Micromanagement is the call center's key "strength". . . if you want to look for something that the top tier of the Carlsbad center are good at. Micromanagement should not be confused with directed management . . . there is a difference. Directed management, or providing leadership, is a healthy and expected function of Supervisors/Managers and even CS Directors. Unfortunately, there are some that provide "supervisory oversight" that Lord Over the call center and who practice micromanagement. I do not believe that there is a business school in existence that teaches that micromanagement is a good, or healthy way to motivate or do business.
Would an small, nitpicky example help? And trust me . . . if you don't do this exactly right, you will be "negatively impacted" on your QA scores. Recently it was handed down to the lower levels in the call center that the "greet" is to now be done verbatim. So what is so wrong with that? Well, when your greet includes "how can I help you?", rather than "how may I help you?", you have a problem. Do you allow your grade school child to say "Can I do this or that" or do you require that they say "May I do this or that"? After all, my mother used to immediately correct me with "I don't know, can you?" Oops . . . sorry Mom . . . "may I?"
:)
Does Greatcall provide some awesome products? You bet.
Will you be required to upsell on every single call no matter if the customer just called 5 min ago? Yes!
If you offer a service as an upsell and the customer accepts the offer, but do not offer it in Exactly the way deemed as correct will your QA be "negatively impacted"? Yes again!
From my heart to yours:
You will be hired by Greatcall for being inteligent, having great CS skills, and being a person that fits in with our culture. But do you really need this job that badly? I understand that we all need a job and times are still tough. I care about you enough, and so have others, to tell you what the call center is really like. If you are going to work in corporate. . . go for it! 5 Star? Absolutely, you have my blessing and I wish you the best as you will do well. But the call center? No, have more respect for yourself and love for your family to do better.
Our customers deserve the best service in the world! But you deserve the best as well.
