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Alright, I admit my contract have similar rules. I cant actually say No to overtime, but "forced" overtime (or any overtime after 2000, before 0600 or during weekends) pays more then regular overtime. Regular overtime has to be volountary. We always have to have at least 8 hours of rest per day (not including commute) and at least 36 hours off in any 10 day period.
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Nov 8, 2012 10:24
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| # ? May 9, 2024 10:58 |
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So a fellow interviewer at my call centre decided that he'd had enough and wrote a letter to our project manager because he was disgusted with everyone else's behaviour and lack of work ethic. (Some people are going on the internet at work! I saw some things that shouldn't be happening that everyone knows about already and are clearly bugs but I'll bitch anyway! People are talking to each other and having fun between calls!) The project manager came down and reamed him out for going over the supervisors' heads. This guy has worked here for nearly 10 years and is only hanging on until he can get his union-enforced long service leave, then he's giving this place the finger while he looks for another job/goes to his second call centre job full time. Best thing about this situation is he routinely fakes completed jobs, does things we've been told point blank never to do as it's against our contract, leaves after 2 hours without mentioning anything to supervisors, things like that. It's clear he's spat the dummy, is over this job, and wants to take us all down with him. Rather than quit he's going to pretend nothing happened, that he loves all of us, and then leave once that money is in his pocket. Reason I know all this is I'd regularly work with him, have chats between calls (no-one else would) and bitch about poo poo that annoyed us together. Now, he's apparently thrown me under the bus along with everyone else working here. I really don't want to work with this arsehole any more. I'd say he's easily the worst worker here but he's twisted it up inside his head to the point where everyone else is incompetent and it's only him doing the right thing. I'm considering asking for my shifts to be on days he's not working, getting the rest of the team together and telling the supervisors that none of us are comfortable working with him anymore (we're not), or mentioning his second call centre job to someone higher up, as that is in direct violation of our contract (although the union apparently loves him and might fight to keep him on, from what I understand after some unofficial chats with a supervisor). Just...gently caress.
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Nov 8, 2012 11:30
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Korgan posted:So a fellow interviewer at my call centre decided that he'd had enough and wrote a letter to our project manager because he was disgusted with everyone else's behaviour and lack of work ethic. (Some people are going on the internet at work! I saw some things that shouldn't be happening that everyone knows about already and are clearly bugs but I'll bitch anyway! People are talking to each other and having fun between calls!) The project manager came down and reamed him out for going over the supervisors' heads. I don't think it matters whether the union loves him or not, they'll fight for him anyway because that's what unions exist to do. If you can get literally everyone to say they're not comfortable working with the guy because of his attitude that probably carries a fair bit of weight.
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Nov 8, 2012 12:41
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Korgan posted:So a fellow interviewer at my call centre decided that he'd had enough and wrote a letter to our project manager because he was disgusted with everyone else's behaviour and lack of work ethic. (Some people are going on the internet at work! I saw some things that shouldn't be happening that everyone knows about already and are clearly bugs but I'll bitch anyway! People are talking to each other and having fun between calls!) The project manager came down and reamed him out for going over the supervisors' heads. Have everybody unhappy with him state theyre uncomfortable working with him and definitely mention is other call centre job. If he wants to throw you all under the bus make sure he's the first one shoved under it.
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Nov 8, 2012 20:07
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So, got a new boss at work. And since I'm trying to find some work, I figure I could change my way of working and focus solely on my metrics so I could put him in references or something like that. There is also the fact that there is a monthly contest in regards of metrics. So, it's November and I work hard at the metrics. The boss calls. I thought at first he was trying to get me to work today while I had other plans which happens pretty rarely, but he tells me I got to second place in the metrics contest. But instead of the $100 giftcard everyone has gotten for second place for the last year, I get a case of coke bottles in glass. I don't drink any soda. And there is nothing I can do about it.
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Nov 16, 2012 02:23
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Iced Cocoa posted:And there is nothing I can do about it. Yes there is, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQXuazYI_YU
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Nov 16, 2012 02:49
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Good news from my centre for once. We're finally getting paid for the second 15 minute break we get, again. Let's see how long this lasts for.
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Nov 16, 2012 18:22
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Right up until someone misses their monthly CPM metric.
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Nov 19, 2012 13:59
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Just got notice that we're going to be doing our 4th 60+ hour week next week. Hurricane Sandy has completely hosed our infrastructure and apparently our center needs all 18,000 agent hours we're scheduled for next week. Yay.... 
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Nov 20, 2012 05:21
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Caught an hour and a half long call 2 minutes before my lunch break. I was drat near ready to pass out by the end of it. Thank god I have the next week off for Thanksgiving.
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Nov 20, 2012 06:46
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Got an email today saying that my TL is going to create a Corrective Action Plan for me because my transfer rate is too high. My transfer rate that is only high because our fucktard customers choose technical solutions instead of billing OR they choose mobility tech support instead of the service they actually need. I'm literally stressing about it like mad. I only transfer if necessary, it's not like I'm just randomly shipping people off to god knows where. Their solution for high transfer rate? Inform the customer that they're in the wrong department and tell them to call back. Cause that won't gently caress up my customer satisfaction metric at all. You know the one they say is the end all be all of metrics. I feel like nothing is ever good enough in this poo poo hole and when I got that email I nearly quit on the spot. I dragged myself from 77th place on the floor to 44th in less than two weeks...does that not say I'm trying? So what should I do, start hanging up on people if they want billing and got tech instead? This is loving stupid.
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Nov 20, 2012 18:50
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cuntvalet posted:I feel like nothing is ever good enough in this poo poo hole and when I got that email I nearly quit on the spot. I dragged myself from 77th place on the floor to 44th in less than two weeks...does that not say I'm trying? Welcome to working at a call center! Seriously, my boss chewed me out today because my survey response scores are at 94.4% instead of 96%.
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Nov 21, 2012 02:24
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I've never gotten chewed out, but I sure am sick of having to "formulate a S.T.A.R. goal" for a 1.5% variance in one stat where the target is 73% and I missed it 2 months in a row by a tiny fraction. We don't want a trend to get started! I loving hate micromanagement. If every second level person in my entire organization disappeared tomorrow, we could probably operate fine for the rest of time.
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Nov 21, 2012 04:09
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I feel for you folks working in hateful call centers where they try to fire people who are doing quality work to avoid paying you well. My call center actually praises people (me) who do well. Good handle times, good volume, good QA scores. My bitch is corporate has this call off policy that is just wide open for abuse, and we can never ever deviate from policy. Probably because the CSR side is union, and they fear our group going union enough to always play by the rules even when most of us would love for them to break them. Basically we have a few bad apples that abuse the generous time off and call out policies and gently caress our schedule over constantly. Last week, Monday through Friday, we had a 30% call out rate. Our VP of call center operations was talking to us the other day and I mentioned that some people are abusing things, and he basically said rules are rules. UGH. The nice thing is these people set the bar for metrics so low, I'm going to be a loving star here forever just by showing up and doing my job.
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Nov 21, 2012 15:04
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cuntvalet posted:Got an email today saying that my TL is going to create a Corrective Action Plan for me because my transfer rate is too high. My call centre had something similar, they were called "PIPs" or Personal Improvement Programs. Now the long and short of the plan is you set someone targets, you measure them against said targets daily (while giving them support) and then at the end of the month if they haven't hit said targets you put them in an investigation and probably give them a warning the first time and sack them the second. Now I appreciate as a business you need a way to performance manage crap staff out the business. I always saw it that way and so did other people, if you were put on one of them... welll you might as well look for a new job. However then a new Operations Manager came in and he put about 66% of the call centre on these PIPs. Not only does this mean the staff actually don't get any extra support, not only does it mean your team leaders now have to spend ages arseing around with even more forms but it also means you're ~~super scary~~ threat is now the norm. My argument was if two thirds of your staff aren't hitting their targets then it isn't a personal problem. Your staff as a group either aren't motivated enough (which is the management's fault) or your targets are absurd (which is the management's fault). Luckily I'm out of the call centre now, but I was there for 18 months and avoided a PIP myself by being one of those kiss asses thats gets on manager training programs etc. If I had been put on one and told to sign it I'd have told them the only thing I'll walk out of that room signed is my resignation.
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Nov 23, 2012 04:51
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Kitchner posted:My call centre had something similar, they were called "PIPs" or Personal Improvement Programs. (One guy on the team actually did have this happen - he made a sale, someone else went in, cancelled it and re-made the sale themselves. He argued and constantly refused to sign, and they took no further action. Everyone else took this as precedent and stayed off PIPs. Then I quit, so I've no idea how it works now)
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Nov 23, 2012 08:56
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I argued and argued it and it turns out we are getting other lines of business (Internet, home phone, billing) routed to us when they call the right number. Did I get a pat on the back or anything? Nope. Just a "you still need to do better."
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Nov 23, 2012 19:55
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Yep, yep, typical call center stuff. And they wonder why people quit or lose morale. Does your call center have anything like an anonymous reporting line? Maybe an "ethics line"? It might be entertaining to give that a few calls. Of course, make sure it absolutely cannot be traced to you.
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Nov 24, 2012 00:12
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Kitchner posted:My argument was if two thirds of your staff aren't hitting their targets then it isn't a personal problem. Your staff as a group either aren't motivated enough (which is the management's fault) or your targets are absurd (which is the management's fault). Only two thirds? Hell, back when I worked in a call centre they changed the sales targets (for a tech support role), effectively tripling them while at the same time having a push towards customers upgrading via the website and modifying the way quotes worked giving less credit for them. Out of a group of 100 staff only one person hit the goal, and that only happened because she got a single crazy sale for $10k. I came second and they tried to put me on a Management Plan. It was the final straw that managed to get me off my rear end and into a non-call centre job so there's that.
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Nov 24, 2012 01:01
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legsarerequired posted:Yep, yep, typical call center stuff. And they wonder why people quit or lose morale. We don't have an ethics line or anything like that. And yes I am losing morale. I have no problem telling my TL that I'm discouraged. I did that in our meeting yesterday. He seemed to ignore that fact. He's a good, fun guy but...it'd be nice to have my discouragement validated.
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Nov 24, 2012 02:00
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To be fair reading some of the stuff you guys have put on here, objectively it wasn't all that bad "for a call centre". I now work in the same company, literally across the road at the head office and the difference is staggering. I get that managing 150 people in the same way is a lot harder then people think, and eventually it does all become a numbers game, but in my opinion I think our call centre could have made the place a lot nicer to work and probably improved morale a lot better at the expense of slowing "statistical" improvement down. Sure your AHT is down, but is your first call resolution up? OK your first call resolution is up, but have you actually provided a good service or just said something so they don't call back up for 7 days? etc. In my opinion good morale and sense of belonging leads to the right attitude which in turn leads to the right behaviour which in turn leads to good stats. Do it in another order and it's a false economy.
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Nov 24, 2012 02:29
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My lil' team's morale level is in the toilet recently. It's kinda sad, when we first started, we were all fresh recruits, so we had a level of enthusiasm and energy for team projects. We actually did a lot of fun and interesting things, and had lots of gatherings and etc. Now 2 years in, 70% of the team is switched out for new people, and half of those new people have been switched out again. The supe tries to encourage people to do stuff, but nobody is biting. When we have team meetings and she asks people to spitball ideas, big fat 0 participation. I used to be more willing to participate and help, but I've been sat next to the most poisonously annoying team member ever, who does nothing but trash customers and management all god damned day (it's fine in small bursts with really frustrating or obnoxious people, but none of it is even remotely justified), so yeah, I'm all done giving a gently caress. I've asked to be moved, but was told that I have to preferably first attempt to resolve the situation myself. How the gently caress does management expect me to go to another adult and tell them "hey you're really kinda harshing my buzz with your dark, lovely attitude and utterances all day, can you just stop?", and according to rumor, management says it costs $200 to move someone's desk. Really? REALLY? Ugh.
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Nov 24, 2012 13:51
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1 person with an overtly negative attitude can make it spread like wildfire, in my opinion if your management aren't dealing with this person then they aren't doing their job properly.
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Nov 24, 2012 15:48
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So, I think my job knows how poo poo morale is. They keep throwing us potlucks and incentives to use a certain program and incentives to not call in sick (example: to qualify you must have metrics of (insert metrics here) and can only have one documented sick day). That last one is to win gaming systems, etc. My reaction to all of this? If they wanted to give back to us as much as they say they do they'd give us all a raise and let us have paper towel in the bathrooms again, not to a draw for some gaming consoles that only a few people can get. gently caress incentives. They're patronizing and I feel like its a carrot on a stick sort of thing. The job will still suck. The company will still suck. They will still not really care about us.
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Nov 24, 2012 16:45
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So after my short tenure working the hell desk I have made the choice to resign while still in probationary periods. I seriously have huge respect for you guys, this has been affecting my mental health since day one and I hit breaking point at 6am this morning. (I should add before this I was a trainee for 2 years as a sys admin for a local school which seems glorious now I look back on it.) I've been lurking this thread for quite a while now, thanks for all the laughs and whinging. Back to being a poor useless gently caress till I can get into uni I guess! Keep it real, and try not to dream of flashing DSL lights.
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Nov 24, 2012 22:36
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cuntvalet posted:gently caress incentives. They're patronizing and I feel like its a carrot on a stick sort of thing. Never forget that call center management doesn't want you to succeed. High turnover is a vital part of their business model that keeps the cost of your center down because helping customers is not a profitable part of their business.
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Nov 24, 2012 23:20
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BlackIronHeart posted:Never forget that call center management doesn't want you to succeed. High turnover is a vital part of their business model that keeps the cost of your center down because helping customers is not a profitable part of their business. Forgive me if this seems like a dumb question, but how exactly does a high turnover lead to a reduction in costs? As far as I understand it a high turnover increases cost as you constantly have to pay out for recruitment and training.
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Nov 25, 2012 00:41
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Kitchner posted:Forgive me if this seems like a dumb question, but how exactly does a high turnover lead to a reduction in costs? The training program for most call centers (even the month-long paid program run by places like Convergys) is not actually an extra expense, because as the other fellow mentioned, the call center is not paid based on how many customers they help. Rookies just outright cost less money because they have a lower wage, and their level of experiences doesn't translate into fewer earnings for the company. Man, I remember when I thought my ship had come in and was hired by Convergys. "How awesome is this? I just sit on the phone all day in front of a computer!" The stupidity of youth.
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Nov 25, 2012 01:57
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I've started working in retail since I've been back in Canada, and I'm finding that I've...missed face-to-face interaction with customers. It's nice. I'm not even selling anything, just inventory and Loss Prevention.
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Nov 25, 2012 04:52
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If it is any consolation, as a frequent user of call center services, I try to be as nice as possible to everyone because all I can think is "this job must be hell."
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Nov 25, 2012 05:01
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faarcyde posted:If it is any consolation, as a frequent user of call center services, I try to be as nice as possible to everyone because all I can think is "this job must be hell." I found people who work in call centres are often the worst culprits for being horrible to call centre fact due to: 1) Thinking if they were on the other end of the phone they'd be providing better service 2) Thinking that they put up with this poo poo so this person should too 3) Understanding that often to get anything you have to act like a total dick to the staff
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Nov 25, 2012 18:43
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Kitchner posted:I found people who work in call centres are often the worst culprits for being horrible to call centre fact due to: I try not to be that way... I hear my co-workers talk about how they never take surveys, and I've heard them yell at people on the phone because "they keep repeating the same script," and it blows my mind because we're in the same boat, here. I always take a survey and rate the service worker all perfect scores, because I know how insanely unfair the system is. I did once call thinking "I'm going to have to be rude so I can accomplish this," but once I heard the other person I just couldn't.
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Nov 25, 2012 19:57
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Kitchner posted:I found people who work in call centres are often the worst culprits for being horrible to call centre fact due to: I always try to be understanding with other call centre people, but one of the worst calls I ever had was from a woman working in a department store whose customer was using one of our credit cards. She wanted him to be my problem, and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Solidarity goes out of the window when you both have bosses pressuring you to make the problem go away.
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Nov 25, 2012 20:51
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Man, scheduling is such a poo poo show at this company. They have these things called "GAP DAYS" where they expect a higher call volume. So what do they do? They ban all schedule off requests, same day absence, and tamp down on green alert and have everyone be "all hands on deck". So what happens? We answer 2%-5% more calls over a full day, meanwhile, we've logged probably THOUSANDS of extra rep hours that would have optionally scheduled out early or left early with green alert, and they call it a loving ringing success every time one comes and goes and some "i need to justify my job" idiot posts a break down on our home page. it's such a joke.
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Nov 26, 2012 21:23
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Reading Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" while at work is a BAD idea for your morale. Applicable to the point of being physically uncomfortable, but a bad idea all the same.
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Nov 29, 2012 01:30
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Today we had an hour long mandatory meeting about "Why do people think the company makes it hard to do their jobs?" It's three days from the end of the month, every sales rep is trying to scramble for every call we can get, because they hosed up goals bad again and we're ALL behind, and they take us off the phone for an hour to see why we feel corporate is getting in the way? 
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Nov 29, 2012 04:48
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Actually got commended for working my rear end off and pulling my metrics/goals to where they should be and going beyond that. Including a decent drop in AHT and slashing my transfer rate in half. My secret? I was lucky with the calls I got this week. Oooh. There's something seriously wrong with a system where bad luck can gently caress you over that badly. That said, the fact that I got any little recognition at all (and being told good job once in awhile makes a huge difference) is a small step to making this crap place a better place to work.
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Nov 29, 2012 05:04
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Kitchner posted:Forgive me if this seems like a dumb question, but how exactly does a high turnover lead to a reduction in costs? In general you're right. There's a difference in call centers though. Your for profit outsourced call centers like Convergys where they get paid per minute/call, and then your internal call centers like a bank or insurance company. One makes a profit, one is a cost center. The call center I'm involved with gets paid by the minute, the two week training course agents take comes out of our pocket. If your not on the phone talking to a customer you're not making money. It's in our best interest to keep the good agents around as long as possible. It can cost up to 4000 dollars a person to get them in the door and trained to a level where they start making money.
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Nov 29, 2012 06:54
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cuntvalet posted:Actually got commended for working my rear end off and pulling my metrics/goals to where they should be and going beyond that. Including a decent drop in AHT and slashing my transfer rate in half. Think of all the poo poo you're stomped down in and pulled through every day. Your demotion from QA. Your "improvement plans". You're getting yelled at for not reaching impossible targets. You know what these things are. Your management also knows perfectly well what these things are and what they are putting you through. Management also has meetings where they go "every 6 weeks when cuntvalet has been lucky with her calls, tell her that she did a good job. With that one sentence that takes you two seconds of your time to say every month and a half, you make her put up with the rest of the poo poo that we put her through daily, 40 hours a week year round."
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Nov 30, 2012 14:46
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Man. poo poo is getting real in the trenches of my team here. We already had 2 reps constantly on the warpath with our supe, now it's doubled over my last weekend. Rep #1: had a bunch of schedule shifts put in that our supervisor went in and reversed, loving up a planned vacation she had, she said that when she submitted them she wasn't quite a fully released floor rep and not able to make those. She stormed into our HR rep's office about 4 times over the course of the day to go nuclear about this. Rep #2: finally snapped about being needled about one of his stats and tried to pin the supe down on how its calculated specifically and basically dragged out this heinously rep unfriendly method that has been dogging him for months now and he's super pissed about it. Aside from my firebrand neighbor just having a blow up about something she does every week. How many team reps does it take complaining to HR before something is done? Infinity?
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Nov 30, 2012 15:38
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