18-year-old call center employee told by new supervisor to "just stick to the script" she does exactly as asked leading to her boss changing her mind: 'If you deviate even slightly, you’ll be written up'

Advertisement
  • 01
    I (18F) worked at a call center for about 3 months, mostly helping people reset passwords and answer basic questions. During training, the told us to "sound natural and conversational." Cool. I did that and got great feedback from callers. Then we got a new supervisor who flipped if we didn't read the script exactly as written. She said, "If you deviate even slightly, you'll be written up." Okay.
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10531489024
  • 03
    Next call, a guy says, "Hey, my account's locked, can you help me real quick?" I respond (robot mode): "Hello, thank you for calling. My name is [NAME], and I hope you're having a wonderful day. How may I assist you with you technical concern today?" He paused and said, "...Are you serious?" I kept going exactly word for word. Even even the weird fake empathy lines like, "I completely understand how frustrating this unique situation must feel."
  • 04
    Mid call, my supervisor walked by, and actually stopped to listen. She tilted her head, looked confused, and asked after the call, "Why were you talking like that?" I just said, "You told me to stick to the script." She didn't have a comeback. And funnily enough, the next day, she told our team: "Okay, just make sure you cover the key points. You can be natural again."
  • 05
    Cheezburger Image 10531489280
  • 06
    Hollow Voices I hated working for a call center SO MUCH
  • 07
    Apprehensive-Bag-900 I got written up for not saying 3 pleases and 3 thank you. The call lasted less than a minute. Meanwhile a handful of coworkers were dropping difficult calls so they could keep their talk time lower to qualify for money bonuses with zero repercussions.
  • 08
    ReginaSpektorsVJ I hate those stupid empathy lines in the script. I once had to call roadside assistance because my company truck was stuck in the mud and the guy was like "| understand that it's very frustrating to be stuck in mud" like yeah cool buddy I need a winch truck not a therapist
  • 09
    casanochick I worked in a call center for a now- defunct bank that was marketed as being quirky and upbeat (pre- housing crash. They crashed so, so hard). Our managers gave us a BINGO card of phrases to use on calls, and the first person to complete a line got a cash bonus. Things like "how can I make your day excellent?" And "can you do me a favor? Have a great day!" Our customer feedback included a lot of expletives.
  • 10
    hawkinsst7 I use Google Assistant to help filter spam calls. A few days ago, someone from a business I was dealing with called and (unbeknownst to me) got caught up in the anti-spam cycle. He left a message and was like, "I just going to read the script now, OK?" Bravo to the dude.
  • 11
    Go_Gators_4Ever I would have used my best impression of Christopher Walken for the voice and inflections.

Tags

Scroll Down For The Next Article