Call centres

clarie · 16-09-2005, 23:41

I write this thread not to complain about call centres but to defend them - particularly outbound call centre agents. I reckon everyone should give us a break.

I work as an outbound call agent and that usually involves calling people who aren't expecting my call, ie they don't know me. However I don't work in sales.

I have just had quite an annoying shift, where I have called so many rude people. Now I can appreciate very well that if someone calls you at home in the evening, it can be irritating. However, need people be SO rude? Tonight I was asking a few questions, which took about one minute. Yet people hung up on me before I got chance to finish my sentence, swore at me, and generally made out like I was the biggest pain in the @** they had ever had the misfortune to encounter.

I would be ever so grateful if people could just say 'no thanks, bye.' Instead of just cutting me off. One guy pretended to be polite and asked me to wait whilst he went to turn off the tap. Then came back and asked me to wait while he answered the door. Then eventually after a while came back and just hung up on me. I called back, and his wife told me they 'really weren't interested.' Fair enough, but say it politely and then hang up, don't leave me waiting. Obviously this was his amusing way of dealing with nuisance callers.

But please people, spare a thought for the caller, who is just doing this to raise some cash, and is about as interested in the survey as you are. It's not their fault, if they were to refuse the job on the grounds that calling people at home is intrusive, then there would be a lot more unemployed people out there.

And please please stop hanging up before they even finish their sentence. Sometimes you can't even hear someone hanging up on you, so you say your whole speech before realising no one is listening to you.

I don't know if any of you do this, but it is just a general plea to all humanity.

Mal · 16-09-2005, 23:49

Can I just ask, if you are not in sales, what are you ringing them for?

nffc · 16-09-2005, 23:54

Oh yeah and remember inbound as well, some people seem to just ring for a fight and want to shout the odds from the minute you answer the call.

Having done outbound as well I know exactly what you mean...

danielf · 17-09-2005, 00:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mal

Can I just ask, if you are not in sales, what are you ringing them for?

Quote:

Originally Posted by clarie

But please people, spare a thought for the caller, who is just doing this to raise some cash, and is about as interested in the survey as you are

Surveys apparently.

@ Clarie, I usually tell the caller I'm not interested (using those words) at the first opportunity, and usually they are very polite about that, and don't insist.

I once had one (from sales) who got angry at me for not letting her finish her story. I did give her a bit of a telling off.

17-09-2005, 00:28

I work as an 'inbound caller' for a finance company, but also do some outbound work aswell if we are not receiving many calls. There are lots of VERY rude people out there. How hard is it to:

a) Bin the application instead of ringing the number on it and hurling abuse at the recipient caller
or
b) Say "No thanks."

Really not that hard??

Millay · 17-09-2005, 00:36

I worked for a double glazing sales place once, it only lasted six hours but was interesting, most people swear at you, some make excuses some moake you hold the line for hours.. whatever....

If you do outbound and its not b2b, then im afraid you will get all of the above and more.. Its a fact of life, we dont like being called, and now we are getting automated calls, the human calls will be even more worse treated..

My advice.. get another job that does not include cold calling!

Martin · 17-09-2005, 01:25

I can't stand firms ringing that are either conducting surveys or cold calling! I'm never rude i just say i'm not interested but sometimes they just won't give in and i have no alternative but to hang up.

**Rob** · 17-09-2005, 01:32

It's quite simple. I have an ex directory number. I subscribe to the Telephone Preference Service. Therefore if anyone makes the mistake of calling me, it is unwarranted, intrusive and they will get short shrift. Sorry, I've done everything reasonable to say I don't want to be disturbed. If someone does disturb me, surely I am entitled to express my annoyance (I will be assertivbe and abrubt, but won't curse), with the call being very swiftly ended, whether the caller is listening to what I say or not.

Martin · 17-09-2005, 01:37

Its like Jehovas Witness constantly calling it becomes tiresome! I hate being stopped when i go shopping by someone flogging Window's and Door's! People ringing is the same thing!

**Rob** · 17-09-2005, 01:39

At work the cold callers are a pain in the backside, but harder to stop (can we give you IT support, will you advertsie on our website, blah blah blah). Again the calls are difficult to prevent, and very much a nuisance, interrupting my working day. I know companies are just trying to promote themselves, but it is little more than Spam, by another more traditional method. If I want something, I'll look around for it, and make the effort to call. What makes anyone think that I'm going to suddenly, on reciept of a cold call, think yep OK I'll buy this thing from you, just beacuse you were the one to phone. Even if I want the thing, I'm going to check out whether the caller or someone else can do it best for the price.

I know those doing the job in the call centres are only trying to earn a living. If I'm at home, I'm on my leisure and rest and don't need the intrustion. If I'm at work, I'm trying to earn a living too, and have better more productive things to do. Sorry but although I wont be outright rude, anyone making cold calls will no doubt have to have a thick skin.

Martin · 17-09-2005, 01:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rob C

If I want something, I'll look around for it, and make the effort to call. What makes anyone think that I'm going to suddenly, on reciept of a cold call, think yep OK I'll buy this thing from you, just beacuse you were the one to phone. Even if I want the thing, I'm going to check out whether the caller or someone else can do it best for the price.

This is exactly how i feel!! If i want new Windows i'll seek them out! Someone knocking at the door when i'm relaxing isn't going to get the best reception! The sooner companies realise this the better, sadly i don't think they will!

17-09-2005, 01:58

I dont get these calls for a few reasons.

1/ Our number does not accept calls from withheld numbers
2/ We are listed on the telephone preference service
3/ we are ex directory

Now I agree survey calls are fine, I tend to complete them when i used to get the calls, however sales calls do irritate the hell out of me.

Its a fact of life that some people do not want to be bothered at home full stop, and the companies should respect that. Cold calling is a problem, however depending on where your company gets the numbers from and whether at some point the user has agreed a call is important.
What I really dont like is when you get a call regarding somehting you signed over 12 months ago.

As I stated above there are ways you can ensure you dont get these calls, there is no excuse to be rude, but the people on the other end of the other end of the phone need to realise that people do get wound up and it may have been the 6th "nuisance" call in a row for that person.
It is just a job and at the end of the day if you cant switch off from it then perhaps its not the right job for you.
I work in a call centre, do tech support for JC+ and I despise it.

Graham · 17-09-2005, 02:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by clarie

I write this thread not to complain about call centres but to defend them - particularly outbound call centre agents. I reckon everyone should give us a break.

And I wish they would give *ME* a break.

I have signed up to the TPS because I DO NOT WANT these calls, yet I *still* get people phoning me up claiming that they're not trying to sell me something, they're just "doing a survey" or "I've won a prize".

I do not want to be interrupted in the middle of whatever I'm doing because of some company that thinks that they know better than I what I may or may not want.

They have *already* been rude to me by ignoring my wishes, so I have no qualms about being rude back to them.

To paraphrase a certain exprssion: If they don't like that sort of thing, they shouldn't be doing the job in the first place.

djstevie · 17-09-2005, 02:18

When i used to work in a call centre about 8 months ago for quite a well known organisation, i remember ,when people were rude to the agents (i mean swearing and unpolite) the "agents" used to leave a note on the system saying that the people werent at home (even though they had spoken to them) which meant the person ended up getting called back again by a different "agent". Sometimes people would end up getting called between 2 and 10 times a day which was well out of order. Remember these people are only doing their job, all it takes is a "im not interested thanks" and thats usually enough for most. Being rude will normally result in you getting pestered even more.

marky · 17-09-2005, 02:25

I can say i have never argued with a person at a call centre, only the music i get when on hold