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"Phone Rage" (Cutting Edge Doc)

Started by Artemis, March 06, 2008, 09:51:24 PM

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Pseudopath

Cold-calling is definitely the shittier job. At least when you're working on a service desk or complaints line, you can console yourself with the fact that you are ultimately trying to help people and you do occasionally receive a word of thanks. With cold-calling, you're just preying on people's gullibility and helping to line the pockets of Satan himself.

A good example is the cold-calling centre I once worked for in Liverpool. The guys that ran it had realised that by donating just £5 a year to the Firefighter's Benevolence Fund, they could stamp the charity's logo onto a load of shitty desk diaries, then employ a bunch of phone monkeys (i.e; muggins here) to ring their way through the Yellow Pages pretending to be working 'on behalf' of their local fire station selling advertising space in the diary. Shocking.


Alberon

I've always tried to be civil when phoning call centres, though I have to admit I haven't always managed it. I know that whoever I'm talking to has no power and is being treated like a battery hen, but it's hard. I'm usually in a strop when I have had to call so I haven't been the easiest caller. Sorry.

I must admit though I'm always very annoyed when cold-called. Again, I know it's not the fault of the actual caller, but being cold-called really really pisses me off. Fortunatly I'm on the Telephone Preference Service, which generally works quite well. All I get now are the pre-recorded scammers.

Blumf

For the cold callers, what's best? Keep them on as long as you can, thus reducing the time they spend bugging somebody else and their overall cost effectiveness, or getting rid of them as quickly as possible ('click through' I think it's called in the biz)?

In particular I'm thinking, on the one hand, if you've got nothing better to do, having fun dragging out the call can be a good thing for society. On the other, you're probably making the poor sod on the other end of the line suffer with their manager bugging them for their reduced call rate.

Tokyo Sexwhale

I didn't see the documentary, but I did hear this call on the trailer - an example of how to treat Verbw..erm customer service representatives:

http://rapidshare.com/files/98546514/BT_Customer_Service.mp3.html

ibrahim

Quote from: Blumf on March 10, 2008, 09:14:57 PMIn particular I'm thinking, on the one hand, if you've got nothing better to do, having fun dragging out the call can be a good thing for society. On the other, you're probably making the poor sod on the other end of the line suffer with their manager bugging them for their reduced call rate.

Well I suppose you can do both really, some cold callers will be bastards, and some will be nice people. Make up a tall tale for why you need to cut the call short, for example you're busy packing for a month long aid work placement and your plane is leaving shortly. Any reasonable cold caller will just stop right there, they might try to organise a call back (which you can explain is probably pointless). An arsehole will not, you can waste their time in that case.

I dreaded seeing the adverts for Phone Rage, so I decided the whole programme would be tortuous. I was sacked from a call centre position a few months ago and the mere thought of a headset leaves me feeling a bit pale. Its terrible work, and I can't really think of anything interesting to say that hasn't been said before. My place didn't really have any of the jokey familiarity and antics that this thread speaks of, mainly because it was for the NHS, and they wouldn't pay for anything like that.

I've also done cold calling, which is pretty dreadful too. I'd end the call at the first no, and go on to the next phone number, I did alright.