C.S.R. - The Series

One application period for a day, two weeks of training done and over with, I'm now working "on the floor" as call center parlance would go. Given how my work schedule is generally graveyard shift, it makes me much operating like a vampire of sorts. The everyday worker would have their in the daylight hours. I would be going to work why everyone else is going home and vice versa when its morning.

This kind of scheduling and how taxing the demands work is, makes blogging and other creative pursuits very limited. I do try to blog more entries when my energy levels and ideas can be spared for this.

Gone through my 1st week on the floor though the Sunday and Monday shift had some incidents that really lit my fuse.

Sunday's fuse lighting was at the first half of my shift before lunch, it would go with this:

(Customer told me that his phone is having problems and wants to have the phone batteries replacement though the trouble-shooting steps on the systems says that the phone is in need of replacement. The smoking gun would start from this point.)

Me: "Sir, let me get this straight to be sure, your phone is brand new, correct?"

Irate Customer:"Of course it is! Where you think I bought this at? A flea market? Where do you think you're calling from? Mars? Let me talk to your supervisor."

The customer was attended to subsequently by a supervisor and it was done and over with. That little episode was rather traumatizing to say the least. What an arrogant asshole he was to jump down on my throat and say such trash talk!

That was Sunday shift's incident, I thought it would be a lot better on Monday Shift but no more of crappy bullshit I have to deal with plus it was compounded by a slow PC that time. The incident for that shift goes with this:

(Customer called regarding the status of his batteries to be delivered to him. The bad part was that the last agent who handled him never did process the order on account that the ordering system was offline. I tried my best to assure the customer that I would be processing his order now. This is when the bad luck with the PC aggravated the matter.

Me: "Sir, I apologize for the last agent's oversight in processing your order of batteries. Let me assure you that I'll process your order of batteries now since the ordering system is now back online."
Irate Customer: "What you mean?! I ordered those batteries two weeks ago and you're just processing them now?" (Rest of dialogue involves demands for free batteries.)

Call got escalated to my super but due to long hold time, the customer hung up on me and later got me landed in with female caller who I call the Phantom Bitch.

Female Customer calls in to inquire about a particular model of phone in stock and I confirmed it for her that we do have it. She goes on with the story that she saw a promo at some retail store that sells a particular phone model for $40 with a $30 mail-in rebate. I was clueless as to how to handle it. Call was escalated to my super and the caller hung up on me when I put her on hold to get my super. Crazy bitch demanding to get a phone cheap from us just because she missed out a sales promo at a retail store.

I also get one caller which was gonzo wierdo. This wierdo call came in on my Sunday shift. He was asking for help in removing his pay-per-view. At first I thought it was he was trying to handle it by phone in which the phone may be set on pulse dialing as opposed to touch tone dialing. The Q & A dragged for a bit like close to 15 minutes until I considered the question to him.

Me: "Sir, you're asking me how to remove your pay-per-view using your remote control?"

Customer: "Yeah."

Me: "Sir, I want to let you know that I only handle phones and not your satellite Tv service."

(*Groan* This guy was calling in the wrong number in order to disable/unsubscribe his pay-per-view with his satellite TV service. Customer didn't hang up his phone after 10 minutes on leaving his phone unattended and presuming he though he hung up his phone.)

Such things I have to deal and more so when the phones I deal with are basically trouble-prone. It makes me question my purpose in the call center, moreso with the client I'm charged to provide the service. Its makes me passionate and idealistic as to my views. I mean the paradox of it is, why am I working in a call center for client who has a rather shoddy performance with its performance and we CSR people who were outsourced by the client have to take the motherfragging flak for it?! Talk about shoot the motherf*cking messenger who tells you the bad news and doing only their job. It really pisses me off. It makes me consider to switching over to another account when I survive enough to prove to the company to merit a transfer. Makes me yearn for my old Makati job though my I-net addiction was my downfall that time.

I need some major stress relief or else I'll get bitter and burned out after quite a while. I have to put up such aggravation though it doesn't sit well with me. I'll have to do something about my emotions or else it'll consumes me and makes more irate enough to quit this job. Its just burning away inside me until then.