
Issue No 102		13 July 2001

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Workplace

Call Centre Takeover

Theresa Davison brings us this real-life story from the coal face of the call centre industry.

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Four terminal lights began flashing red. The operators slid their chairs back nervously, glanced around the floor and then headed for the stairwell. There was no time for talk.

In 600 seconds they would be late back from break and their supervisors would be electronically alerted to their absence. The stairwell was made completely of concrete, except for the cameras on every level. Sarah pushed the heavy exit door that opened into a concrete undercover car park.

The only evidence of outside life was a metre gap between the top of the carpark wall and roof where you could see the sky reflected off the building next door. The group of four lit their cigarettes. Linda barely inhaled. She'd given them up months ago but then, she wasn't down there for the nicotine fix.

* * * * *

Michelle put her feet up on the desk. She'd had a shitty weekend that had culminated in her twisting her ankle during a netball game. She stared at her phone, willing it to ring but not sure what she would say if it did. Maybe a call to her mum might help.

Her door moved and she looked up to see Pam. A pathetic, middle aged woman, who was lucky to have this job, Michelle thought.

"Excuse me Michelle, I have been told to see you"

"Yes" said Michelle as she tapped a few keys on her computer.

"Don't mind my feet, I have a sprained ankle".

"Oh that's awful, you should have ice on it or something, shouldn't you?" said Pam, not relaxing for a second, she had been here before.

"OK, here it is." Michelle located Pam's employment file.

"Do you think customer service is important Pam?'

"Well, yes, of course"

"And is it your job to provide that customer service?"

"Yes it is"

" So when you are late logging on who is providing that customer service?"

"The other two hundred operators?" said Pam knowing she shouldn't have said it.

"And if each of those two hundred operators where to be late by 15 seconds, 35 seconds, 45 seconds, or a minute 22 seconds say last Thursday, are we still providing excellent customer service Pam?"

"I suppose not"

"So do you agree that your punctuality is vital to us providing excellent customer service Pam?"

Michelle slid the sheet of paper over to Pam. She knew Pam would sign. Pam had three kids under the age of 15 and wasn't about to throw in her job.

"Please sign here" Pam signed.

" Now Pam, you are a very good customer service consultant so I hope we shall see some marked improvement in the future."

"Yes certainly"

The door closed behind Pam.

Michelle sighed and picked up the phone. Pam returned to her desk and promptly tore the warning letter in half. It was the first time she had smiled all morning.

* * *

Linda logged in to take a call.

"Welcome to the Customer Service Centre. My name is Linda. How may I help you"

"YOU PEOPLE make me sick. UTTER incompetence, have you read your CUSTOMER SERVICE CHARTER lately?--DO YOU call waiting seven and a half minutes- YES I've been timing you! - as Good Customer Service!"

It occurred to Linda that this customer might have a heart attack. She began preparing her best soothing voice.

"How may I help you sir?" Linda glanced around the call centre.

The screen above her head was flashing red, 89 calls in queue with a now 9 minute wait. They would all be cranky. Several team leaders were frantically stopping anyone who dared to step away from their desk. One TL was going quite red trying to explain to Tony why he couldn't go to the toilet. Linda was willing Tony to stand up to her and for a few seconds he did.

"YOU'RE NOT EVEN LISTENING TO ME ARE YOU?"

"Yes sir, you used your card on Saturday and have been charged $20 for the service. I'm very sorry that you were not made aware of the charge but if you read the charter it is the customers responsibility to read the Terms & Conditions. Was the service useful sir?"

She might have to call an ambulance for this customer. Her Internal Mail message icon began flashing on the screen in front of her. More management crap. Personal use of the mail system could result in instant dismissal unless of course you were a team leader or above. Something was going on. The team leaders were all filling into the Call Centre Manager's 'Glassroom' The CC Manager looked livid, waving a piece of paper at them all. Linda then realised that the mail was addressed only to her.

"Please present yourself at 12.15 in my office. Ken Barko, Call Centre Manager."

"Shit"

"I BEG YOUR PARDON"

"Excuse me sir, I just stubbed my toe".

11 minutes until 12.15. Three more calls.

* * *

"Hi Jenny, come on in" Jenny entered the HR manager's office. Michelle moved her chair around beside her desk so that there was no barrier between them.

"So, Jenny, how is the rostering going?"

"Well, actually, people are not very happy about it"

"And why is that?"

"Well, we are not really taking their preferences into account"

"Did everyone complete the survey?"

"Well, yes they did but we aren't actually going by it are we?"

"Look, the important thing is that we asked them. If the roster doesn't suit them they can always find another job."

"But wouldn't it make sense, to go by their preferences- I've had to make 58 changes to it since I put it out."

"Yes, I have been thinking about that. I've produced something that might help you next time. Here are the new guidelines for roster changes".

Jenny ran her eyes down the page. 'So basically you can't change your roster?"

"Jenny, remember what we discussed last time. We have over three hundred staff. We have to maintain control. What would happen if we let them all have their say?"

Michelle sighed and lent forward. "Jenny, I think you have demonstrated real promise. It is not easy standing up to them out there. I have spoken to Ken about you and he is very supportive of creating an assistant HR role. Are you interested?"

Michelle knew Jenny would be interested. Anything to get out of the chicken coop was an improvement. Jenny blushed

"Well, really?-.I would be interested, Yes. How soon will the position be advertised?"

Michelle smiled, "The position won't really be advertised-just keep up the good work and in a few weeks we could be working very closely together"

"Well, thank you, that's great" Jenny walked out of the office slightly elated.

* * * * *

12.14 Linda logged her phone into unavailable and typed time, date and reason for absence into the computer.

She stood waiting outside the 'Glassroom' as the team leaders filed out.

Several looked quite worried, one nearly spat at her but her own team leader just gave a wink.

"Please come in Linda" Linda put her hands behind her back so that Ken couldn't see her shaking.

Could he know what was planned? It was distinctly possible considering the number of management lackeys in this place. Could he legally sack her for it?- Probably.

Show no fear show no fear Linda looked up at the CC Manager. His hands were shaking. Linda's hands suddenly steadied and she brought them out in front of her and placed them on the desk.

"So, Ken, is there a problem with my performance?"

She feigned some concern staring at what was obviously her employee file in Ken's hands. Linda had always made sure her performance was exemplary. No point giving them a valid reason to sack you.

"No, as a customer service consultant we are very pleased with your progress, however there is a matter I would like to discuss with you--.do you attend team meetings Linda?"

"Yes I do"

"And are you given opportunity to discuss any concerns you have about the call centre"

"Within the limited time given, yes I am"

"Consultation with staff is very important to me, you know my door is always open and I am happy to listen to any concerns you have" Linda looked at him quizzically.

"So, I was extremely disappointed to find this in the lunch room". Ken pulled a leaflet out of Linda's employee file. She didn't need to read it.

"Why are you disappointed?" said Linda trying not to sound factitious.

Ken's face flushed slightly. "Well it is my opinion that if staff feel the need to put UNION propaganda on the lunch room wall that I must have failed to demonstrate the openness of my management system"

Linda didn't bother denying she had placed the union leaflet on the wall, everyone knew there was a camera watching them eat their lunch- for their own security of course.

"I have a legal right to join a union and put notices up on the board"

"Yes, yes but that is not the point. If we are running this place properly we do not need third party involvement."

"The union is not a third party. It is a way for staff to have some representation. I am a union member and so are most of the others, we are not a third party".

"There are others in the union?" Ken was visibly sweating and took a deep breath before continuing. "I am aware of a certain amount of discontent amongst the staff due to the current negotiations of the employment agreement, however we have gone to great lengths to ensure staffs concerns are able to be voiced".

"Yes, but you don't actually take account of those concerns" Ken sat back in his chair and scratched his head.

He had been CC Manager for over five years and had managed to keep any mention of the union out of his Call Centre. He lent forward with a smile.

"Linda, our staff are our most important asset. What I really need is someone who can communicate our needs to staff. There may be an assistant HR position coming up which I think may be a perfect opportunity for you to demonstrate your ability to listen to the staffs concerns. The Staff obviously have a great deal of respect for you."

Linda looked out through the glass room to the Call Centre where over two hundred people sat, plugged into phones, on bad pay, bad conditions and getting abused by customers. There would be no sell-out today.

"Thank you Ken, I'll certainly give it some thought" Linda stood up to leave.

"Now Linda don't forget, my door is always open" Ken said as he shut the door behind her. Karla glanced at Linda as she sat back in her seat.

"Don't worry, we're still on" The whisper ran throughout the Call Centre. George sat staring at his computer. 203 operators were logged on, yet the call waiting time was threatening to break the 10-minute barrier.

21 Customer Service Consultants were on lunch, which unfortunately was unavoidable. However there were 8 people on toilet break at the same time. George furiously e-mailed the team leaders to locate and return their staff.

There was a quick response. Four team leaders headed to the toilets and another two headed to the lunchroom. Several CSC's scurried back to their desks. George smirked and then returned to his call stats, smiling to himself as the call waiting time dipped below 8 minutes. Simone had been on a call for over ten minutes so he tapped a message to her TL to end the call. Down to 7 minutes and still dropping--

Then there was silence. Silence in a call centre is disturbing. Calls waiting began to blow out. Computer failure perhaps but that would usually increase the chatter. George stood up to see what was going on.

Ken opened his glassroom door and stared in disbelief at his Call Centre. Michelle's ankle suddenly seemed not to hurt so much as she strode into the middle of the Call Centre.

"What on earth is going on" she screeched.

Linda stood up from her computer, cleared her throat and announced: "We would like to call a Stop Work Meeting".

Theresa Davison is a Call Centre Organiser

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  Issue 102 contents

Interview: Jolly Green Giant
Senator Bob Brown on the upcoming federal poll, balances of power and what the Greens can teach the trade union movement.

Workplace: Call Centre Takeover
Theresa Davison brings us this real-life story from the coal face of the call centre industry.

E-Change: 1.2 Community � The Ultimate Network
Peter Lewis and Michael Gadiel look at the potential for network technologies to reconnect communities.

International: Child's Play
Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA has recently entered a new alliance with the Child Labour Schools Company to support a project for child labourers in India.

History: Flowers to the Rebels Faded
With the departure of our own Wobbly, a look at the development of the Wobblies in Australia and their view of Labor politicians and the work ethic seems timely.

East Timor: A Dirty Little War
In this extract from his new book, John Martinkus recounts the scenes in Dili immediately following the independence ballot.

Satire: Telstra Share Failure Ends City-Bush Divide: Everybody Screwed Equally
Communications Minister Richard Alston today claimed that the government had fulfilled its promise to ensure that the bush was not disproportionately disadvantaged by Telstra's privatisation.

Review: Cheesy Management
Currently climbing Australian best-seller lists is the 'life-changing' motivational book 'Who Moved My Cheese?' Rowan Cahill has a nibble but doesn't like the taste.

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