"You're not good for nothing": the stress routine, swearing and pressure of telemarketing clerks



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Imagine a job where your job is to spend the whole day on the phone. This is not an exaggeration, it's all day, with just a 20-minute break for the meal and two other 10-minute timers – just like the toilet shots. At the other end of the line are customers who are irritated by the problems caused by a company that you are often not an employee of and have no responsibility for. However, in this regard, it is you who personifies all the mistakes and flaws and, because of this, ends up being the target of the anger of all those dissatisfied consumers.

Subsequent calls range from "stupid", "incompetent" and "ignorant" to "you're not good at all, so you'll never stop being a telemarketer". Turning off the phone is not an option, so the only alternative is to listen to the insults quietly. And there is no time to breathe. Trying to forget the offenses you have just heard, the phone rings again, and you have to disguise quickly and say in a friendly voice: "Hello, sir, what can I do to Are you? "

It's the daily life of more than one million Brazilian workers who act as telemarketers, receiving all the complaints from consumer service companies in the country and establishing links with them. Prospective customers to offer services – which are often not desired.

The professional of this region is often called "boring" and "hated" by people. But if the reality is difficult for those who need their services, it can be even worse for those who live in the skin this routine. Average daily connections generally exceed the hundreds (around 300 hours of work connected during the 6 hours) – while the average salary barely exceeds the minimum wage, with a variable remuneration according to the objectives to reach.

The profession is primarily common among young people and is considered the gateway to the job market for many of them. To carry out the function, those interested usually spend a few days (sometimes weeks) of training that vary between Portuguese clbades and good manners and a specific part on the procedures of the company that will attend. In general, there are protocols to follow and standard phrases to repeat.

This repetition is one of the factors that contribute to the level of stress in the profession. The fact that they do not have the autonomy to solve certain problems makes the customers irritate and, consequently, neglect the attendants.

In this scenario, the number of diagnosed diseases among those performing this function increases. Only in the metropolitan area of ​​São Paulo, according to data from the Union of Telework Workers (Sintratel), there are about 100,000 professionals in this segment

Union data on occupational diseases indicate that 36% suffer from microtrauma repeated (TMS), 30% psychiatric disorders and 25% hearing or hearing loss.

Paulista of telemarketing companies (Sintelmark), Stan Braz, says that data of sick workers because of the profession were inflated by the workers' union

"These cases occur, but they do not occur. do not reach 10% of the total number of employees, otherwise no one would work. " Companies follow the rules that regulate the profession to avoid such cases, by respecting periods of rest, relaxation and good "

According to him, most cases of psychological problems and employee audiences are caused by problems external to telemarketing companies

"We are going through a period of social and economic pressure that is shaking everyone up, and this is detrimental to the loss of voice and hearing because the boy who has the headset volume high and clear that it influences, "says the executive director of the union representing the companies.

In Nicole's case, the signs of stress and depression began to appear in dreams – or rather, nightmares. "I slept by my mother, and she told me that you talk to the client while you sleep." I did not believe it, but once I saw my sister, who was also a telemarketer, dreaming. sir, you can not pay for it here. "And then I started answering and she continued, and at that moment I realized that she was real with me too."

"I had a nightmare with a goal, I dreamed that I would be fired, I dreamed that my supervisor was a monster who was chasing me to reach the goal … Eventually , I could not even sleep, I was thinking about the next hell. "

Cristiana * did not even notice the nightmares, but she was suffering from insomnia. Until the day when stress reached such a level that she had a crisis while she was at work. "I was talking to a client and I told my friend next door: I feel sick, I think I'm going to die." I dropped the phone and I could not even get out of the chair, "he reports

. I was with panic syndrome, the doctor took me away and I still take medication because of it. "

Psychic illnesses are not the only ones that emerge as a result of the profession." Renan, for example, worked two years as a telemarketer and lost 30% of his audition. "I had an attack panicked, I left and I started to perceive the loss of hearing. It has now verified that my hearing in one ear is impaired, "

" The way to organize the telemarketer is the great This constant monitoring of the worker compared to the time of the connections, for example, is one of the factors of the accumulation of stress

And there ends that you will later put a large amount of healthy and young people in this market. (19659002) "Nobody counts more than a year and a half in these companies." As an attendant, it is important that it is rare to have someone with more than that time. People are treated as substitutes, companies already have them, they work with a goal of turnover of 12% per month. "

Time and Pressure by Objectives

The timed routine, with even bathroom visits being" controlled, "is one of the factors that contribute to the stress of the telemarketer. [19659007] Their hours of work are shorter than those of other professions (they are "only" 6:20), but in this time there are only 20 minutes reserved for a meal and 20 others (split in two 10 minutes each) for a break in the connections.

Toilet trips are, in theory, free, but the report heard reports on places that also limited physiological needs in a break from 5 minutes.

When they felt the urge to squeeze, they had to press the button to ask for the break – so that they would not get calls for that moment – and ran to the On the way back, the timer indicated how long was "gas "The less time there was to connect and receive calls, the lower the employee's rating, and the less likely he was to change jobs.

"It took five minutes to get to the bathroom, including the time to walk around, wait until there was a lot of pressure, the supervisor was watching and he was complaining if you delay, "reports Flavia. "

" We also had to swallow our food, because until we went to the cafeteria to have a place in the microwave, etc., there was only ten minutes left to eat. "

connections.The standard generally required by companies for SACs is three to four minutes to solve the problem of the customer – and often to take the risk and try to sell him a new service. take a lot more time than that in a call, you end up being interviewed by the supervisors.

"They're already behind your desk and they're warning you to shut down when it's taking too long." It took four minutes to that the customer doubts, to see if he had any problems and offer a service and if you reach the sales goal, but that you have not reached the deadline goal, you You did not win the bonus, "said Renan *, who worked as a telemarketer at a bank.

The goals, even, are the big nightmare of those working in this field. When they are not beaten, they generate pressure for better performances, and when they are beaten, they generate even more daring goals.

"The best year I've done, before getting sick, I beat all goals,

But if you start to stand out, they start playing the blame on you, they increase your goal, because if the others do not beat, you have to "I have to go through a selection process for another job within the company, and my boss did not want to let me go because I I have sold well. "

The nightmare of a cancellation

All those who have already had to cancel a subscription or a mobile phone plan, for example, know how difficult this task is. It's not a coincidence: some companies advise attendants to allow no cancellations.This is what is called the "customer retention policy."

According to operators heard by the report, the company usually has a protocol of about ten items for you to offer the customer before allowing him to cancel the plan. The chance of the falling call meanwhile is great. And when that does not happen, there is yet another way to prevent the cancellation.

"I went through all the items and the client wanted to cancel it, so I had to arrange a technical visit to remove the device, but it was not necessary. there was no date available for this week, so we advised to do it We knew we would not have any technicians available, so the visit did not take place and the customer was had to call again to cancel the service, "said Nicole *

.

The report visited a call center in São Paulo, which acknowledged that some companies are adopting this practice." We are trying to talking to our customers (companies) that today, what matters most, it's efficient service and more. "

" We try to talk to our customers, "[19659007] There was room for a quick mbadage and a special football decoration in the place for employees to enter the room World Cup climate [19659002] "We try to provide the best environment possible, because it is a stressful profession, and the attendant who does not go well with you will not be able to take care of it."

Operators interviewed by BBC News Brazil believe however the most effective strategy to improve their routine would be to reduce the pressure of work and "disengage" the service, giving them more autonomy when it comes to talking to them. customers.

"I think the lesson that remains is human, that is, it is trying to understand the other side." a call me to try to sell something, i try to understand that they have everything behind the system, the time, the purpose.so i always try to be polite , which can end the day of the person, "concluded Flavia.

Source https://www.terra.com.br/economia/voce-nao-presta-para-nada-a-rotina-de-estresse-xingamentos-and-atendents-depression-telemarketing, 2dffffb20aa8b240a39b78ccdc124e833zdg0ote .html

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