I am considering a pplying for a job as manager of an At&t call center. What's it like to work in a call cntr?
Asked by cfiems
I have 8+ years in management, but I'm looking for a career change. What type of issues are different in a call center than in other working environments? What is the typical pay scale for call center management?

Best Answer:
usually u get people bitching at u to fix their accounts. and no one ever wants to do anything. the pay is good. i was an asst. manager for an infomercial call center and the pay was good it was the customers on the phone that made me quit. i couldn't take being yelled at all day.but it may be different with at&t. good luck.

LOL!! Get ready to be surprised!! First, call centres are notorious for low pay. Even managers don't make all that much. Now this is the surprise. I worked at a call centre once. When I finished training, the first week I hit the floor I heard 2 managers grumbling, "absenteeism is up again tonight!" I asked them what that is about. They explained that they have an absenteeism problem. I asked how bad and one replied, "Some nights, 30%!!" YOW!! Then I was handling a call when the customer mentioned she once worked at a call centre. She then asked, "Let me guess, you have an absenteeism problem!" I was surprised she knew that. She explained call centres are notorious for absenteeism problems. I then researched this on the Internet and found someone who did a study on call centre absenteeism. Turns out there are 4 reasons, no particular one more than the others. First one is obvious, the low pay. Second, is the stress of the job. Third is lack of interaction with management (you only talk to your manager about 20 mins per shift) So you feel like you're not really supervised. Fourth was that they see others doing it so why not do myself! I used to work in high tech engineering and routine absenteeism is TABOO!! Unless you are chained to a bed, you're expected to be at work. You get fired if you call in sick routinely. More than that, at the call centre if you missed 3 shifts in row without calling, they called you at home. The common answer? "Oh I quit!" The employee didn't bother to hand in a resignation. Lots of surprises in store for you! -- Andy
Answered by almcneilcan

Call centers of that size monitor you like crazy. I never had a problem with it, but some people don't like it. Don't know about pay. With that much experience, I would negotiate really heavily for a 10 to 15% increase from what you were getting before.
Answered by emland