Anyone here work as a customer service rep?

[Mercy]

I work in a call center, but right now I am not a phone based associate, I work on the administrative support end.

I'm thinking of applying for a job in customer service, which means I would be on the phone all day. The job pays more, but the hours would be different, different shifts. I just need a change from what I'm doing now (been doing it for almost 4 years).

So I was wondering if anyone here worked as a customer service rep, and how you liked it?

 

[cgcw]

Many years back, when my oldest was little, I worked JC Penney catalog taking phone orders. I really likes it. Most people were very nice over the phone, occassionally there would be a problem but there were always supervisors to help out in those cases.

Two years into it, I moved into the better paying position of Customer Service. Again, for the most part, I liked it but then I became the person to deal with the people who were not very nice on the other end of the phone. Some of them have still left a lasting impression on me today (like the lady who told me that I personally ruined her babies 1st Christmas because her item was not received in time and she hoped I thought about her on Christmas morning -- guess what, all these years later, I still think about that call .)

Personally, I've always preferred having more of a customer service type job -- loved working in a bank, loved being a secretary to an entire department, enjoyed catalog. The most ironic part is, in general, I'm not a very outgoing person but these positions felt right to me.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[Disney_1derland]

Are you the type who can handle being yelled at? Can you just laugh it off or would it affect you negatively? I think that is key when being a phone based rep. I used to have to put people on mute so I could snicker when they were screaming about their sister wendy art books. Never heard church bookstores get so darn ugly about anything but that darn sister wendy. It cracked me up

If you can handle that 8 hours a day then I say go for it. I think it also depends on the workplace. The places I've worked were awful, we weren't allowed to stand up in our cubes but places dh has worked they played volleybal with paper balls over their cubes. That seems so much more reasonable to me

 

[CheshireVal]

I worked for a few inbound call centers back in college. The first one contracted out with different companies, so I ended up doing things like taking orders for phone service with BellSouth to credit card apps for Bank of America. That wasn't so bad.

Then I worked at a call center for Haband.... it's that clothing line that mostly elderly people buy (advertised a lot in the coupon section of Sunday papers), and I had some of the most crotchety, mean callers ever! I hated that job.


You're going to get nutcases and grumps calling in no matter where you work. I guess it really just depends on how patient you can be!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I work in a "call center" right now. It is in my home at my desk and calls routed to me.

I enjoy it--though I make my hours based on whatever is available so I can schedule according to my needs. And I answer phones in my PJ's.

The tips given to me were that despite the grumps and prank calls--there are some nice people out there and to not take the phoning situation seriously. I mean--be professional, but take anything the grumps or angry people say personally. In my case--they can't see me. They can't really report me. I am recorded and can be reviewed, but the pressure is off as far as any threats to report me (haven't had one yet) are pretty empty.

So go for it if you think you can handle it. I'm sure the training will be pretty detailed and when you first get on the system to take your first real call--you won't feel like the smartest banana in the bunch, but if you did well in training--you'll be surprised about how in no time you will feel like it is a piece of cake.

Not sure about what your job entails--but for me...between calls I can surf the internet or read or study whatever I need to.

Good luck.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Just curious...for those of you who work for call centers in your home ..do you like it and if so what company do you work for? Right now I run my own website and babysit part time. However soon I won't be babysitting and now that my kiddos are almost 7 y.o. and 3 1/2 I'm interested in trying out being a customer service rep in my home. TIA!

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

I worked in a call center several years ago and I was also a trainer for the new reps hired by that call center.

In most call centers it will help if you have pretty thick skin! Although, I believe in most cases, the really unreasonable callers will make up only a small percentage of the calls you take. It’s just that you remember those calls!