I started my current job in a little over a year ago. I work for a major call center in the pacific north west as a customer service agent. Specifically, my department calls phone company customers who just placed an order but it hasn't completed yet to make sure everything with the order is correct. You'd be surprised how many screwed up orders we come across DAILY.

When I started here, I loved my job. Six months later I STILL loved my job. Heck, even 9 months later I loved my job. Now? Not so much.

A couple of months after I was out of training, I was moved to the illustrious InBound group in my department. I was told that only the best of the best were asked to go to the Inbound group. Even then I had a sneaking suspicion that they were blowing smoke up my skirt. At first though, it really was a great thing. When you are outbound calling, there is very little down time. We have an actual list of people we have to call that day, and once the list is done, so you are you. People get sent home on "Green Time" -- sent home without pay, but it is excused. There was one paycheck back in the summer of 07 that I hadn't been out of training long enough to qualify for Holiday pay that I got about 13 hours in TWO weeks. Once I was allowed to do the inbound calls, I was able to stay until the end of my shift every single day, and get all the hours I was scheduled for. It was great. And I really enjoyed working with the people that were on the same shift and Inbound as well.

We also have what is called being a "rescource." They are people who are asked to get off the phones and walk around the call floor looking for people who ned help or have questions when the supervisors aren't available, or there simply aren't enough sups around at the moment. And let me tell you, getting off the phone is a GREAT thing. This job can be exceptionally monotonous. You say pretty much exactly the same thing on every single call. There are several things we are required to say by law, and the rest is required by Qwest. It can't be mind numbing. So anything that can break that up is wonderful.

I have asked repeatedly to be allowed to resource. My sales may not be that great, but I am one of the most knowledgeable people in my department (although I am sure I am not where near THE most knowledgeable). But every time I ask to be a resource, I quite literally get laughed at. There are TEENAGERS who have worked here only a few months that are asked to get p and resource. Generally, they have to go find someone else to answer the questions they get because they simply don't know enough to be truely able to be resourcing. There are people who have been here years longer than I have who get the same response. It is just wrong that brand new people on the floor are being given preferential treatment.

In addition to that, they are allowing BRAND new people to be training for the inbound group. So much for it being the best of the best. Those brand new people are being allowed to stay dedicated inbound while the rest of us are forced to do outbound calls all day. Again, preferential treatment. And again, these new people don't know enough to be able to do the inbound calls. I just spent over an hour correcting an order some other agent in another department totally screwed up. There is no way these new people would have been able to fix what needed to be fixed without hands on attention from a sup. I did it on my own, with my only questions were after I had completed the order. (And once with the ordering system was being weird and wouldn't stop locking up.)

So basically, brand new people are being allowed what is supposed to be a priveledge that comes with seniority. Priveledges that they don't yet deserve, or are even capable of doing a good job with these privledges. I am really rather thankful that I am going to have to quit working here over the summer to be with the girls. For reasons other than the obvious that I get to spend the whole summer with my daughters! Needless to say, I don't expect to return in the Fall when school starts up again.