Pros
- Paid training for PC license - Benefits - Steady pay - Free t-shirt, plastic cups - Rewarded with $10 gift cards that are tough to redeem
Cons
- Treated like a machine. Tethered to your desk like a factory farm animal. Extreme pressure to perform within many metric guidelines. - Many applicants are unaware that Customer Service Representative position is actually a sales job. Reps are held accountable if sales agents fail to follow up on leads and close them. You can lose your job because someone else does not do their's. Inadequate training given to help a Rep figure out the products or how to get a customer's permission for a lead. - They don't tell potential hires that if they don't pass the licensing test that they will not be hired. - Subpar training led by agents from local sales offices do not have the expertise to train adequately for a call center environment. Good luck navigating a 10,000 page web site, satisfy the customer and follow correct procedures in five minutes or less. I learned everything from other Reps in the few spare moments available. - Point system punishes unexpected absences like a parent with sick children. At 7, you can't get promoted. At 9, you are terminated. This policy is very unfair to working parents. Points take 365 days to fall off. - You cannot look at your phone for most of the day meaning if a family emergency pops up, no one can reach you. Supervisors have their cell phones out frequently which is poor leadership. - Limited bathroom breaks. "Train your bladder". - Extreme expectations cause many to burn out. The metrics are impossible to maintain perfectly and give the "world class" customer service they expect. Reps are expected to take calls over rate increases and if the customer is still angry and writes a bad review, it goes on the Rep's record no matter what. This is incredibly demoralizing to take a hit for reviews about issues beyond your control like claims and Roadside Assistance. - Intense micromanagement: Every second of the Rep's day is accounted for. You will clock in and out all day. Puzzling that breaks are off the clock. I left because of a supervisor who questioned a bathroom break. My numbers exceeded expectation, too.
