Life at Call Center


I just recently signed my 4th month assesment for my performance at the call center where i am currently employed. So far so good. Been performing better compared to the heyday of my career as an agent. I managed to hit all my metrics and thankfully I am endorsed for regularization. Just an FYI, the 4th month assessment is one of the basis for our regularization, although there are still two months more for probation, i can now breath a few sigh of relief as I managed to perform and improved my craft each day. My team lead is now seriously pursuing to have a promotion for me, so he is pressuring me to do better, performed better and act in accordance to the code of conduct to make sure i am eligible for promotion, but the metrics this time around is higher and i am pressured to work harder too..HUH... but before going to the promotion thing., lemme share to you my observations and/or realization on the night mortals and the nocturnal world of call center.

first lets have some fun facts:

> call center agents are disoriented: it could be because we tend to incorporate the philippine time and US time...hmmm

> agent seem to have some hearing problem: hahah because agents usually are exposed to irate customer so we managed to become an expert to put their ventings into a deaf ear

> agents are on EOP (english only policy) even if talking to a "konduktor sa bus": hahaha well sometimes we tend to forget we are now beyond the 4 walls of the production floor, and still thinkin' that everyone we are talking to are americans.

> agents would call their midnight meal a lunch: well what else shall we call it than a lunch for our night are considered daytime.

> agent would still say goodnight when going to sleep even if its already morning: see above comment.

now lets take a look to some other observation in the call center world

< call center is now a new haven of gay religion: wherever you look at it, left to right you could see at least one gay agent. These mortals ranges from different categories. Those who are gays in the truest sense of the word: crossdressers, wearing make up, who acts and feel like they are women trapped in a man's body.; there are those who are proud of their sexuality but are decent enough to wear what is due to wear for their gender; there are also those who tried to cover up their true colors but their vanity and choice of words can lead up to conclusion that they belong to the third sex; still there are those whom you cant see any trace of being gay but you will soon found out somewhere outside the workplace holding hands with the same sex; and most of all there are those men who are men by heart but are weak enough to give in to the request of the third sex to get laid.

< the call center world is a domain of people with super "tupperware" attitude, in short, plastic. Well i admit we need to be perky and some kind of cheesy with lots of sweet toppings to our customer to be able to build rapport and have the customer feel satisfied with the service we gave, but agents usually failed to depart personal lives from the conversations we had with our customers. An attitude that is kept hidden in the name of the word professionalism, but then again, i cant help but noticed it.. INasmuch as I want to believe that in the company i am employed at, there is no politics, but i could sense something else.. huh

< contrary to everyone's thinking about call center, big bucks is not as easy as it seems to be. Yes, we are compensated higher and better than the other industries around, but our work being on a graveyard shift is not that easy. sigh.

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Well i dont see myself getting old with this industry. but hopefully i could spend more years here before i could settle down and comfortably sitting on a couch and enjoyed the fruits of my labor. God bless all the call center agents around. You all deserved an applause.