Hot Male

Me talking to my customer who was a very funny man but I am too sleepy to notice that.

ME: Please try to go to the website hotmail.com
CUSTOMER: Oh how do you spell that
ME: H as in Harry O as in Oscar T as in Thomas
CUSTOMER: OK
ME: [Continue to spell the word mindlessly] M as i Mary A as in Apple L as in Larry and E as in Edward
CUSTOMER: [Reading the whole website we just spelled out] Hotmale? I hope you are referring to me,honey!
ME: [Oops....]

Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is very important in a call center. Because without them, I won’t be working right now. The customers are the one feeding me and the reason why I can buy all those things I want!

On the current company newspaper, my supervisor congratulated me because it was there on one of the pages is my name. It means that on one of my customers I made a difference and I was given a kudos for it. My customer actually complimented me for the support I’ve provided.

What i felt that time is just like how you usually feel when you know you have helped someone with their issue / concern. And I intend to continue doing that.

Health and Work

My parents are so fascinated with the time of work nowadays. They told me that during their days, working at night is not really the trend. Now, all they can hear is that I love to work in the evening. It pays a lot.

I used to say this. Promise! Because the pay is different at night. But last year, after being in a graveyard shift for almost a one a half year, I am no longer feeling good. There are times that I am in the middle of the call and I will feel a strain in my heart and I wont be able to move. Or at times, I will be feeling some palpitations. And my monthly period is like happening twice a month already which is no longer normal for me.

The company doctor say that it is usually stress related matters why I am going through this phase. but to think I have been working in the call enter industry since 2003? And also, by talking to my colleagues, I learned that I am not the only one who is feeling that? That made me think twice.

Another theory that they have is that change of lifestyle. Oh jeez, this is
already my lifestyle for many years.

Maybe I just don’t want to accept the fact that working at night and working in a very stressful job is starting to take its toll on me. Signs of aging? Oh no!!! Some of my colleagues who are experiencing this are just in their early 20’s. I guess I am still luckier because the signs are showing just now compared to me.

Is it true that when you have a work like this, it is 5 years minus your total life span?

Or, is this really the future for us working in this industry?

Pizza Moment

As the transition to the new shift begins, it only means new team, new time, new restdays, new faces, new experiences and new challenges!

So before we part ways, we decided to have some pizza moment. We took almost an hour of meeting to discuss the past, the now and the coming days. It is just sad that the moment you build that attachment to your colleagues, that’s the time that they will decide to have the bidding for a new set of teams.

Well… admit or not, in call center, the only constant thing is change.

Valentine’s Day Fever

You see roses, happy faces and people being in good mood everywhere. That is because it is Valentine’s day. Even In our office, we have different ways of celebrating it. We had speed dating, a night with our own band singing romantic love songs, sumptuous meals with reservations for two and of course, flowers you can give to your crush or bitter half oops …. i mean better half.

Just one thing I noticed is that they have this a Kodak moment with your crush. Ohhh … my God! Where is our big boss? He is my biggest crush? But he is nowhere to be found. Hmmmppp …. I am pretty sure he has a date! Oh jeez! Just one pic with him?

But even if he is there, I won’t have that freakin’ guts to go near him and said can we have our picture together.

Ohhh life ………………………

A Promising Idea

When there’s a new call center that’s about to open near my area, I am usually excited to hear about the benefits, the type of account, the type of management and of course — the SALARY!!! I bet— you are also thinking of these, too.

There is this one opening in Philcoa. Oops….my mistake. Not just one actually, but a lot of them! And I was thrilled to know that these buildings are from Ayala. Seeing their creativity in the streets of Ayala, Makati, you can already have a “vision” of what it will look like years from now.

My friend even told me that they even have a plan of pouring that place with buildings until it is connected to Trinoma. Oh wow!!! I want to transfer to one of the call centers there!!! Oh jeez — mall is just one step away after astressful-day? I mean not just any mall but we’re talking about Trinoma or even my favorite mall – SM North.

And knowing which call centers to open soon — I think I already have one in mind which call center to transfer to.

Call Center Hopping

It pays good ok. I got your point. But talking to angry, irate, frustrated, cursing customers every single day?

Hell no!

And I realized these pointers why their paying high for these agents:

- Deal with problems everyday in your life when in fact in reality, you only deal with it not that often. Not everyday!!!

- You freely allowed yourself to be cursed by these customers and the only thing you can say is” I understand how you feel” or I understand your frustration regarding this matter.” You are not given the chance to curse the customer back!

- You are more prone to a lot of life-aging behavior transformation. I am slowly turning into a control freak, ice-queen, emotionless human being, Needless to say, adding some health issues to your life.

Oh well, these are countless. So when I reached my boiling point I said stop! I am going to resign!

And I did.

But it’s even harder not having a job, I realized. Most especially, when after being laid off and you need to wait for the company’s reply after a month wherein in a call center, if you’re an early bird, you can have a job in a one day application process.

And just like Nicholas Cage said in one of his movie when asked why is he doing his job instead of what he finished in college– this is the future!