Vent/advice

cowboytechie

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Ok so today was my first full day on the floor at a call center. The bussiness is a big corporate company. They seem to have alot of strict rules. I may have messed up on one of my calls. A employee from one of the stores called me about a procedual issue they were having that wasnt really tech related...i addressed this to my "floor coach" and he said it wasnt my issue. So i told the employee i was unable to solve there issue. They were obviously not happy with that and i kind of gave a nervous chuckle and said im sorry i cant solve that issue and told them to talk to there manager and maybe they would be able to help. I was paired up with another new hire and he told me not to laugh at the caller and i didnt really even realize i did it. Now i feel like the caller is going to give me a bad review and the call is going to get flagged and that will lead to me getting fired. I realize this is a rant and not really a question but i was wondering if anybody has call center enviroment with strict rules...man i had a rough first day...
 
Call centers are rough, but you'll get past the jitters. Once you get past that is where you start hating life. I kid, but only sort of.

Fake it 'til you make it. Don't be afraid to ask your supervisor and coworkers how they would handle certain situations. You can mess up a few calls, one or two bad reviews won't get you fired. A few things to keep in mind:

1) People tend to remember how you made them feel more than what you did or said.
2) Don't take it to heart, you're only getting called because someone has a problem.
3) Stay no more than 1 year, whether it's moving up or moving on. Look towards the future.
 
yeah its just frustrating because Im troubleshooting a software i have never used before and people always call in thinking I'm an expert and im not. I was just desperate in getting my foot in the door i went ahead and took the job.. Ideally i would rather troubleshoot hardware or computer networking issues..hopefully this gets me on the right path...yesterday was literally one of the worst work days Ive had in a while at a job.. another thing it just feels like im escalating everything which is also frustrating....i guess all i can do is my best...
 
yeah its just frustrating because Im troubleshooting a software i have never used before and people always call in thinking I'm an expert and im not. I was just desperate in getting my foot in the door i went ahead and took the job.. Ideally i would rather troubleshoot hardware or computer networking issues..hopefully this gets me on the right path...yesterday was literally one of the worst work days Ive had in a while at a job.. another thing it just feels like im escalating everything which is also frustrating....i guess all i can do is my best...

If it's any consolation, I work as a Hardware Maintenance Technician for a very large school district in Washington state, and have overseen as many as 22 schools on my own. I can't TELL you how many times I've been faced with a problem I didn't have the authority/resources/knowledge to solve, and have had to move up the chain. I can't speak for where you work, but what made more of a difference in the end was my dedication to getting the problem solved, even if I didn't/couldn't solve it myself. I don't have all the answers, but WE do. If the majority of folks were expected to know everything they needed to know about the job they were hired for, niche quirks and all, the majority of industry would fail and we'd all be out of a job. OTJ experience is real, and FAR more valuable (IMO) than what you read in a book. Want a good example? The CIO (Chief Information Office) for the ENTIRE DISTRICT does not know the difference between a Search Engine and a Web Browser. He has a MASTER'S DEGREE, and makes an obnoxious amount of money more or less to sit in his office in a nice pair of slacks and tell other people what to do.

Embrace everything you can about your job, learn as you go. There will come a day that you will answer a question you didn't realize you knew the answer to. Hang in there.

EDIT:// Forgot to mention I'm going on 3 years here now, with nothing but growth in front of me. Give it time, and it will happen to you too.
 
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hopefully this gets me on the right path...

Don't just hope for it - actively take steps to ensure that it does. I don't know what your job situation is like, but even if there is no hope of advancing you should still be trying to learn and to get more responsibilities. Get to know your coworkers and supervisors. Add them to your LinkedIn. If you are able to talk to any of the admins and engineers, then do so. Personal contacts can help you out later on and you could use the references, too.

Worst case scenario is that the current job is a dead end, but the experience on your resume helps you move to a helpdesk/support role (or better) that gets you more experience in what you want to be doing. If you can't advance then don't stay there for more than a year.
 
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