What is call center life really like? The best way to find out is to hear directly from someone on the inside. So we asked Brenda Scott, one of our Customer Service Representatives (CSR) here at The Connection, to share her story and insights.

10 years and Brenda still loves her job

Brenda started as a CSR with The Connection. She works full time — days — plus eight weekends a year when call volume is especially high for her client. Although she could have sought promotions in the 10 years she has been with The Connection, Brenda has chosen to remain a CSR because she likes the working environment and likes the job itself.

For one thing, she gets to talk to people literally from all over the world. Over the years she has represented several different clients of The Connection. Currently, her job involves customer service – talking to parents of children who need to sign up for testing preparatory to being admitted into private schools.

The online process can be confusing, so parents call to get help when they get stuck. Brenda walks them through the registration process.

Her biggest challenge?

Successfully helping callers who are not computer-savvy and are having trouble with the online registration process. Brenda cannot see their computer screen, so she has learned to ask the right questions to figure out what screen they are on, then communicate carefully and clearly. 

Callers can get frustrated, but you can’t get upset with them, she warns. “The more frustrated they get, the more calming and encouraging I have to be,” she says. Brenda tries to soothe callers by reminding them she’s there to help and they will work it out together.

When a caller is obviously frustrated or outright angry right off the bat, she takes pride in being able to transform them by the end of the call. She succeeds by listening, letting them talk, yell, cry, whatever it takes to let out their frustrations, and then works with them to positively resolve their problem. All is good and the caller is happy by the time the call has ended.

What is her favorite part of the call center life?

Helping people, she says. She’s not alone – the sincere desire to help others solve problems is a key success indicator for anyone who wants to work in a contact center. In between calls and during breaks, she can chat with other agents. Over the 10 years, she has made a number of friends, several of whom she gets together with outside of work, for lunch on the weekend, etc.

How has her job evolved over the 10 years?

Of all the clients Brenda has worked with since coming to The Connection, she likes her current one the best. With every call, she is helping make a child’s life better by helping parents connect their child with a test that could land them a place in a superior school.

When she first started, she was nervous. Now she knows the technology and what talking to callers is all about, so she feels comfortable even when she has had to change clients and learn about a new company. 

She has some advice for anyone considering a job in a call center:

“If you can’t handle being yelled at, this probably isn't the job for you.” You have to understand that they aren’t yelling at you but the situation. She does her best to help and then moves on, approaching the next call with a “clean slate.” That’s call center life.