Call center jobs: Financially rewarding, Mentally and Emotionally straining?

i totally agree with you, i was working in call center for more than 3 years and yes you will have mental and emotional stress.. whats worst was that supervisors always look for your error only and never appreciate good things which you have done to them. when i was in call center i was like doing multi tasking, since the company was new, before launching our IVR (InterActive Voice Response) i was one of the members who had tested the functionality of this, the voice, grammar. Aside from that all the new product that we will soon launch i will test first the functionality on the 3 syatems that we have.even if it was my off i am working even when i am at home. sometimes my mind was just all jumbled, i am taking calls, later on they will call me for testing the product, after the testing is done i will go back taking calls.. but what did i get from this? hmmm Nothing.. haha.. but i am so happy now we had internal hiring from Finance department and my manager recommended me and luckily i passed the interview i was so happy when i got out from call center.. it was like i got out from prison..haha

Yes, enigma13, that is correct. Mental and emotional stress comes with the job. I am working in BPO industry for almost 5 years now, I started when I graduated college and if our country's economic status is as good as those in the first world, there are a lot of jobs available for us in which we can practice our profession. I mean, we can pursue on the field where we can use the degree that we earn in college, or maybe even more. A normal 8am-5pm jobs already has pressures that come along with it, what more if you work during the night plus all these pressures, and demands and expectation, what will happen to one working in call center, mentally, emotionally and physically? Our body, little do we know, reacts on this. So we aged faster compared to other people, mood changes, our immune system gets weak- we easily gets sick or acquire sickness we don't have before. You know, things like that. So since this job is financially rewarding. Invest on something that will help you become healthy and relaxed. Take vitamins, food supplements, enroll to gym, go out, have fun, take vacation leaves and travel once in a while etc. That is some of the rewards we can give ourselves to help us combat emotional, mental and physical stress. Good luck to all of us!

It is so True... there are days that you feel it might be rewarding, but then there are the times that it is totally emotionally and mentally straining and you feel like you need a break. When you constantly get customers who are never Happy and just wanting to complain and never want to work with you and be understanding it does make you wonder. You come home with headaches, and just feeling warn but knowing since you are doing a service hoping something good will come from it as well.

Does that mean cold call sales or customer service? I did cold call sales for one day. I was terrible at it and hated it, and of course was let go for not selling anything all day. If you are talking about being in a customer service call center I could see how that would be difficult. Especially if you have to talk to crabby people all day long. When I call customer service I always try to be a friendly as possible, because I know what ever has gone wrong is not the fault of the person on the other end of the phone.

I haven't worked in a call center, but some friends had told me that too. Specially, if you are assigned in a graveyard shift, you don't get to sleep properly and your social life becomes zero because at daytime, all you do is sleep. Then, there are numerous complaints to deal with and they would even cuss at you. Who wouldn't be drained if you have 3 of that in day?

I haven't worked in a call center before, but I have a lot of friends who have and are working in one right now. I'd say some of them are happy with it, given the financial compensations and other benefits, but in terms of career and self achievement, I don't really know. I mean, in life, there are two things that several people define as goals for success: Finances, and Career. In a call center, those two doesn't always meet.

you are definitely correct with this statement. BPOs are a much rewarding career but a most strenous one. after all, call centers are the 2nd most stressful job/s in the world based on recent studies. the first to be air traffic controllers. 9-10 hours of taking in calls, multi, even hyper tasking, working in graveyard shifts, drastic diversities. these would definitely take a toll on everyone. you do have to remember though, that these is a profession, and call center employees are professionals. i haven't tried working in one, but my company caters to couple of callcenters and I always see a lot of people come and go. ahh, the perks of living a call center life. adoptations is the name of the game i guess. best of luck.