Easily the worst contact centre I've ever worked in, and I've been employed at a few.
The poor shift patterns, 3 in, 1 off, 3 in etc, which makes you feel demotivated to say the least. You NEVER have a weekend off. I'm not greatly fussed on having weekends off, I've always worked weekends, but working every single weekend is soul destroying. One weekend off a month wouldn't go a miss really.
The management is awful. Granted there are one or two okay managers, but none are outstanding. They're very much 'if your face fits' as previously mentioned by others. My manager seemed to care more about putting money in the companies pocket than giving the customer a fair outcome. Managers do not like to help other teams and there isn't a team environment as far as the centre goes, every person is in an unhealthy competition with another and it promotes a lot of cheating and unfairly treated customers. Managers like to do minimalistic within their own teams, and nothing when it comes to another. You often found you're spoken down to, and you're treated as lesser than those in higher positions.
Targets are something you have in every company, but having to mention an NPS survey and say that it reflects on you as an advisor and not the company, when in actual fact, it's an overall reflection of the company, to then lose your bonus as the customer isn't happy overall but we're told to tell them it's only on us alone, which isn't true. However the company have a nice way of penalising you if the customer isn't lied to.
Sky Mobile. Mentioning mobile on every call with one sale per week. Unrealistic and again, created bad practice around the centre. Advisors were not having effective conversations with customers and instead telling them to have the SIM card sent out but don't activate it. Keeps the advisors sales looking good, but the customer doesn't need/want the service. Can hardly blame the advisor when they're given silly targets. And mentioning it on every call, regardless of its relevance. Felt forced and the customers can tell.
Constantly changing the goals. New way to get incentive on a regular basis. They can't seem to get their targets in the right place and are forever changing how you achieve them, and always changing how you get paid, which is a clever way of leaving you uncertain so you can never really work out what you're supposed to be paid.
Work load can feel pretty heavy and I felt overloaded as an advisor with many targets alongside new processes and products being implemented on a regular basis, not taking place of another, just an addition. I've worked in high pressured environments, this place just seemed over the top and they seemed to fail to prioritise. You were constantly compared to other teams with reputation for cheating, but then told not to cheat. Another unrealistic expectation.
Sickness. I understand attendance in every role is important, but the company seem to make up their own rules whenever they please with this. There are people sick and late on a regular basis, nothing is said. If you're not as well liked within the centre, they'll get rid of you pretty sharp. Woman on the absence line isn't the nicest. Regardless of how genuine your illness is. Often found you're spoken down to and given the third degree. Expect you to have already been to the doctors by 8.30am when you call in.
Try to not ask for help once you're out of your initial training because you'll just feel like a burden. They'd rather you make mistakes and have a go at you than you get it right the first time.
Honestly, if you're happy to treat customers as money buckets, happy to kiss up and conform as they see fit, you're happy for your goal to forever be changing and you're okay being treated like dirt, then this is the place for you. Otherwise, find somewhere else.
