Does working in a call center equal burn out?

Obviously, it's call after call. No opportunities for growth and not to mention everything is so tightly controlled(breaks, lunch, etc). The customers are extremely rude as well.

Find more posts tagged with

Free for TechExams community: Cybersecurity salary guide

Compare cert salaries and plan your next career move

Button

Comments

Bokeh

This is where the majority of us have cut our teeth, so to speak. Make your own growth - course work, certs, etc. If the company you are at doesn't see the value you are bringing to the table, then find another table

Rocket Impossible

It's an awful experience, but I can't say I didn't learn anything. It's an opportunity to develop your soft skills and get used to being evaluated by metrics.

undomiel

It depends upon the call center but they definitely can lead to a burned out tech. It's definitely good to use them for a spring board to your next position. Use down time to study, put in some certification work after hours and then when a year is up look for a position where you'll get better experience and not have to deal with the phone 100% of the time.

The Silent Assassin

I can say without a shadow of a doubt working in a call center can lead to a burn out since it is my current role that I have been doing for 4.5 years. I do agree that this is where you learn skills that a certification can't prove you have such as communication skills, patience, the ability to troubleshoot effectively, business etiquette.

I regret that I have stayed on this level for so long, just wised up 2 years ago and now I am trying to escape. There is a saying, don't look a gift horse in the mouth and you can apply it to the service desk role. For the most part it is easy work such as giving you a script to follow, guidelines for resolutions. It also allows you see the incident management process from start to finish, behind the scenes if you will.

My advice is if you are truly burnt out go to your management and tell them you are looking for more things to do; special projects, reports, reach out to those second and third level technicians on all teams whether it be Desktop, InfoSec, Intel/Server and try to get a picture of their typical day. And if something sparks your interest ask them how you may develop the skills needed to get to that next level.

Nobody wants to stay on the phones forever but is how MANY technicians got their start.

tjb122982

I feel you guys. I spent almost 2 and a half years working in a AT&T wireless contractor call center and hated most of it. That job was the biggest motivating factor that made me go back to school. I hope that I don't end up in a call center right after I graduate in December. I'm praying to God that I don't have to go back to my old job.

W Stewart

I did the call center for 6 months as my first IT job then I got the hell out. I could still be working there dealing with pissed off customers, work that isn't challenging and a $15/hr salary cap but instead I'm making $35/hr as a linux admin. That was the one job I never had any regrets leaving.

tjb122982

W Stewart wrote: »

I did the call center for 6 months as my first IT job then I got the hell out. I could still be working there dealing with pissed off customers, work that isn't challenging and a $15/hr salary cap but instead I'm making $35/hr as a linux admin. That was the one job I never had any regrets leaving.

I see you are in Tampa. Did you work for Alorica?

dsqueo1309

I have spent my time in call centers since for over 5 years now. No i am working on a contract as a Enterprise HD and i continue to find myself stuck in a call center. The only difference is now i am working in IT vs working in Customer Service/Technical Support.

I am now 3 months in and this will be the last time i want to work in a call center. The fact that your job is solely based on being stuck to a phone with stringent procedures and forced to meet absurd metrics is tiring to me. I come home burnt out daily.

The worst part about it is that when looking for work most of the jobs i'm offered are Help Desk 100% Phone support, not even email or chat support.

My goal is to work as a Network Administrator/Engineer but i'm far off from getting there as i only have my A+ so far.

Does anyone have any tips on a position in IT that is not call center based that i can obtain with just a few more certs. Any advice would be appreciated thanks!

tjb122982

dsqueo1309 wrote: »

I have spent my time in call centers since for over 5 years now. No i am working on a contract as a Enterprise HD and i continue to find myself stuck in a call center. The only difference is now i am working in IT vs working in Customer Service/Technical Support.

I am now 3 months in and this will be the last time i want to work in a call center. The fact that your job is solely based on being stuck to a phone with stringent procedures and forced to meet absurd metrics is tiring to me. I come home burnt out daily.

The worst part about it is that when looking for work most of the jobs i'm offered are Help Desk 100% Phone support, not even email or chat support.

My goal is to work as a Network Administrator/Engineer but i'm far off from getting there as i only have my A+ so far.

Does anyone have any tips on a position in IT that is not call center based that i can obtain with just a few more certs. Any advice would be appreciated thanks!

I feel your pain. I've been there too.

However, I have a follow up question: would working as tech support for ISP be considered a legit 1st IT job?

dsqueo1309

tjb122982 wrote: »

I feel your pain. I've been there too.

However, I have a follow up question: would working as tech support for ISP be considered a legit 1st IT job?

I have worked for a ISP which is what got my foot in the door with the help desk role I'm in. If you are working on the phones troubleshooting and logging in tickets it is help desk just the title may not be help desk and the type of clients you may work for are different. I work for internal customers whereas ISP is external.

tjb122982

dsqueo1309 wrote: »

I have worked for a ISP which is what got my foot in the door with the help desk role I'm in. If you are working on the phones troubleshooting and logging in tickets it is help desk just the title may not be help desk and the type of clients you may work for are different. I work for internal customers whereas ISP is external.

Are internal clients "better" or "easier" than external customers?

dsqueo1309

Internal customer are better in the case that they know they are dealing with people within the company and they are aware that what they say can come back to them.

As far as external, the skys the limit. I have been told every name in the book and been threatened. I would never work with external again.

tjb122982

dsqueo1309 wrote: »

Internal customer are better in the case that they know they are dealing with people within the company and they are aware that what they say can come back to them.

As far as external, the skys the limit. I have been told every name in the book and been threatened. I would never work with external again.

I really agree with you what you said about dealing with external customers.

Should I just assume that I'm going to have to take a phone support when I graduate in December? Or is there hope I could score a in person support gig with a AAS plus an A+ and Network+?

dsqueo1309

It all depends on the market and the way you position your resume. My resume read customer service and call center all over it and that's what it usually got me
Now I have to recreate a new resume to tailor it to other roles.

If you are looking to get in the door your best bet is to start in the IT help desk of a good company and go from there as much as it sucks to have to take calls.

tjb122982

dsqueo1309 wrote: »

It all depends on the market and the way you position your resume. My resume read customer service and call center all over it and that's what it usually got me
Now I have to recreate a new resume to tailor it to other roles.

If you are looking to get in the door your best bet is to start in the IT help desk of a good company and go from there as much as it sucks to have to take calls.

Well, in my market there is no market. I'm going to have to move somewhere else. Man, as long as I'm going to make more than $9 an hour and I can live on my own, I really don't care if I have to take calls for a little bit.

dsqueo1309

tjb122982 wrote: »

Well, in my market there is no market. I'm going to have to move somewhere else. Man, as long as I'm going to make more than $9 an hour and I can live on my own, I really don't care if I have to take calls for a little bit.

I hear you man...The hardest thing to do is to stay motivated and without it you will find yourself not being able to get out of the situation. Keep learning as Much as you can.

tjb122982

dsqueo1309 wrote: »

I hear you man...The hardest thing to do is to stay motivated and without it you will find yourself not being able to get out of the situation. Keep learning as Much as you can.

I feel you too man. I was in the same boat. I realize I might have to work in a call center again but I'm not going back to the same call center so help me God!

mikerodriguez

Call Centers are hell... My main motivation to complete my associates was to never have to work in a similar environment again. But hey, you have to start somewhere ( I met a lot of great people too... Still keep in touch with some). If you need a job you can do call centers for a while, but use it as a means to an end. It will be your source of income until something else pops up, then you do like bullseye. . . You run like the wind.

jibbajabba

Callcenter burnt me out back in the day but as you will realise, a call centre job is one of the few ones in I.T. where your day actually finishes at the minute you leave the building.

W Stewart

tjb122982 wrote: »

I see you are in Tampa. Did you work for Alorica?

No. I worked for stream global doing phone support for dell.

tjb122982

W Stewart wrote: »

No. I worked for stream global doing phone support for dell.

Cool man. I knew that my old company had some call centers in and around Tampa. I was curious to see if you were a hellorica brother or sister.