Pros
Free food... sometimes, if you're not busy.
Cons
This is a 24-hour support call center if a restaurant needs help with their network, computer, printer, register (POS), kiosks, kitchen monitors, drive-thru, etc. they call in and you will need to help them troubleshoot. I found the job itself very stressful. I am very competent with computers and networking, but the issues you deal with is very nuance, I don’t think the skill you learn here will translate to any other job outside of Taco Bell. They will hire anyone and provide a 2-week training course, it’s very boring, despite how long it is, you will learn most the stuff as you do the job and take calls and not in training. You need to master a few different systems (queues): eResturant: The software store uses to track inventory/schedule/sales on the computer. All operational, essentially, you’re just reminding the store how to do their job and explain why they counted less inventory than they should have based on their sales. Other than that, you will troubleshoot their internet, network, computer, and printer. POS: Registers. More technical than eRes, but a lot more different hardware you need to be familiar with. You’ll be able to dab in SQL but it’s very minimal, usually checking sales in the database. Also, this includes the kitchen system and drive-thru. The is the most challenging and technical queue and usually requires the store to unplug stuff. Learning Zone: The employee training portal. Most of the time marking completed courses. Very easy but boring. I worked during the day (9 am – 6 pm), normal business hours, during the day shifts is the busiest. Non-Stop calls. As soon as you are done with a call you have a few seconds to get ready for the next one, the system is designed so that you auto-answer calls. Usually, there will be 5-10 callers waiting but it can get into the 20s. You will need to learn to be quick with your notes and document everything you do. You will be graded on your calls. Your computer screen and calls are recorded. You will be graded on certain metrics. Your manager will review your call, review your computer screen, review your notes, and review how long you take. Yea just remembers they can see and hear everything you do and keep a recording of it. The callers are usually incompetent when it comes to technology and computers. We say, “they are here to make tacos, not fix computers”. They usually need a lot of hand-holding when they need help. Other times they are too busy to work with you, like unplugging stuff. It gets frustrating trying to explain what things look like over the phone. The equipment in their backroom is also a mess. After about 9-12 months of grinding it out, hitting your metrics, you will usually be up for Full-time employment. As far as I know, nothing changes except you will be employed by Taco Bell/Yum instead of being a contract worker for Staffmark. You will also get health benefits from Taco Bell and can qualify for education reimbursement. Everyone else outside the Service Desk/CARE team gets to take of Taco Bell’s other benefits: Year-round half Fridays: every Friday you will see all the other TB employees leave at around 12/1 while the Service desk is stuck there. But you are not alone, other analysts, level 1/2, and managers are stuck there with you. So even if you get promoted to level 2 or team lead or even manager you will have to work these unideal hours. Events/Volunteer: Taco bell also likes to throw cool and fun events. BUT as a service desk analyst, you rarely get to attend because you need to be on the phones. If they are giving our free tacos or food or something, a manger may go and grab some and bring it back for everyone, but you still miss out on the event. Same with volunteer opportunities, we don’t get the chance to participate in those either. The only company event we were to readily attend was the holiday party at the House of Blues, they gave away Xbox Ones. This was on a Saturday night; I think the people who were scheduled to work still had to be on the phones. Vacation/Holidays: The service desk is only closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas day (unpaid). Otherwise, you are expected to work on holidays. And no, you don’t get a 1.5 rate for working on holidays. Requesting vacation days is also a hassle, as a contractor, all vacation days are unpaid, and you are limited to 10 days or something. However, that is if you are lucky enough to get your vacation approved. If two people on your shift already requested days off, you are SOL. This makes it extremely hard during the holidays since everyone wants to request those off. As opposed to a regular TB FTE, they get 4 weeks of PTO plus holidays. Breaks/Lunches: You will have a strict lunch/break schedule. Two 15-minute breaks and one-hour lunch (sometimes it will be half an hour depending on the call queue). The rule is to go on break when you are scheduled to, otherwise, you will lose points for your metrics. If you are on a call, take your break as soon as you get off, but only if 2 people are not already on break. It becomes a constant struggle to take your break on time and waiting to go on break as soon as someone else comes back while trying to strategically end your call at the right time. You will get a one-hour lunch, but if there is a large call queue you will be asked to take 30 mins, you do get overtime for this though. Overtime: They always want people to do overtime. Either scheduled to come in early or stay late or come in on one of your off days. Mind the queue: There are several screens posted around the office with the queue and wait times. There is also a screen that shows all the analyst and how long they’ve been on a call or been waiting to get on a call. You are expected to be on “ready” for most of your shift unless you are on break or lunch. If you been on a call for more than 10 minutes, you will need to ask someone for help. Turn and burn is the goal here. Attendance is also tracked by signing into the system. Don’t be late or clock out early, you will be called out for that. Unsurprisingly there is a high turn over rate. They're probably close to a 100 analyst and you will need to grind it out for a while. I think most peoples’ end goal is to get to FTE and move to a different team. But it gets hard since you don’t get much interaction with other teams unless you are a level 2, and the level 2 have been then for years. TLDR. High turn over rate, possible to get promoted but its more of the same. Nonstop calls, high stress. No benefits as other TB employees (half-day Fridays, 4-week PTO, paid holidays, fun events). Must work on holidays (no holiday rate) except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas day. Micro-managing at its worst, everything you do is recorded and reviewed.