beanoni wrote on Mar 6
th, 2008 at 11:39am:
Sorry but I worked in a call centre for 2 years (in NI as it happens, though I think the other call centre in another part of the UK was even worse) and the chances are the people are just idiots rather than liars. They believe the shite handed down from on-high.
But how did you last in one for two years? I always reckoned I would be fired on the second day from any call centre for deviating from official company procedure. Only those who either don't like to or are incapable of thinking for themselves can possibly be happy working in a call centre. I once worked for Avis one summer holiday as a student vacuuming and washing cars and occasionally driving them between locations and although that was hard work and long hours (13 hours per day) it was work with a point and not mindless work. A lot of call centre work is what I would call mindless work that leaves nobody (employee or caller) happy at the end of it.
Nothing against NI per se as the best BT call centre I ever experienced was in NI due to BT paying almost the same wages across the UK. Unfortunately the likes of Capita pay minimum wage and only employ yes men and hence suffer accordingly. Unfortunately a very uneducated NI person will also typically have a very harsh NI accent and the two things together I find very hard to take. Working class culture in NI does strike me as very aggressive (even more than say London). The people in Southern Ireland (Eire) in call centres are often extremely stupid but also charming and laid back with it. That is a little easier to take.
Quote:Either way, the real problem is not with the advisors but with the management. Even the supervisors can be as moronic as the rest. Most, though not all, get their positions by knowing other supervisors, not knowing their business
Sure but no faceless regime can ever function without its eager footsoldiers ready to do as they are told. If everyone was as free thinking and non conformist as me then the world's dictators would have no chance at all.