A Gradult makes 11,000 calls

He's smiling - definitely an actor

Before I worked in a call centre my phone manner was average at best, although thats not what I told the agency. They say repetition is the father of learning and if this is the case then I have been well and truly schooled in the art of the phone call. The phone is second nature to me now and here’s why. As the clock ticked idly by today, I began to do some research on the number of calls I had been involved in since I joined the company back in September. I recently found out I had made and received a total of 3,500 in December so I knew the number would be high. It turns out that the number was 10,990.

Being involved in just under 11,000 calls had taken me 236 hours, or 9 ¾ days. For fans of minutes that comes to 14,160. This is staggering considering it only logs the calls in which I speak to someone or leave a message. In the time I’ve been on the phone in this job I could have watched every single Manchester United game from the last three seasons back to back, including the occasional necessary Fergie time. Although I probably wouldn’t have been paid to do so, so it could have been quite counterproductive.

I’m not even the highest performer in the office - I’m not even top five. My internet to call ratio puts pay to that I’m afraid. My office as a whole made 813,000 calls in 2010 at a cost of over £50,000, with the company continually growing this number will surely top a million in 2011. My call centre is relatively small compared to some out there, I once had an interview with First Direct and the call centre was like an aircraft hanger - a factory of customer service. Someone has to make these calls and short term; it might as well be a Gradult. Earning money has to be better than moaning in forums.