Smoke & Drink

"Thank you for calling..." usual opening spiels of inbound agents. "is there anything else i can help you with?" typical almost closing spiels of inbound reps. "Hi this is (name)...." usual opening of outbound agents. "thanks for your time" typical closing spiels of outbound. It's a good thing that most of our Filipino brothers are adept in the English Language because if not there will be tons of unemployed people out there with or without a degree just bumming out or worst being unproductive to the already weak economy of ours. Most people think that call center agents are shallow and know nothing but drinking sessions and smoking and just spending their pay on superficial things. Well, some are but not all. Nowadays when someone asks you what your job is and you say that your an agent they will immediately take it as your not serious with your life and that the work that you do is not serious or productive. Again, some of them have this way of thinking but not all.

When I first started I was thinking...well i wasn't thinking to be honest because my hearts was pounding because I didn't know what to expect yet and it was my first job interview. But to my surprise when it was my turn to be interviewed by the hr person everything was so spontaneous. It's only as if I was talking to my peers. It ain't a stiff atmosphere that I dreaded that met me. Instead we were laughing and well seems like old friends. After which she told me that I passed not knowing how exactly i shook her hand and signed some papers while she's telling me that I can start on Monday. Well it's not so bad and it was relatively easy thinking that it was a technical account that i got hired to(yabang). So I started my stint as an agent. All the while telling myself that I'm an agent ( ala James Bond or Ethan Hunt hehe ) it boosted my morale and self worth that there is something else that I am relatively good at. Talking. A few months have passed and the job was, yes, easy but I got to a point that I was looking for more challenging things and that I was beginning to miss my friends and sibling back home because I rarely got to see them anymore because I have to work the night shift as most cc cater to the people in the states thus we need to follow their time. Earning a lot didn't help either. It just made me feel that I can quit my job anytime I want and be ok until I get the drive to work again. Well this post is not how I got hired or my experience so enough of that.

The main problem with being an agent is the repetitive task that you are required to do and the night shifts and the stress that comes along when you hardly get to see normal people, especially your loved ones and friends. It can really burn you out no matter how enthusiastically you take on your job. Yeah it's easy but let me ask you. Are you ready for the same old thing every day??? If you're a person who happens to be a loner and an anti social type of person then this job is not for you because sooner or later you will crack and end up frustrated that you weren't able to enjoy your work, the company of your peers or even find love or aren't challenge enough by what you do. However, I'm not saying that if you are the life of the party is that you will enjoy the job without a hitch. It can get to you but atleast you can make friends ( or enemies) that you will be looking forward on seeing everyday and would not mind if it's the same old things that you're going to be talking about (work related stuff like a call you had about this person in which you may have already told him before and is just trying to strike a conversation to kive up your yosi break). Im not here to discourage future cc agents to be one of us but rather i just want them to know that it is not always fun and games here. Sure the place is fun with people the same age as you and as preppy as you and share the same interest like you to be your officemate but it is still work. There are still scores that you must maintain, quotas that you need to reach and customers to satify and bosses to please in order for you to grow in the industry. I know that now because I have wasted quite a lot of my time looking for that perfect cc job but found none. The only time that it will be perfect is that when you make it so as to your liking or have alread accepted the fact that this is what you do as a person to earn a living. Work ain't work if you're having fun while doing it right so try the best to have fun while you're at it so as to perform better and di-stress yourself. So take this tips from a non-expert like myself;

S - Sit up and do you job
M -Make new friends
O - Organize your thoughts
K - Keep busy
E - Enjoy
&
D - Di-stress once in a while
R - Relax
I - Induce yourself to sleep
N - Nourish your health
K - Keep your stats up

Cheers!