Team Building

Call center won’t be complete if there is no team building. And what is a great way to spend your summer than to go out of town. Which our team actually just did. Started with a bumpy road to a very beautiful place. It may not be a beautiful place for them, but for me, it is, compared to any other commercial resorts I’ve been to.

This time, we decided to go to sitiolucia resort. If you want to see the place, you just need to go to sitioluciaresort.com – if you just want to.

We ate for awhile when we got there. After this, some of us, including me, went to the swimming pool. There are only two pools open: for the adult and the kids. I even found a place where there are only two swimmers and the videoke is very lonely. Hmmm…. videoke — alone and lonely? Not a very good way of treating a videoke machine. So while my teammate is so busy swimming, I tried the videoke  and voila! I started seeing my teammates transferring to that place.

Out of town, overnight team building and just a few of us. The night turns happys, then creepy and finally serious. Anything under the sun. Bonding with them doesn’t just mean having fun with them but you’re also going to learn something. I learned a lot of new things. Like, I didn’t know that some of them are the scariest people on earth just by mentioning scary topics/ subjects!!!

This time, we are looking forward on the company’s outing. Yoohoo!!! Happy summer holiday!

Number 1 Rule: Don’t Fight Back

They say that fighting back is being coward but not fighting back is the true sign of cowardice. I realize it is true in call center. Since your customers is your main source of income, whatever they say , will always be correct and don’t fight back.

For example:

Agent: Please pull up an Internet Explorer

Customer: I don’t have Internet Explorer but I have a blue Internet Explorer.

Agent: [Aahh...wondering why and what]

 

Another example:

Agent: Please turn off your modem, router and computer.

Customer: Ok

Agent: Just tell me if all of your devices are turned off

Customer: Ok…you just said computer

Agent: [doing some yoga breathing already... ] Well… anyways, you can turn the modem and router off now

 

And another example….

Agent: So you’re having a password issue. Are we talking about your email password, wireless connection password, or the password on the computer when you first boot it up?

Customer: On my computer

Agent:As your internet service provider, we only have control on your email and wireless connection password but not on your computer’s password per se.

Customer: Yeah exactly. I can’t sign in. When I go to my website on the computer, I can’t sign in.

Agent: Oh ok [now i have a better understanding -- i hope so].  So which website are you trying to sign in?

Customer: [raising his voice now] Oh now, you’re invading my privacy! You are now asking which website I am going to!

Agent: [started doing some yoga breathing again] we’re just trying to isolate which website are you trying to sign in because you maybe accessing a different website where your email logins don’t work. So if you’re using a _____ account, you must be in the ______ website. So which website were yare ou trying to sign in?

Customer: I wont tell you which website it is.

Agent:[Duh! So ... how can i help you again?] Ok, Mr. _____

 

In this scenarios, don’t fight back, of course. I just tell myself, one of the hardest thing to communicate is when you cannot see the other person and just hearing what he / she has to say. And i am such a very coward person.

Credit Card Application

When you say call center to others, they have different reactions:

- the english-speaking employees even when they are just inside the public-no air-condition-bus[conio's so to say]

- the highest paying job for an entry level position employee

- the coffee maniacs, the beer maniacs, the team building maniacs, and blah-blah-blah

- the ones who loves Starbucks soooo much [well count me out because I so love Seattle's more]

and these list can go on forever … from good to worst.

Yeah worst. I noticed that recently on my credit card application. Here’s how the conversation goes:

Agent: So how long have you been in this company, ma’am?

ME: For two years and still counting the months …

Agent: Oh that’s great. You are sooo qualified for this application ma’am.

ME: [Hmmmm...my application will be approved --- that's nice! Me likey!]

Agent: And what is the nature of the business?

ME: Call center

Agent: Hmmm…..

ME: [Hmmm....] Yes? Something’s wrong? [Something is really wrong.]

Agent: Can we change the nature of the business to I.T.?

ME: [Now I have doubts about this application being approved] Oh sure! [Smiiling on the phone even if the agent can't see me]

Agent: Ok [sound so happy] Now how about the blah-blah-blah

I worked once in a bank that is responsible in approving credit card applications. That was like 8 years ago. And even during that time, they are not really kind with us. My boss told me that we earn a lot but we don’t pay that much with our bills. They have a lot of issues with us when it comes to settling our credit card bills.

Well … count me out as I always pay my credit card bills ahead of the due date. But I can’t really blame them if most of my colleagues don’t really believe in paying immediately what they spent already. Well, fortunately, it’s not just call center agents that are usually ban in credit card applications hehehe.

So, I decided I am just going to stick with my one and only credit card. One credit card means only one source of spending your money.