Sunday, March 30, 2008

"The Call Center" Commercial

I'm sure one day there will be a reality television show named "The Call Center". Here's a proposed commercial for such a show that someone posted on Youtube.com. Enjoy......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmULmCTWfwY

Also take a moment to vote for who you would like to see in the "Celebrity Call Center" reality show - see poll to the right of this page.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

Your Call Center Salary - Stretch It With Extra Cash & Freebies - March/April 2008




I know how hard it is to make ends meet on a call center rep salary. With rising oil, gas and food prices, it's getting harder and harder to stretch that paycheck to cover all your expenses - nevermind having anything left over to treat yourself. You may want to check out my previous posting about Call Center Salaries. In the meantime, a little extra unexpected cash, discounts or some freebies can help stretch that paycheck a bit more. I'll be including a category of postings here periodically with opportunities I found for free cash, rebates and discount coupons that might help you out - even if it's just a little more pocket change. So here's the list for the March/April:

Rebates and Refunds:

  • US. Economic Stimulus Tax Rebate - if you are a tax paying U.S. citizen, I'm sure you're already aware of this rebate. Most Americans will receive $300 to $600 with this tax rebate plan. However, you may not be aware of the specific eligibility requirements or when to expect to receive this rebate. You can go directly to the Internal Revenue Services website here for full information or you can review this article by ABC News. The most important thing to know is that to receive this rebate you must file your 2007 tax return. If you haven't filed your tax return yet here are three coupons you can use to save money on your tax preparation: H&R Block $30 Off Tax Preparation – new clients valid through 4/30/08, Jackson Hewitt $15 Off Tax Preparation - valid through 12/31/08, $5 gift card at Best Buy with purchase of any Turbo Tax product.


  • Airborne Refund - Airborne, the maker of this popular herbal supplement maker has agreed to pay $23.3 million to settle a class action suit charging it falsely advertised its best selling products can cure the common cold. If you bought an Airborne product between May 1, 2001 and November 29, 2007, you qualify to file a claim against the settlement. If you have proofs of purchase then you can get a refund for everything you bought. Otherwise, you can claim as many as six products up to $73.50. So if you used an Airborne product during the specified time period, here are links to the online claim form and more information about this settlement: Online Claim Form, Paper Claim Form, Settlement Website.

Freebies:

Printable Coupons - Groceries, Food & Beverages:

Printable Coupons - Miscellaneous:

If you're aware of any other good opportunities for free cash, rebates or valuable coupons, please comment here and share with us.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Wacko Customers - Don't Let Them Get To You



Wacko customers - aarghhh!! You know what I mean - the kind that are rude, obnoxious and take abusive advantage of the fact that your job is to treat them well. It's not easy to stay calm and professional with these types and even if you keep your cool on the phone with them, it can be hard to shake them after the call. I've seen reps throw down their headsets in frustration and some even cry after being abused by these wacko customers. Rather than throw something or cry, check out this video for a creative and humorous way that a photocopy shop customer service person took out her frustration with "The Worst Customer Ever".



If you don't have time to create a video like this to vent your frustration & stress with wacko customers, read my previous entry on Controlling Call Center Stress for some tips on how to constructively shake these wackos out of your system. I'm sure (or I hope) that your training department has provided you with tips for managing difficult customers while on the phone with them. If not, or, you'd like more tips for handling difficult customers, here's a good summary of techniques to use.

Feel free to submit a comment with your story about a "Your Most Wacko Customer" or "Your Worst Customer Ever" - I'm sure you all have great stories to tell!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Kind Comments About Call Center Reps

There are quite a few blogs and vlogs out there that either criticize or make fun of call center reps - particularly those reps who have a foreign accent. I won't even post links to these blogs and vlogs as examples because I don't want to encourage or add to their viewing numbers - they irritate me so much.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find one blogger who shows some empathy and respect for these reps. It's really refreshing to read his comments which you can find here.

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Call Center Salaries - How To Get A Raise


With home heating oil, gasoline prices and basic groceries at record highs, many call center reps are finding it harder than ever to make ends meet. Some who live in areas with no public transportation are even finding it difficult to get to work each day because they can't afford the gasoline for their car - and the price of gas is expected to go even higher this summer!

Now, more than ever, it's time to take a look at your current salary and make sure you are being paid a competitive salary for your call center job. There are many different resources you can use to learn what the competitive salary rate is for your call center job - just google "salary survey" and you'll find many listings. One of the more popular sites for salary information is Salary.com. Following are the U.S. national base salary averages listed for inbound call center reps (the different levels are primarily based on years of experience and the scope of responsibilities within the job):

Rep Inbound - Level I: Range = $21,956 - $35,552, Average = $28,246
Rep Inbound - Level II: Range = $24,589 - $40,114, Average = $32,145
Rep Inbound - Level III: Range = $28,294 - $48,942, Average = $38,197

It's important to keep in mind when reviewing these salary ranges that there are significant factors that determine whether the competitive salary for your specific call center job falls at the low or high end of the range. For example, the salary ranges listed above are base salaries (i.e. not including any other compensation such as incentive pay, bonus plans and/or health & retirement planning benefits). Other factors that determine the actual competitive salary for your specific call center job are the geographic location of your call center, the type of business your call center conducts, the skill level required to do your job, your specific job responsibilities, your years of experience and how well you are performing in your call center job. You can do a more customized salary search for your job at Salary.com.

Once you have a better understanding of your competitive salary range and what your boss would consider a "reasonable" raise, you can put a plan of action in place. I like the plan of action outlined on the website Soyouwanna.com. Here are the five basic steps listed there:
1. Make sure that you deserve it.
2. Prepare your strategy
3. Know when to strike
4. Read your boss
5. Avoid stupid mistakes
6. Go in and ask for the raise
Full details on each of these steps are found at So You Wanna Ask For A Raise? .
By far the most important step of all is the first step - "Make Sure That You Deserve It". For a call center rep that means consistently displaying high call quality, high productivity, excellent attendance, adherence to company policies and good interpersonal skills with your co-workers and management. If you have this first part in place with a reasonable expectation of what your competitive salary range is, the next five steps should be easy.