DISCLAIMER: Contents in this post may have mature content and I wrote this to share my thoughts to the people who wants to know the life of a "virgin" call center agent.
THANK YOU FOR CALLING — the most common opening spiel in every call center industry not only here in the Philippines but also throughout the globe. I am about to share my experience and my thoughts in mind on how different life is when you are a call center agent.
Before I graduated in college, I told myself that I have a bigger chance to be an agent, even though my mom don't want me to get into that kind of job, but I have to take the risks to get a job as soon as possible. Even my mother told me "wag na wag kang mag call center JR kasi masisira ang kalusugan mo't magsilabasan yang sakit sayo". But then as soon as I set my foot to Metro Cebu, I applied to many of the companies in Cebu IT Park in Lahug, but I was successfully accepted to the job that I was expecting to, in a Call Center.
It was July when I had my training. The training was on a specific account; an account I am referring to is the one you are assigned depending on what type of job did you apply to, if you are a plain Customer Service Representative or Technical Support Representative and eventually I was a Level 2 TSR and was assigned to a technical account. Together with all other new hires (some are already in a call center) we were trained how to fix, create an order and everything that is needed to cater the customers' issues/concerns. I successfully passed the training and was endorsed to take live calls.
It was the 3rd week of September when we were endorsed to the production floor, where all other agents take live calls, at first I was a little bit confused. Within this time I knew that our scores are major-based according to the Customer's Satisfaction or CSAT as the acronym. We should comply to the passing score in order to pass to regularization. It was also my first time to wake up much earlier to go to work. My life is like work - 2 days rest - work, just like that, I never expected that it will be more difficult for me to adjust my body clock in order not to be late at work cause I know time is very important in a BPO Industry. Well, I had a lot of absences and tardiness and was told that if I want to be regularized don't be absent or be late because it will affect my scorecard.
In the middle of taking calls and whatnot, I suddenly realized that everything in my life when I started to have illnesses that I never got before is not good. Sudden loss of weight, loss of appetite, insomnia and some other illnesses. Then I thought as much as my co-workers also knew, that I am very exhausted anymore with this job. Call center industry offers a really good start of salary, allowances and benefits, but in the long run I also realized that it is not worthy if your health is at risk. I am very concern to my health and as much as I am also concerned to my co-workers, friends and family. I finally concluded my thoughts and end up in a decision that I hope will be good.
I am not saying that call centers are bad jobs people, I just want you to know that it is not an easy job. You will take risks to be able to get a higher pay and higher position.
I would like to give my sincerest thank you to all my colleagues who motivates me everyday to go to work and to my families and friends for listening to my words and especially to my only one who inspires me to work.
Now, I am currently looking for a job that is good for me and that I will hopefully love. Though maybe my pay will be much lower than my previous job, it is okay cause at least, Ill be happy, and contented to my work.
God bless to all of you! Job hunting is not easy though! ;-)
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