Telemarketers

[MissMem]

This isn't a post to complain about telemarketers, because I already know how many people hate taking their calls. I just started a new job at a call center in the city, and to be truthful I never wanted to work in one and avoided them like the plague for a long time, but this week I realized just how stressful and frustrating it can be to be a telemarketer. I almost quit after my first day making calls on my own because it was really hard to be told off over and over again and have people scream at me and tell me to f*** off all the time and just be downright rude. I have been called by telemarketers before and though I still hate getting calls, I have always been polite back. This week I discovered how many great people there are to work with in a call center, who are able to just not be bothered by all the rudeness they receive call after call and I just wanted to say kudos to them. Aggressive telemarketers sometimes deserve to be told off if they are pushing the limits, but most are just doing their jobs..what they are told to do by the company and they are doing it to put food on the table for their families, a roof over their head, or there are people, like me, who are doing it so that they can get a post-secondary education. I would just like to say that if a telemarketer is being polite about the call, please remember next time that they are simply doing their job and that there is no need to tell them to f*** off or go f*** themselves or anything else. I found out this week that I'd much rather being hung up on then being screamed at for a few minutes without being able to say anything back or hang up. How would you like to be told off many many times every single day you have to work? Its just my .02 cents and some food for thought.

[ILiveOnEarth]

This isn't a post to complain about telemarketers, because I already know how many people hate taking their calls. I just started a new job at a call center in the city, and to be truthful I never wanted to work in one and avoided them like the plague for a long time, but this week I realized just how stressful and frustrating it can be to be a telemarketer. I almost quit after my first day making calls on my own because it was really hard to be told off over and over again and have people scream at me and tell me to f*** off all the time and just be downright rude. I have been called by telemarketers before and though I still hate getting calls, I have always been polite back. This week I discovered how many great people there are to work with in a call center, who are able to just not be bothered by all the rudeness they receive call after call and I just wanted to say kudos to them. Aggressive telemarketers sometimes deserve to be told off if they are pushing the limits, but most are just doing their jobs..what they are told to do by the company and they are doing it to put food on the table for their families, a roof over their head, or there are people, like me, who are doing it so that they can get a post-secondary education. I would just like to say that if a telemarketer is being polite about the call, please remember next time that they are simply doing their job and that there is no need to tell them to f*** off or go f*** themselves or anything else. I found out this week that I'd much rather being hung up on then being screamed at for a few minutes without being able to say anything back or hang up. How would you like to be told off many many times every single day you have to work? Its just my .02 cents and some food for thought.

I agree with you I have been in those shoes before. One thing though you don't have to take people swearing at you if they do ask them nicely say please do not swear at me if you do again I will be forced to hang up. If they swear again you have the right to hang so just hang up on them. If they act like that then they are not interested in what you have to say anyway so you are not losing anything.

There is no way your company can do anything if you hang up as long as you told the person you were going to if they swore at you. If your company says something well I would not work for them there are lots of other call centers out there. No way you have to take verbal abuse for a paycheck.

One thing though when people say NO well no means no right? I have had calls where I am not interested in a credit card for example. Or moving my existing debts to their credit card. I politely say no I'm not interested but they keep pushing and pushing I know its their job but...

[Flaxie]

Sorry to hear your having such a stressful go of it Miss.
Try to focus on the good calls. The funny ones and always remember to laugh about them. The person on the line who is swearing etc doesn't know you from a hole in the ground. They are upset about being interrupted in their day.

Here's a tip for those customers respond by saying. "I am sorry I caught you at such a bad time, please have a good day and I hope everyone is as sweet with you as you have been with me" Remember not to laugh and say it in as sweet a voice you can. Most customers respond by appologizing for their rudeness and just say they are really tired of calls etc.

One more tip,
I know the center you're working at and if someone is verbally abusive to you on the phone appologize for the intrusion and give the tcpa close, and then put down your mute button and don't listen to the rest of their rant. You are allowed to hang up as long as you say your exiting the call. Just be sure that it is only with abusive customers. No one not even quality would penalize you for it.

[MissMem]

Yeah I know that I can hang up if they're swearing at me and usually i just say sorry about the interruption and usually they just hang up after swearing at me. It is the ones who don't necessarily swear at me but start screaming at me for things beyond my control. I even had a man call me stupid and say that I wasn't listening to him everytime i answered his question even though if he had been listening instead of screaming at me, he would have realized that I answered his question the first time around. Those are the people I hate the most. And I do totally realize that if someone says no, they really do mean no, but we are told to rebut (I usually do it once and if its still a solid no I just let them go) and you can lose your job for not rebutting. I don't want to lose my job, but I also don't want to totally tick a person off so I'm good about it. I just wish people would realize that we are people too just like them and treat us with the same respect we're treating them with. As I was saying, I know that some can be really pushy about it and that does tick people off, but if we are being polite and stuff about it, people should do the same. Its like any kind of job....I realize there's gonna be rude people and you will have to deal with people screaming at you...but I guess I was in for an awakening when I took this job. Money's money though and you gotta do what you gotta do.

[girdy]

No need to be impolite or even listen more than 5 seconds if you don't wish to, just say quickly "thanks I'm not interested good bye" and hang up.

[trinity]

I guess some people are unable to do what I do, screen ALL calls ALL the time- I never answer my phone, not ever. My friends, family, and work know to start leaving a message or they will never hear from me again. I don't have caller ID, I don't need it since I don't answer the phone. Anyone I am willing to talk to without screening has my cell, it's a short list of people who have that number. Work didn't even have it for a year or so, I finally had to give in and give it to them though when my home phone line died for a week last year. I too don't like discouraging people by being rude, but for someone like me, guess how pleased I would be to get a phone call at 1 pm when I worked all night and you want to sign me up for a credit card when I am still in bankruptcy? Or when you call asking for my father by name, when he's been dead for 12 years? Or my brother who's been dead for 9? yeah, those calls make my day, back when I used to answer them.

[Flaxie]

If a telemarketer is calling requesting a long deceased loved one, don't blame the telemarketer! The problem could lie in many places none of wich is the person making the call.

Telemarketers call from lists provided to them. Depending on the center they work for most lists are computer generated and fed through an automated dialer.

These lists are provided by credit card companies, internet sites, banks, mortgage companies, insurance companies, phone companies, etc etc The list goes on and on. Any time you fill out a form you are being added to a list somewhere.

These lists are then sold, traded, or used for "in house" promotions.
If you are being called on behalf of someone, ie Capital One, Walmart, Sears, CIBC etc it is because either you are a customer of theirs or have applied to be a customer.

Here's the problem....
When a loved one passes not everyone thinks to contact every business they had established a relationship with. We may not even know whom all they have been connected with...
So if you get one of those terrible calls reminding you of your loss, please ask the person how they got the name and where they are calling from. Demand a letter stating that the name and number have been placed on both the company they are calling on behalf of and the telemarketing company's Do not call lists.

[The_Dave]

I listen to most telemarketers as I was one approx. 9 years ago. I look for knowledge, grammer, clarity, and manners. It is a hard job, but if you are pushy, you will succeed. I was extremely successful at it. I personally found it to be a very easy job, and very easy money. I don't understand how people can be stupid enough to buy anything over the phone. I would never buy over the phone but I do give them my feed back and ask lots of questions as to how they received my info. I then ask them to put me on their do not call list and let them know if they call back, I will take legal action against their company. It works. I have gotten 1 telemarketing call in the last 2 years.

[MissMem]

Well I'm now 3 weeks into the job and I guess not very successful at it although i'm very polite to people that doesn't get you far, especially now that I am calling the states. I guess its just not the job for me since now I'm finding out really quick that its not only the people on the phone who are really rude..my team has turned out to be not the most welcoming of new people. At least I have learned a lesson in all of this...telemarketing is definately not for everyone and to always be polite to them because it just might make their day a lot brighter. Like I said before...kudos to the people who can do it successfully day in day out because it can be a stressful job.

[trinity]

I realize it isn't their fault that they have outdated information, but still I understand why people curse and swear and get upset, especially when they would call in the first few months after each family member died, it was still too raw to not react badly to the call.

[MissMem]

I completely understand about the calls for deceased people. My father died 2 years ago and I still get upset when I get calls for him. I guess it kinda strikes the chord that makes you very aware that the loved person is gone. I feel like the biggest piece of crap when I call someone and they say that person is deceased. All I can do is apologize but that doesn't mean a whole lot in a situation like that.

[callinq]

Well I'm now 3 weeks into the job and I guess not very successful at it although i'm very polite to people that doesn't get you far, especially now that I am calling the states. I guess its just not the job for me since now I'm finding out really quick that its not only the people on the phone who are really rude..my team has turned out to be not the most welcoming of new people. At least I have learned a lesson in all of this...telemarketing is definately not for everyone and to always be polite to them because it just might make their day a lot brighter. Like I said before...kudos to the people who can do it successfully day in day out because it can be a stressful job.

Hey,

I wasn't very succesfull either... then I changed call centre and look at me now: making buckets of money !!

C