

I'm good at my job because I'm in control of the conversation , I don't leave them rant on because it will burn me out if I let them continue on ... At the end of the day have a good b#tch with your pals , find it always helps and some fresh air after a bad call ,