Call Centers

How many of you started out working in tech support in a call center?

A friend of mine seems convinced this is how most IT folk get their starts. I don't really see it that way. Yes, I did spend six months in a call center, but it was really more of a job to fill a gap in employment.

Find more posts tagged with

Free for TechExams community: Cybersecurity salary guide

Compare cert salaries and plan your next career move

Button

Comments

ampersand

I started as a Geek Squad agent, then I was hired as a Tier I technician at an enterprise helpdesk and later promoted to a Tier II technician. The healthcare system I work for, though, prefers to promising candidates to the helpdesk, wait a year or less, and promote from within based on performance, experience, and other qualifications.

YuckTheFankees

I started in a call center but when I started the call center job, I never had any idea I would be working in I.T. a few years later. Call centers = hell

StussyNz

Currently at a call center after graduating with a degree. Going to stay here for 6 months - 1 year if I can't move within the business I will look at going elsewhere. In the mean time I will sit certs in my own time.

lantech

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

Call centers = hell

Couldn't agree more.

Anonymouse

Interestingly enough most of my older co-workers seemed to have started out in more desirable (can't think of a better word at the moment) IT positions but ended up at my current helpdesk due to the recession. In the past year we've had quite a few younger guys come in as their first IT job. I kind of feel like this sort of job may stunt their growth in IT. In my only call center experience things are super hectic and it's hard to learn anything on the job due to how busy we are just answering phones for wrong numbers ("Hello, does IT replace lightbulbs/replenish my toilet paper/order office supplies?"). I've typically been lazy in having my managers assign me specific tasks as a way to learn new tech at previous jobs. Working in a call center has forced me to be more proactive because I noticed that I didn't learn anything because a lot of times I'd escalate issues over to the next tier due to time constraints with how long we can be on a call that we received. If I wanted or absolutely had to know how something works I would continue researching/troubleshooting tickets that I escalated over to the next tier. After I got comfortable with it and became more confident I'd also work my colleague's escalated tickets also. Interestingly enough a lot of newer people working at my level of support initially thought I was part of the next tier of support until I let them know I was one of the bottom dwelling IT guys too. This has greatly helped me learn new tech and I believe is how I was able to finally land a great job outside of the helpdesk call center.

It's early morning and I didn't get enough sleep so I started rambling with no point.

tldr;
You can start in the call center but need to be proactive in getting the hell out.

CodeBlox

StussyNz wrote: »

Currently at a call center after graduating with a degree. Going to stay here for 6 months - 1 year if I can't move within the business I will look at going elsewhere. In the mean time I will sit certs in my own time.

Probably won't be moving up within your company even if you're told otherwise. Once a tier 1, always a tier 1. I'd get the certs and move on. Don't waste anymore time than a year or so. Trust me.

juicyjay36

I currently work in a call center for an ISP. I troubleshoot Internet, TV, and Phone that we offer. I have been here 6 years so far and I have been here since I was 17. I absoluetly hate my job and almost every day is horrible. I feel like a robot regurgitating the same thing over and over. Having to deal with irate customers that talk down on you eventually gets to you. I have learned a lot and finally made the choice to go for A+, Network+ then Security+. Hopefully once I get a few certs this year I will GTFO of that place and atleast make the same pay if not more (27-29k a year)

phaneuf1

CodeBlox wrote: »

Probably won't be moving up within your company even if you're told otherwise. Once a tier 1, always a tier 1. I'd get the certs and move on. Don't waste anymore time than a year or so. Trust me.

What you're saying is not the reality in all business. I work in a helpdesk and here's how it works.

1. You get hired as a contractor. Usually for 6 months to 1 year, renewable maximum once. After that they either hire you or let you go. It's a Canadian law.

2. If you get hired, You have to stay minimum 1 year (as a full time permanent employee) in your current position before being allowed to apply to other positions.

It means that it can take 2 to 3 years before you can even think about career growth within the company. And I can tell you that they keep you busy and you always have something to learn during this time. I've been here for a year and a half and I'm still not trained for all the phone queues.

After you've been through all this, then you're ready to apply to other position and let me tell you that you'll know the business more than anybody else.

Not all helpdesk jobs are password resets and ticket dispatching. I feel sorry for you if you got a job that sucked that bad.
Actually at my job, we can only escalate 20% of our calls. We have to close 80% of them and trust me it's challenging. They only hire people with a college degree in IT with minimum 3 years of experience.

Ho and for the opportunities, there is a lot! I've seen a lot of my colleagues moving to system/network admin jobs.
So please stop putting all helpdesk jobs in the same basket.

stlsmoore

Yea man you've been there 5 years to long, finish up a few certs and get out. Actually I would start looking now if I was in your shoes, you have exp.

CodeBlox

phaneuf1 wrote: »

What you're saying is not the reality in all business. I work in a helpdesk and here's how it works.

1. You get hired as a contractor. Usually for 6 months to 1 year, renewable maximum once. After that they either hire you or let you go. It's a Canadian law.

2. If you get hired, You have to stay minimum 1 year (as a full time permanent employee) in your current position before being allowed to apply to other positions.

It means that it can take 2 to 3 years before you can even think about career growth within the company. And I can tell you that they keep you busy and you always have something to learn during this time. I've been here for a year and a half and I'm still not trained for all the phone queues.

After you've been through all this, then you're ready to apply to other position and let me tell you that you'll know the business more than anybody else.

Not all helpdesk jobs are password resets and ticket dispatching. I feel sorry for you if you got a job that sucked that bad.
Actually at my job, we can only escalate 20% of our calls. We have to close 80% of them and trust me it's challenging. They only hire people with a college degree in IT with minimum 3 years of experience.

Ho and for the opportunities, there is a lot! I've seen a lot of my colleagues moving to system/network admin jobs.
So please stop putting all helpdesk jobs in the same basket.

My previous helpdesk job wasn't just password resets. There was a bunch of challenging stuff for a while. I'm just saying, I was made those promises of moving up and was eventually given the run around (didn't stick around to waste time though). I got out and got a better job elsewhere. It was a contract job with potential to convert to permanent employee. I was trained for all queues at that hell desk but it just becomes exhausting to take non-stop calls for 8 - 10 hour shifts. I closed close to 90% of my tickets and we were the first line for troubleshooting all issues. I don't care about what kind of degree the helpdesk job requires you have. Mine required "2 years minimum" and I had none and I STILL got that job. Since then I've moved on to greener pastures. Good luck to you.

StussyNz

CodeBlox wrote: »

Probably won't be moving up within your company even if you're told otherwise. Once a tier 1, always a tier 1. I'd get the certs and move on. Don't waste anymore time than a year or so. Trust me.

I'd beg to differ; I'm still young only (22) Just graduate with a degree and will have my CCENT and CCNA within the next 6 months easy as I've already studied the material within my degree. After that I plan to study and sit the CCNA Security and Voice, which with hard work and good study won't take more than 6 months again.

I currently work in Big provider (One of the Top 5 biggest in my country) every month a email goes around with the current openings throughout the country and there always seems to be jobs going. With my grades from my degree and my worth ethic I don't see why I won't be able to move up within the business. Another great thing about where I work is that we have monthly 1-1 meetings with out team leader who talks about what we would like to do and where we would like to expand to within the business. At my next meeting (I've only been at the business for 2 months now so have just started to go solo) I will inform him that I would like to start to sit some additional training (ITILv3 foundations), this is what the business follows.

Another great thing about where I work is that they will pay for certs, however I will have to commit a year of my time to them or will have to pay the costs back if I leave.

Another thing I must add is that, before accepting a job at where I am at now (Helpdesk) I was offered a System Admin role at a school, however the Helpdesk role provided a much better salary and plus is in walking distance to where I live so again I would have saved thousands of dollars each year on fuel and parking etc.

I love working for a large organization, they provide great training and a great salary. I feel that the people who stay too long in the helpdesk role are just individuals who have no goals of working hard to achieve a promotion or to gain extra certs. It's a great starting point and if you are motivated there is no reason why you can't use it as a foundation to work from like I plan to.

Great salary + Good working hours + Free time to sit extra certs + Chance of in house training = Win Win situation if you ask me?

Before I graduated I was working as a a remote and onsite technician/engineer in a small company providing support to a number of clients. The hours were ****, I got paid near to minimum wage, hated going to work every day and had no motivation what so ever to come home and to study.

yuddhidhtir

PROS:1] Improves communication skills,which is vital for career growth
2] Time management, one knows how to deal with high pressure situations
3] Gives you the most coveted thing called EXPERIENCE
4] Better to have something than nothing

CONS:1] Nightmarish for those who hates end user interaction,IT people are commonly less social to some extent obviously
2] Once you get the desired experience leave for good options or be stuck to that position
3] Hands on are much better than voice
4] Some people dont consider call centre experience as "real" IT experience

Ultimately it all depends upon the attitude of the person, you can learn alot of things, since its a production environment or nothing, but make sure you study and grow and not become stale

CodeBlox

I disagree with part of what you have said... Seems like where I work, ALL of the IT folks are very sociable when it comes to communication, be it between ourselves, vendors, or the users.

YesOffense

YuckTheFankees wrote: »

I started in a call center but when I started the call center job, I never had any idea I would be working in I.T. a few years later. Call centers = hell

Indeed. Have a short term goal in mind when it comes to call centers. For someone that's purely technical, the social/soft skills you learn (if you're willing to) are definitely beneficial.

W Stewart

I started off in a call center doing Dell tech support and like many other call centers it was hell. Nothing worse than taking call after call with your supervisor micromanaging and telling you that you need to get off of the call faster and pick up another one. I'm so glad to be out of that crap. They also sent you home early if the call volume was low so you didn't always bring home a consistent paycheck. I had a kid on the way so I got out after 6 months. My girlfriend though I might have been leaving a little too soon but I saw guys that had been working there for five years. Young guys that had a whole future ahead of them. My only thought was that I didn't want to be there 5 years later doing the same thing and making the same low wages. 1 year and a few months later I've got some solid linux experience and I'm getting my first chance to touch cisco equipment in a NOC allthough tonight has been spent studying and browsing through techexams. My kid is 6 months old now and I'm glad I made the decisions I did. Call centers have high turnover rates for a reason. Don't be one of those guys that don't realize it.

Edit: Didn't realize my join date was Jun 2011. That's actually the day I started at Dell and started my IT career. I also didn't realize I was a senior member.