HELPDESK SUPPORT AND CALL CENTRES WHAT U THINk?

[jhorsfield30]

Personally, I have only had a small stint in call centres lasting a few months and it caused me to be physically ill, from a technical and personal point of view, before working there I had always been field and in-business support for desktop/network/admin/server support.

What are you opinions on working in call centres and the way they operate?

Do people enjoy working in them? Personally, being a technical helpdesk analyst, I can't see the point, but, what are your views?

John

[scotspine]

me neither, but, what exactly is a "technical helpdesk analyst"?

[XLMonkey]

they are the worst places in the world, and will make you sick. Here's why....

Did you know that if you take a human-like creature (say, a chimpanzee), and then subject it to random negative stimuli (say, electric shocks), then over a long period of time it will display all the symptoms of depression and stress (including development of stomach ulcers, cancer and bizarre behaviour patters)?

[sadly, this experiment was actually carried out in the early sixties at Stanford to explore the causes of workplace stress. There was a whole series of them - it was awful]

Now, imagine what happens in a call-centre. You take a human-like creature (say, a human), and then subject it to random negative stimuli (say, irate customers calling on an unpredictable basis to complain about things that you have no control over). Result: high levels of stress, massive staff turnover and general misery.

Argh, they are a creation of Satan designed to punish the innocent for the crimes of others.

....just an opinion, mind. I'm sure some people think that they're brilliant.

[AlfredJPruffock]

they are the worst places in the world, and will make you sick. Here's why....

Did you know that if you take a human-like creature (say, a chimpanzee), and then subject it to random negative stimuli (say, electric shocks), then over a long period of time it will display all the symptoms of depression and stress (including development of stomach ulcers, cancer and bizarre behaviour patters)?

[sadly, this experiment was actually carried out in the early sixties at Stanford to explore the causes of workplace stress. There was a whole series of them - it was awful]

Now, imagine what happens in a call-centre. You take a human-like creature (say, a human), and then subject it to random negative stimuli (say, irate customers calling on an unpredictable basis to complain about things that you have no control over). Result: high levels of stress, massive staff turnover and general misery.

Argh, they are a creation of Satan designed to punish the innocent for the crimes of others.

....just an opinion, mind. I'm sure some people think that they're brilliant.

Excellent post XL Monkey !

[Mailman]

If managed correctly with the right people then working in a call centre isnt that bad.

Far too many organisations look down on their internal support teams which results in poor quality management staff and also poor quality support staff working in them. There is generally no sense of development and I dont know of anyone who actually considers that type of work as a career path?

However, for some reason its nearly impossible to get the right type of management to run call centres which means that generally workin in them can be likened to having your teeth drilled without drugs.

Mailman

[cojak]

I'm with mailman on this one.

Good working practices will help with a lot of the ill XLM described.

And being a manager in them of course will help with best practice...

[jhorsfield30]

Excellent posts

Cant have put it better myself, like the pic kojac

[sparklelard]

If managed correctly with the right people then working in a call centre isnt that bad.

Far too many organisations look down on their internal support teams which results in poor quality management staff and also poor quality support staff working in them. There is generally no sense of development and I dont know of anyone who actually considers that type of work as a career path?

However, for some reason its nearly impossible to get the right type of management to run call centres which means that generally workin in them can be likened to having your teeth drilled without drugs.

Mailman

If you have a crap product which is always raising issues, then the frontline helpdesk staff are always going to get it in the neck.

[Mailman]

Thats why its important to have a good management team, so they can focus on getting what ever is broken fixed so their staff arent under the hammer all the time.

Mailman

[jhorsfield30]

dealing with the problem not the symptom

Good point, they must enjoy seeing us struggle and work for our pittance.