Anyone work at Big Red Checkmark Wireless around here?

[Talasar]

There's a call center in my area and a coworker recently got hired on and is making more than decent money there so I'm tempted to apply. But I wanted to see if anyone whose worked there has any words of wisdom (or warning) about it. I've got call center experience and I currently work graveyards at a c-store in a less than friendly area so I can handle sucky customers, I'm more concerned with corporate BS and stress.

[Kittish]

Well, for words of warning, look through the Sucky Customers section, there are quite a few threads about cell phone/wireless customers and the unreasonable demands they all too often make, the spineless managers that cave to them and the poor call center slaves that have to deal with them.

[KhirasHY]

Can always check glassdoor for a censored version of the experience too

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I've worked in three different call centers for two different wireless companies and give you a brief overview:

- The centers I've worked have offered decent pay and benefits

- Your training will likely be...underwhelming and barely scratch the surface of the job. You've got experience so you should be ok, but be prepared to learn most of the job being on the phones after you finish training.

- Be prepared to take bullshit from both corporate/management AND customers. One of the worst things about call center work is feeling like you're caught between both and utterly helpless to satisfy either. Of all the jobs I've worked, NONE has had more corporate BS than call centers.

- Things change ALL the time. Policies change week to week, Managers change week to week, your coworkers will cycle in and out constantly. There's a high turnover at call centers so don't be surprised if you lose friends. Even your SCHEDULE can change week to week or even day to day. Just because they hire you to work a certain shift, don't bet on it.

- Call center work is VERY independent. Sure, technically you'll be part of a "team", but the vast majority of your time will be spent one on one either with a headset on your head talking to customers or doing coaching/training with your manager.

- In relation to the last one, CYA, CYA, CYA. By that I mean, cover your A** for anything and everything. Often times management will NOT side with you when disputes arise unless you can definitively prove your case. They won't help you on that, so do your own documenting. Also, any manager that specifically directs you to do something outside of policy for a customer, either have them do it personally if possible or if not NOTE in the account who it was that authorized it. This saved my butt last year when I was flagged by QA for a policy violation but the violation only occurred because of what a supervisor told me to do.

- Don't be surprised if it's not always easy to get the days off you want. Scheduling far ahead of time for a trip or something? No problem. Get sick and need a day off on the fly? Good luck with that.

- And of course you need a thick skin when it comes to SCs. Be prepared to be yelled at, cussed out, insulted, threatened and complained to constantly. Also you'll hear more sob stories than you can count.

That's a basic overview. If you need more info feel free to PM me.