Everything You Need to Know About Remote Call Centers

When the pandemic hit back in 2020, everything shut down except for necessities. That shut down a lot of companies until they put in effective ways for their employees to work from home. But that was not the first time I had a job working from home. Call centers have offered work-from-home options for a while now.

It had never been an option for me before the pandemic hit, but I had bills to pay and tons of companies were hiring. I thought it would be an easy job. Answer the phone, help the person, hang up, and repeat. I had done it before, but I usually had other responsibilities like billing and filing working in an office.

I was wrong. Very wrong. Working for a call center was the worst job I ever had. I worked in a warehouse, a factory, retail, and with some pretty horrible people, but nothing compares to the call centers. In my opinion, call centers require a special kind of person and that just wasn’t me.

Here are a few things I wish I knew before working there:

1. Your Equipment, Your Problem

In most cases, you have to provide your own equipment. The computer you use has to meet the company’s specific requirements for the operating system, ram, accessories, and monitor. You buy the headset and any other equipment you need. And if that equipment breaks or has issues unrelated to their work systems, it’s your responsibility and might count against you for attendance.

2. Internet Matters

Your internet connection is crucial. Now that seems kind of extreme, but with call centers, it is so important to have a fast, reliable connection. At the 2 call centers I worked for, the phones were internet-based programs as well as the multiple programs necessary for the job. They also required it to be hard-wired, not WIFI or hotspot. Without a good connection, calls might be gargled and hard to understand as well as the programs load slowly. All of which count against you when you have issues.

3. People are rude

No matter how nice you are or helpful, people are going to be rude to you all the time. They threaten your job, call you names, yell, curse, and demand to talk to your supervisor. There are policies and procedures to help handle these situations, but I never got used to them. The unpredictable negativity caused a lot of anxiety for me to the point of puking before my shift.

Of course, not every call is bad, but usually, there is some kind of problem or they would not be calling. I did talk to a lot of nice people, but the bad ones just seem to stick out in my mind more. I thought I had thick skin, but apparently, it was not thick enough for this job.

4. Schedules are strict

Everything is scheduled for you which is common in some jobs, but you are expected to stick to that schedule pretty strictly. If you take your break at the wrong time, it affects every other person answering the phone. If you are consistently late for your breaks and lunches, you might wind up getting verbal warnings or even written warnings.

I didn’t mind the strict schedule since I like to obsessively plan my life. When you get hired, you usually get to pick what shift works best for you, so choose carefully. Shift changes don’t happen often and when they do, usually people with seniority get the first pick.

5. Statistics are key

Everything is monitored. Calls are recorded, audited, and graded, survey results are tracked, and your metrics and KPIs (key performance indicators) are reviewed daily. It was always so cringy when I had to listen to my own calls, but a necessary evil. All the metrics and data are used to pinpoint procedure problems, identify common problems and plan scheduling needs.

Again, I don’t mind that they need to do this, but it was surprising to me. They can usually let you know what kind of problem calls you are receiving that day and how to handle it. It also can give you a heads-up on when to expect some overtime.

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Now don’t get me wrong, just because it wasn’t the right job for me doesn’t mean it won’t be the job for you. They actually offer some really great things. Since the turnover rates are pretty high for these companies, they sometimes offer incentives for performance and attendance. If you happen to work in retention or sales, then you would likely get a commission. Training is usually paid as well.

And of course, the best thing is that you get to work from the comfort of your own home! No commutes, no traffic, and more money saved with less need for work clothes and gas. You have more time in the mornings and in the evenings and time is something everybody needs.

As much as I wouldn’t want to, I would take another work-from-home call center job if I really needed to. If you are considering a call center job, don’t turn it down because of this article. Give it a try and find out for yourself.