FIRST POST: LIFE OF A CALL CENTER

I am a Marketing graduate, and yes I have worked in the call center - BPO industry. There is such a huge discrimination when one hears a person is working in a BPO - call center. Companies even have specific rules for application for loan, credit card, phone line and so many other things if you are working in a call center, and if you say call center, you can hear the "aah" of disappointment in their tones.

Sad thing is, do these people actually know how freaking hard it is to get in a call center from the initial interview up to training even on the production floor? Yes they do see the glamour of call center workers partying, Starbucks or going out having a good time, but they deserve it, because these people slave for 8-9 hours or more a day bearing insults from clients who are not even their own family, constant changes with stats that they have to meet up with and the worry that anytime one minor fault can lose them their job. Believe me this work is not just about sitting down and saying hi and hello and it’s all good.

Carrying of phone is strictly prohibited in the production and yet you will get some ignorant love ones requesting to break up or even blame you for not answering the phone during your work hours. Do they even know carrying a phone inside the production floor is a cause for termination? Yes believe it or not it is! In spite of being regularized these people still do not have stability of work, with the constant change of client requirements and statistics, quality control and metrics a call center agent can lose his job at any time! Being late can be cause for termination, even being absent if its 3 consecutive days is ground for termination. And regardless of the emergency it is a requirement for an agent to phone in 2-hour before his/her shift to inform that they can’t make it, otherwise it is marked as No call, no show which can also lead to grounds for termination, now consider this what if an emergency struck and you are unable to call? Yes they do get penalized regardless. They work graveyard shift and believe me working in the night is one of the most difficult thing to do only to go home and sleep the day off to wake up and prepare again to go to work. Holidays, even Christmas and New Year they are required to go to work, regardless of any holidays celebrated. It’s funny how the media always portray the glamour of working in a call center, but the true call center work takes a lot of hard work, sweat, blood and tears which the media have never gotten the chance to really show to the public.

In summary? This is not a simple job, otherwise they would not offer such a high pay, it takes a lot of sacrifice and yet it is classified by our system as a factory worker category, such a shame. No job deserves more respect than the hardworking call center agents who slave every night to support their family because our government could not offer a job that suits their profession.