We all have to make a living so that we can purchase things like food, shelter, water, and a place to poop privately. How you do that is largely up to you, and some options are better than others. Sometimes work can be difficult, and hard. That's OK, and it builds character. However, call center work is not for everyone. That said, the best way to work in a call center is to enjoy it. It's very easy to slip into the mode of hating on customers, and/or issues. Talking to customers constantly who think the company is horrible will take it's toll. Bare in mind, most oft times, the customers you're speaking to are a small minority, and the few that are having problems. The rest are happy go lucky customers that are purchasing your service.
I like to distinguish between angry customers, and they usually come in three types.
The first type are the ones that are angry and mean specifically because they think it will get them what they want. This is where I would call on the army of the interwebs to please, not give it to them if it's not warranted. I don't, and I won't. That behavior doesn't need to be rewarded. Sadly, it does. There is also a cost / benefit analysis where if a customer wants $100 credit, and keeps calling, how long until it costs the company more to say no, than to just give the credit? That's why even when you're standing your ground, and you're in the right, your supervisor or manager will give the credit. Just to shut them up. It's sad, but true. Bad behavior works.
However, it's nice to be comfortable in the knowledge that genuinely polite customers can get their issues resolved generally 5X quicker than the jerks. Let's face it, nobody wants to talk to a jerk.
The second type of angry customer is the one who's frustrated at the problem because it isn't over with. These ones I like to give some leeway in my mind because they have an actual problem, and are frustrated because of it. Just imagine having a flat tire on the way to work, or your brakes going out. Anything that's a major inconvenience. It's frustrating, so it's easy to dig up some empathy there. If you keep calm, it will usually calm these people down. Especially if you can give a clear plan of action.
The last type are just jerks. Narcissistic people that could care less whether you live or die. Luckily, these people are few and far between. The trick is distinguishing these people from people who are just annoyed.
The best way I've found not to fall into the trap of being annoyed at angry customers is to just put them out of my mind. They are on my mind when talking to them, and once I'm done, they are out. It's an aquired skill. Every call ends, and you can train your mind to let it end there too. It's a tough skill to master, but thick skin can be gained. Every once in a while one will get under my skin, but very rarely.
Here's a quote from /u/coppercable in response to the last blurp Dealing With Stress which fits as a fine example of dealing with angry customers.
"Easier said than done.
Call center work is honestly the worst job I've ever done. Now that I have a chance to get out of it, I won't ever go back.
I would rather clean the streets than have to answer that f#%@%# phone all day, meet random stats, and having to be sickly sweet to people all day."
If you can put every call out of your mind when it ends, you'll be much happier. I overlooked this before, but "Sickly Sweet". This is a very common issue many people CSR's have. Natural. Just be natural. When we put on an act on the phone, it takes energy, and being a robot is no fun. I don't understand where we got professionalism confused with being a robot. I hear it all the time too, and I wonder why. It's structured talking, with a smile, or corporate speak. My issue is it's not genuine, and it takes work. Extra work. But the problem of letting the job get to you is it's not real. To put it into context, just try doing a cosplay for 8 hours. Run around town in a batman costume, and pretend to be batman. You'll have fun, and by the end of the day, you'd be exhausted. Being a robot on the phone is not fun, and it's day in and day out. So if you can avoid it, please do. The real you is amazing, I guarantee it.
Already discussed, or will be discussed in their own posts is: Dealing with stress; Workplace bullying/abuse is coming up, and that should be watched out for. Gauging the company to see whether or not it's a good, moral, and ethical company. Stress and bullying are killers, but also what the company asks you to do. You'd be surprised how far your morals will sway when you weigh the job vs being jobless. If you don't cut corners, moving up the ladder takes a lot longer, but is ultimately worth it. If the job is too stressful, too abusive, or too unethical, it's a good idea to get out of there.
Go with the flow. This goes against my main preaching point, and that is to pick your own pace. Both can be done, but there is a general flow within the office, and if you can see how it works, just go with it. This goes for the company, and your co-workers. However, when it comes to customers and work, go at your own pace. If you let someone choose the pace for you, they'll make you a race horse, but you can do quite a lot of work at a trot.
Believe in your product. For the past 3.something years, I've been dealing with security systems. I went to install them for the summer, and my rodeo cracked an engine block. So I sold it, and bought a plane ticket to where the call center is, and went to work there where I joined Tech Support. I have been doing that ever since. The security industry is looked down on quite a bit for taking advantage of old ladies. Door to door sales is generally looked down on. Here's the thing though. I've seen these systems save lives, and little old ladies with medical pendants have a button to push to get help when nobody is there to help. That's the difference between lying on the floor for 18+ hours with a broken hip, and pushing for help. I've seen the difference between smoke damage and ashes with homes. I've seen burglars caught. The product that I support is a good one. It's just looked down on as a nuisance when it's not being helpful. And we don't want it to be helpful. We would rather the system never be needed, but ready if needed. So yes, I believe in the product. If you don't believe in the product, your conscience will eat away at you.
I remember when I first got into the security industry, I bent over backwards for every customer I talked to, and the company loved it. A sharp contrast from the previous call center I worked at which laid me off for helping customers. The CS job I had was all sales based. Customers would call in for a billing issue or whatnot, and we were supposed to sell to them. All of our metrics were sales based, and if they weren't buying, we get them off the phone one way or the other. I fix issues. It's what I do. That company as you can imagine was one of the largest companies in the US, and the customer was nothing more than prey. So moving to this new company, and they difference in the way they viewed the job I did was like night and day. They also cut me check so I wouldn't starve when my manager's boss checked to make sure I was getting paid. Good company.
Don't get caught up in the extras. Every call center has extras like contests, work parties, motivational thingies, and perks. It's OK to take part, and be grateful for these. They're morale boosters, and pretty nifty. I took a $100 gift card I won, and bought a guitar for my daughter. It happened right before her birthday, and BAM, I didn't even have change up the budget like I was expecting. The thing is that if you get caught up in the extra perks, they can be taken away. If you include them in your budget, that loss stings. You're there for a paycheck, and anything extra is just that, extra. That way when you lose it, it's not a loss.
Gratitude. If you are grateful for everything you have in a call center job, you will appreciate it that much more. Sadly, I see quite a bit of entitlement, and half the time, it's the company's fault. The other half the time, it's all on the employee. The company treats young adult employees like little kids, and then these young employees somehow get to thinking that the company owes them a living. Or the employee just gets caught up in the friendly environment, and doesn't like to work. Then they grow stagnant and complacent. After that, they get let go because they aren't doing their job, and harbor ill will towards the company that let them go. So gratitude for everything you get helps. The job to start, and the paycheck that goes with it. Gratitude for the work itself doesn't hurt. If you're grateful for it, you'll be happier to do it. The perks are nice too whatever they are. Be grateful for your customers that pay money so you can get paid, and your co-workers that help you with the work load. Gratitude for the product itself is great as well.
Being grateful doesn't mean you should be passive and a door mat. Shoot for the stars, and get as much out of the job as you can. Why not eh?
Goal setting. Set goals, work towards them, make plans. If your daily routine is being a drone, and dragging your butt into work everyday for another monotonous 8 hours on the phones, you're going to have a bad time. Small goals to start, like decorating your cubical, learning the names and jobs of everyone in the office, and even an office prank. Larger goals to follow both within the structure of the company, and outside. Things like promotions, and other jobs. Find out what the requirements are, and become what they want. Set up a goal to change the department, and work towards it. Just to make you feel like you've made some sort of a difference.
Don't beat yourself up. I know that a lot of the things I talk about seem impossible, and some have taken me quite a long time to master. With over 10 years Customer Service experience, talking naturally and slowly took over 4. I've been the robot, and I've rushed customers. I was still pretty good at my job, but I got better. Last year, we were doing Customer Promoters, and I was #3 in the building. The two that were beating me were the nicest, and loveliest young ladies there ever were. They became coaches, and one of the job requirements was constantly having a permasmile, and always being upbeat. That left me with being #1 which was nice. They had to push themselves to get the numbers, and I acted naturally. Just doing my job. I think I won getting slightly less than the best, but putting forth quite a bit less effort. So don't beat yourself up. Every day you do your job, you'll get better at it. Even today, I still make mistakes, brush them off, and move forward. It's life.
If after you've weighed out the job, the company, the environment, and everything that's important to you. If it's a good fit, please enjoy it. If it's horrible, than there is no shame in finding something else. Just do your best, and be the one in control of you.
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