Job blues

Ok, so... I started a new job 2 months ago at a call center called Teleperformance, and let me tell you something... If you need a job, don't go there!!!! At least not on the Verizon project. It is a living Hell. I seriously feel the happiness drain from my body the moment I drive into the parking lot. I know this sounds like I'm just being dramatic and I hate my job like every other person out there, but this is different, and I'm going to tell you why.

First, the job itself. I am doing tech support for Verizon FiOS. This encompasses home phones, internet, and video. Seems easy enough, right? Tell the customer to reset their equipment and you're good? No. There are SOOOOOO many things that can, and do, go wrong with these services. Not only do you have to make sure the cx (customer) can make and receive calls, but also that their voice mail and other phone features are all working and that the cx knows how to use them all properly. Not only do you have to make sure that the cx has internet, but also that it's going fast enough and they can connect to the WiFi and that their e-mail is working and all the settings are set up to their satisfaction. Not only do you have to make sure that the cx can watch tv, but also that their picture is crystal clear (you'd be surprised how many people flip out because we "only" have 1080p and not 1080i. There's no difference people!), and their guide is working and they can use the video on demand and DVR perfectly and their remotes are working to their expectations. That's a lot of stuff, but those are really just the basics! There's a thousand different things that could go wrong, even some that the supervisors have never seen and don't know how to fix, but you're expected to resolve the problem one way or another. Not to mention the fact that you have, like, a thousand different departments to transfer people to, and no one can ever seem to transfer people to the right place the first time, so by the time they get to me I'm the 5th person the cx has talked to and they're pissed. Which leads me to my next reason...

Second, the customers. You would think that because you are nice and able to fix a customer's problem that they would be happy and grateful right? Don't bite the hand that feels you. No. Not only do they bite your feeding hand, but they go straight for the neck! They're ticked off at Verizon for having crappy products, previous reps for transferring them around, and you for not having ALL their information ready as soon as they call in and fixing their problem within 5 min. They don't understand that it takes a few minutes to send commands to their equipment. They don't understand that there's a billion things that could be wrong and you still have to go through a process to figure out what the problem is before you can fix it. They think that because they pay Verizon a couple hundred buck a month that we should be kissing their butts and bending over backwards to, not only make their service work, but to please them and bow down to their every whim. They think we have 7 million field techs just sitting around waiting to come out to their house at the drop of a hat for every little issue, even if it's something like plugging in a single cable... I can't imagine yelling at someone who had the ability to help me. Why is it that no one understands that if you treat them nice then they'll be more willing to help you? And if you treat them like crap then they're just going to do the bare minimum and try to get you off the line as fast as possible. I just don't get it.

Third problem there is the environment. You are in queue the entire day. It is just one call after another from open til close. You're in your little cubical, which is very secluding. But all that is somewhat bearable, the part that really gets me is the leadership. The Internal Help Desk (IHD) and supervisors don't give a flying leap about you. It takes forever to get help from anyone if you don't know something, they give you a quick answer and then leave, which is really annoying because half the time it's not the answer you needed and you had another question for them too but they're gone before you can call them back so you have to wait for someone else to come by to try again. I got really lucky and I have the one supervisor that actually sticks around and is more understanding, but he has a lot to do so he can only do so much by himself. It wouldn't be as bad if I knew what I was doing. The reason I don't know what I'm doing is because the trainer I had was crap. He sucked at teaching, got distracted very easily, wouldn't stop talking about himself, and was a jerk to us as a class. Every time someone didn't understand something and asked a question or for clarification, he somehow turned it into a huge argument. Not only did that waste time, but it also made the class upset and it was more difficult to learn. Plus, when he teaches he'll just lecture and his voice is so boring that even I can't stay awake for more than 10 minutes...

Fourth problem I have is with the attitude of the other agents. Verizon is trying to push for excellence and great customer service, but I'm constantly having customers tell me that I'm the first rep they've had that wasn't a jerk and/or a complete moron (which is saying something because I have no clue what I'm doing)... Agents snap at cxs, transfer them without telling them what's going on, act like they don't care, and talk to them like they're idiots (even though most of them are, you still don't talk to someone like that)... This makes my calls that much harder because not only am I trying to fix their problem and give them a good experience, but I'm having to make up for the huge negative experience the cx has already had. Do I have to do everything myself?!

So, as you can see, there is a lot of stuff that could be improved at Teleperformance in Verizon. I have to drag myself out of bed every morning and go through an internal struggle every day debating on it's worth it or if I'd rather give up my car and not go to school, just so I could get a job that pays less but made me less miserable. If you are tough and don't care about how you're treated or the customers, then the money is pretty good and you could probably work there just fine. But it is definitely NOT the right place for me... So if anyone knows of any full time jobs that pay $10+ an hour then please let me know!!!!!!!!