-Stress of the demands of the call volume
-Not having time to think about the call that you just got off of before another one came in
-Having to stay late because you're stuck on a call
-Never knowing what time you're going to get off: There were several times I was there over an hour late and missed either a scheduled appointment or an engagement with my husband or friends that was previously set up.
-Not being allowed to use the restroom between breaks/lunches without it being brought up as an adherence issue: Sometimes your body doesn't work on the same schedule that the scheduling department sets up for you. And most of the time you didn't actually go to your break/lunch on time anyway due to being stuck on a call, so to hold it for that time and then be stuck there for another hour is not good for your body. We're adults; if there is an urgent bathroom issue, you shouldn't be hesitant to go and take care of your body's needs.
-Having metrics that are out of your control constantly shoved in your face: The goal in mortgage originations was to have a certain percentage of your calls result in an application. Understandably, there should be an expectation to obtain applications and get business for the company. However, without being able to monitor how many of your calls are from members who already have an application in place and are just simply calling in to get more information or a misdirected call that was meant for another department (typically home owner's insurance), it's not a fair evaluation of the work that you're really doing and can be very discouraging.
This might vary from departmnet to department, but I was in Mortgage Originations talking to member's about new mortgages and taking applications. Some of these calls could last 2-3 hours at times. This would make me absolutely dread the end of the day as I never knew if I'd get stuck on a call or not. I could never plan anything w/in 2 hours of the end of my shift because I never knew if I'd be able to make it or not. Also, with these calls being so long and involved, I felt it was unrealistic to expect MSR's to have no ACW (After Call Work) between calls. If you just got off of a really long call, the last thing you want to do is go right into another one.
The stress to produce applications was so high that I began having anxiety issues and my body was having physical reactions to the stress. My work/life balance was completely out of whack due to constantly staying late because of being stuck on a phone call. My frequently used term in my vocabulary became, "Sorry I missed the appointment, phonecall, dinner, etc.; I got stuck on a call."
