All this started around a month and a half back. The objective was to revamp our call center and as the boss says ‘take it to the next level’. Well, the efforts are still on and show promise but that’s not what I want to talk about in this blog.
I want to talk about this special breed of people called call center agents, who work here driving sales. There are mixed feelings associated with this breed that I want to highlight here.
Points of admiration:
1. Try working from 11 PM to 8 AM each day for the last two and half years, five days a week and I can bet that 60% of your admiration will build on that itself. I have done the same while I was working in a production company, but I did it only for 5 months and there was not much of a sales pressure then. I had time to read during the shift, so it was fine. But looking at these guys……on and on, month on month, pressure on pressure. I am not sure the guys you were giving them targets had ever done this themselves and got the same numbers.
2. Most of the guys/ gals that work here are attending collage for their graduation or PG courses. This means that they leave office at 9 AM and then go for their classes (sleep) and then sleep (go to classes). This dedication in commendable.
3. They are a smart breed. Trust them to find a loophole in the system, no matter how much, we as management, try to make it foolproof. Though, at this point of time, I don’t know whether its their smartness or whether it the basic Indian psyche that makes us want to find ways that give us unearned rewards.
Points of despise:
1. They have negligible social life. Most of them have no hobby and no time even to sit back and do what anything that is termed as leisure. They are definitely running for money ( as they love their incentive more than their salary) but at the end of the day, is it worth it?
2. They have a very narrow vision. They can’t think beyond here and now. They are attending collages because that is what the social norms in India require them to do. Had it been US where passing school is considered more than enough, these guys would have left education long time back. On top of that, they are happy attending non-reputed institutes, as attendance in them is not a major concern and hence it doesn’t interfere with their work schedule.
3. Money is the only thing that most of them look forward to. I have met many agents who want to remain agents just because they earn more than most of the managers. I cant understand why they don’t want to rise in the organization. Why they choose stagnation viz a viz the opportunities that will come with promotion (even at a lesser immediate financial gain)
The rise of call centers and IT in India has definitely increase the middle class segment. But looking at these kids, it made me wonder if this was really the correct path that we have chosen. None of them are physically fit and will continue to deteriorate if they maintain the life that they are leading now. None of them are intellectually growing. They have money to spend now but I am not so sure whether they value the money that they have earned or how to use the money they have earned for their own betterment.
I remember speaking to one of the floor managers recently. He was 23 and has been working for the last 5 years as agent. He is proud of owning a car at the age of 21 and of his new 20K watch that he as just purchased. He want to continue the way things are going now, his correspondent MBA degree which is as valuable as the paper its printed upon, his bulging belly, his US accent and his incentives.
Where did we go wrong??
