I am a Tele-Caller

I was preparing my bed to sleep. It was at 9:00 pm on hearing the doorbell I was surprised. I thought during the lockdown, who is at the door and ringing the doorbell?

When I opened the door, I saw Megha. She lives next door and works as a tele-caller with an institute. I could sense that something was wrong with her. Drops of sweat on her forehead showed that she was nervous. On inquiring, she said, can she come in, first?

I asked her to get in and offered a glass of water.

She said that she is not fed up of tele-calling and is looking for a change of job. She wanted me to review her resume so that she can start applying to different companies.

I knew Megha since she finished her graduation and aspired to earn money for her further studies. She is determined and wanted to pursue her masters with her hard-earned money. I always admired her spirit and appreciated her positive attitude.

Well, I could see that Megha is sitting opposite to me is low at her confidence and was in some confusion.

I took a copy of the resume, read it thoroughly, and had asked her to include a few points that were missing related to her job experience. Casually I asked her, why is she desperate in changing her job during COVID 19? Isn’t it risky? I suggested her to think twice before taking any decision.

With heavy voice and tears rolling in her eyes, Megha said that she liked her job. She always enjoyed calling people, answering their queries, and helping them in every possible way. But over a year, she is a bit uncomfortable.

She said that generally, she calls young boys and girls who have completed their graduation and are willing to pursue further studies. The moment she calls, the receiver of the call often talks either in a rude manner or humiliates her. Most of the time, they abuse her point that she has no sense of time; she is calling them unnecessarily and troubling them. Sometimes, young boys often call her in the late evening and asking her about such things that she is even ashamed of telling others.

There are thousands of people who are working as tele-callers. Day and night, they try to render their best so that the customers or the clients receive the best information. Because of them, in many circumstances, life has become easy for customers or consumers.

Of course, the service given by tele-callers is quite commendable.

I knew Megha is good at communication. She is multi-linguistic and speaks very confidently with anyone.

I asked Megha if she has any job specification. The kind of profile that she is willing to join in.  

She said that with the experience that she has, she is fit for the front end job easily.

I asked her, what if, even after changing the job, she encounters a similar kind of situation. What is she going to do then? Will she keep changing her workplace?

She agreed with my thought. She wanted to know-how to tackle such situations.

I suggested her to follow these three steps:

1. When you make a call, don’t be straight forward. Try to think of new ideas about interacting with others in different ways. Find about their aspiration. What is it that they aspire to do? Find out whether you can extend any support in fulfilling their dreams. Once, when setting the right pitch, come up with what you wished to convey.
2. To be on the safer side, I advised her to have a professional number for professional work. Never share personal contact and details. Maintain a balance between personal and professional life. On receiving a call in the late hours, it is better to avoid attending phone calls rather than text the caller informing that you will call him or her the next day. Of course, it is necessary to call the caller, on the next day, without fail.
3. Think from the perspective of the person who is receiving a call. In a day, if they have to attend several calls which they are not willing to answer for sure, it creates irritation and agitation. It is better to step into their shoes and empathize with them.

When you follow these, I firmly believe that you will face fewer problems which you can handle with ease, as you are well-experienced and know the art of managing people’s queries.

Yes, even after the adapted change, if you remain dissatisfied with your current job, you can change it any time and can start searching for better opportunities.

Megha agreed with what I said. One can see that her worries were no more troubling her mind. She was at ease. Taking the resume from my hand, she said that anyways, it is always good to update the resume. With a cute smile, she bid good night and left for her home.

My mind engaged with the thoughts of Megha. People enjoy humiliating others. They forget that it can be so painful for the person to work with such humiliation. One such call can upset the tele-callers for the whole day.  

I sincerely wish if I could guide even the people who attend such calls and make them understand how to reply to a phonecall of a telecaller.