My Story

What’s it really like to work in a call centre? Here are some real life stories from the Blake call centre staff on their experiences.

by Feroza Sheik:

I have often sat, idle, deep in thought, watching the moon gaze upon me on starry nights, seeming to be searching for many answers in my life yet I knew not the exact questions. Who was I? A wife, a mother, a sister, a daughter, an employee? The opportunities that I had and had forgone, the hope of a better life, had it sailed away like many ships I had seen, to distant shores?

My story isn’t one of extravagant courage, or bold strength, it isn’t made for a Hollywood movie or a best selling novel. It is one of silent perseverance, unnoticed progress, and of determination or stealth that it surprises even me. The year was 1990 and a young lady from Chatsworth studied late into the night, hoping to make the best of her final exams. After that matric year many opportunities awaited, the expectation of tertiary education, of a job, of success. Teachers always say hard work will be rewarded, but what they fail to mention is that is only the case for the fortunate and I quickly learnt that I was not one of them. There was no glorified life, no dreams nor hopes, all there was, was a marriage forced upon me and a year later a child. Maternal instinct for me came as natural as breathing and with that the end of a career and I found myself in a prison built on subservience and nurturing the needs of others over mine. Being married against my will at such an early age took many things from me but not my craving for a successful career. A craving that would take 16 years to be satisfied.

As my son turned 15 I knew I had well equipped him for life, while inside me a fire burned greater with every passing day. While most women are established in their field and thriving in their careers I find myself taking my first nervous steps. Blake to me means so much more than just a pay cheque. It means the end of many years of subservience, it means opportunity, it means hope but most of all it means reward. Not the reward, a triumph over situation and circumstances in life.

When I walk in through the door I give of my all, my absolute best because Blake has showed faith in me by giving me a job and I will not let them down. I will strive to deliver what is asked of me and exceed the expectation my superiors place on me.

I feel like after so many years life has been breathed into me. That which most people take for granted excites me. Coming into work and seeing the smiling faces of my colleagues, making target, attending company functions, might seem trivial to most but to me it represents that elusive piece of the puzzle that is my life. Blake offers me comfort and an opportunity to shine, to grow and excel in something that I am so passionate about. Me coming to Blake proves that it is never too late in life to make something of yourself. It has given me direction and confidence and has shown me that I may be a daughter, mother, wife, employee, but first and foremost I am a woman and within me is built the strength I need to be all of those things.

On this starry night, as the moon gazes upon me and this blank piece of paper fills with words, I look at my son asleep on the sofa next to me. What is different tonight? I ask myself as my ink runs dry? It isn’t something words could explain, it’s the smile on my face and a feeling deep within, a balance I now have that completes me, that most people only dream of… Thank you Blake!

by Natalie Gobindram:

After finishing school it was quite difficult looking for a job, I settled for a job as a cashier at one of the local shops & worked for R60 a week, life was tough but I knew that eventually I would find something better.

Day in and day out I would pray and hope for something better and a friend of mine who worked at Blake & Associates took my CV and handed it into the recruitment centre, within a few days I was called in for an interview.

When I did enter the Blake Recruitment Centre it was like nothing I’d ever seen before, it was really classy with the flat screen computers, glass top tables & very fancy chairs. I was so impressed as well as nervous and knew that this was the company I wanted to work in as it showed how upscale the actual company was. After the tests and interview I waited eagerly for “the telephone call” regarding the outcome of the interview, and knew that this phone call may determine my future…

When I got a call from the lady at recruitment I was so overwhelmed that I had tears running down my face.

So here began my journey in 2007…

When I did get to the call centre I was greeted by my manager and supervisor, who were very welcoming and friendly, even the staff were very polite; I had mixed emotions at the time.

I worked as a collections agent for a year and during this time won MVC (Most Valued Collector) for the most amount of money collected on the Current Department floor; I was rewarded with a trophy and R1000 cash.

After this year I was promoted to an admin clerk. At the time when I was told of the promotion I was ecstatic, this job I was very proud of as I felt happy that I was recognized and management felt that I was capable.

Another year and a half went by and a further promotion came up “Independent Auditor”. I felt really blessed that I was being recognized. In this position I worked for a month & then promoted again to a Collections supervisor were I worked thereafter.

During this time I was also offered a bursary to study through the company and it was all paid for. I feel that I have come a long way and I know that nothing that I had done was not recognized and I was always rewarded in abundance for the work that I did.

I am currently a Collections supervisor for 3 projects & Odette Pearce played a huge role in where I am today as well, and for this I am grateful.

From earning R60 a week and learning the hard ways of life I can now quite confidently and comfortably say that I am extremely blessed and happy that I am in this company, they have provided my bread and butter from 2007 to date, and I am proud to say that I am a Blake Employee.

by Sally Thaver:

Hello—hello—hello—hello———-

Does this sound familiar to anybody… so obvious pretending they can’t hear and then cutting the call? You redial, it’s either the same or no reply.

You finally get the person on the line, they listen to you and then cut the call while you are speaking to them. How frustrating and you have to remain calm about it.

If you think about it we are very strong people ‘cos we need to handle and deal with all types of people. The most famous one is when you ask for the debtor and he is the one on the line saying… sorry he left the phone on charge.

And then you get the spouses who you can’t discuss the account with, screaming on top of their lungs “I want to know what you are calling about—I have a right to know—we are married in COP” — but shame… “sorry Ma’am/Sir, I cannot discuss it with you”. I do sympathise with them ‘cos if it was me I would also want to know.

At the end of it all these are the people that make up our day, not forgetting our wonderful supervisors and managers who have been watching over us so that we don’t lash out at these people. We have fun days, by that I mean dress up days, where we have a lot of exciting activities.

Yes it can be funny, frustrating, stressful, boring at times, but hey it’s what we are here for, so we need to do the best we can.

by Vani David:

3 Years ago I was working for a company from Hell. The joke between my husband and me in the mornings was “I am not going to work but I am going to “Satan’s Lair”. A boss who’s Mantra in the mornings was “The world will not turn without me”. And his main grooming ritual was looking in the mirror in the morning and say ‘Hi there handsome, Brad Pitt never looked this good”. But in reality, he looked like ‘Big Show’ (WWE). He showed us seven different faces throughout the day. We were either laughing till we cried at his ego or crying at his screaming or tantrums that were thrown to us. And just when I thought that killing him and sitting in prison was my gift to his wife, along came this ad in the paper for a call centre agent. The three of us in the office applied and I was the only one to pass my test and get away.

Walking into Blake was nerve wrecking for a number of reasons:

I had a low self esteem after working in “Satan’s Lair”.

Walking in and looking at the 19 and 20 year olds made me feel so old.

And I felt I was having a brain shutdown with an intensive week of training.

Finally I was in. The atmosphere and vibe was like being in an episode of ER. I thought I would get lost among the hundreds of workers there. But I underestimated myself. I pushed myself to become stronger and more confident, and realized in a place like Blake, if you want to act like a “Wall flower” you will get lost in the numbers and a “Go-Getter” will receive accolades and recognition for hard work, which I’ve done time and time again. Month after month I was always the top collector, and I was also chosen one of the top ten collectors in my section.

Working at Blake made me also give back so much to the community, like being chosen to give out Christmas hampers to the Phoenix Child Welfare in 2008. Looking at the underprivileged children brought tears to my eyes and I realized this call centre is not only about taking but also giving.

It’s unbelievable that 3 years have gone so fast. To think about it, the furniture is newer than me. This place has just impacted my life in all the positive ways. I am told time and time again that I was made for this job with my personality and a sense of humor, which I believe you need to have in a big place like Blake.

Achievements

I was graduated and received my NQL2.

Fire Marshall.

Most call centres would not give you the opportunity to further your career. Being a part of Blake and Associates has given me the opportunity to study at no cost. I am now a successful leader.

by Kemmonye Pakiwa:

When I first started working at Blake and Associates I was suffering from heart disease, but that did not make me think less of myself. I knew what I wanted – to be a successful collector. Even though my illness was a challenge to me, I never gave up. Sometimes I would collapse at work and take the whole week on sick leave and when I got back to work, I would work harder than ever to cover for the lost week because, if you want to do big in life, then you have to have monumental enthusiasm and passion.

No matter what your job is presently, do it with passion, and magic will happen. Passion gave me intestinal fortitude I needed to never give up and for that I was always one of the top collectors at Blake and Associates. For a moment I put aside any judgements and rational assessment I had, and realised that my job did not only give me a monthly salary but also helped me to socialise, cope and deal with customers of different attitudes, behaviours and opinions, and as a result it was an exercise to my heart.

My attacks were reduced thanks to my hard work, patience and dedication to my job through all this challenge. My passion for turning something challenging into something compelling and appealing kept me going and enabled me to get to many other collectors to share in my vision.

by Precious Ngidi:

Working in a call centre is always exciting because everyday you always looking forward to the challenges you will see especially since you speak to different people everyday. The dialer is the most exciting thing because you get to talk to different people with different accents and cultures but it’s what you make the most of. You have good and bad days. But as long as you do your best everyday you enjoy yourself.

The other thing is that you also get to work in a team so you always get to be a team player. Each day brings different challenges and you eager to wake up each morning to go to work. But the most important thing is that you have to always maintain a positive attitude. Without it you won’t go anywhere. You will give up easily when faced with challenges.

The most exciting part is the different themes you have each year for different occasions. The environment is fun and bubbly. And you always need to be flexible to approach different situations. And always bounce back from rejection when things don’t go your way.

That’s how I find my experience, thank you.

by Nancy Govender:

My Call Centre Experience

The 7^th October 2010 will remain strong in my mind… entering the call centre was the last thing I thought I’d do… until I found myself being drawn to give it a go…

It was a little voice in my head, persisting in its effort to dig up the collector agent inside me. “You’ve got nothing to lose,” it said, night after night for weeks on end. “Your assumptions are about something you’ve never experienced, and you could experience it, Nancy. You’ve got nothing to lose!”

As an accounts person more inclined to being behind a desk than having a headset on, it seemed ridiculous that I should ever apply for being a call centre agent. But that little voice got the better of me and soon I was sitting opposite possible agents – the rocky path that was to follow – five days of extensive training, tests and more tests, STT Training site, shew!, a tiny part of me still questioning my sanity… But what fun. Thank you Ravin!

I never imagined anything would come of me being an agent. Nowhere in my understanding of being a ‘call centre agent’ did I exist as a potential agent.

It quickly and easily became exciting. I sat on my first call and the rest followed. I’m not polished enough, I’m too goofy, probably too outspoken and closer to resembling a hippie than an agent. I was unsure of what this journey was about for me, and I expected it to be short-lived…

First warning, another warning and another, I was almost livid, but oh! What amazing supervisors… they are really the best advisors and they really try their best to maintain high standards of supervision. They have really mentored me and for that I’m truly honored to work under them. I realized that perhaps this experience wasn’t so dislocated from me. This was my chance to represent something different. To be connected to people all around and use the platform learning for positive change. With this as my goalpost, it was ‘chin up!’ and into preview dialing, predictive dialing, power dialing, call waiting, and the infamous “make yourself available!” You are too long on a call! After call waiting! The most powerful energy circulates the centre… Pressure! A real roller coaster ride. I had many of my assumptions broken. I was thrilled to be part of a new world, one I had no experience in, but was eager to learn from. I had underestimated the men and women that toil the hours and work tirelessly to ensure the smooth running of the call centre.

The weeks followed and I willingly ate my own words – the men and women I work with are strong and loyal employees who work hard for their families. Their individual profiles reflect their sincere and strong personalities. I try to push all the negative ideas and enjoy the company of them. This shows me how incredible the human spirit is. Everyone is willing to teach each other to become a good agent!

As days went along I learnt so many new ideas, one most important – is to paste a smile while on the dial and don’t kill any unique idea that would secure a PTP.

It would show on the OCOT!!!… The amazing crew of team leaders, supervisors and managers make reaching targets fun and exciting and at the same time the lesson on being goal orientated is reflected. “I want to reach 40 % of my target!!!!

Weeks later I’m still here. Weird! Really, seeing how it all began… but the call centre has given back so many wonderful opportunities to further enrich ourselves, the general emphasis being on our individuality. Some day soon I hope to be one of those individuals to give back what I have learnt. I have survived this new experience and I have no regrets.

Thank you to all those making my call centre experience an enjoyable one.

by Snenhlanhla Precious Dlamini:

From the day I set my foot in the door of the call centre floor, I had butterflies in my tummy caused by the excitement.

I saw different kinds of faces brightened by the light of the computer. I saw a very professional place to work in. I don’t know if it was just a thought I had or maybe because it was caused by me being in a call centre for the first time. I just saw the reality of what it’s like being in a call centre.

Everyone looked smart and bright from management to the staff. Everything was so professionally done. The place itself was so amazing. My opinion was that the atmosphere was so alive and I think a call centre is a stepping stone for any individual when it comes to achieving a successful career.

I’m really keen on working in a call centre; it’s just a kick start towards my place of gaining all the experience that I need from a work place.

I enjoy myself even though everything has to be done timeously, but you then get used to the idea step by step.

I would say a call centre is a rock with cracks that you can get through and explore a lot.

by Asanda Sisilana-Magugu and Sharon Ramsuran:

A stereotypical day in the Call Center, action plan to better results, targets to be met, to be the 1^st on the OCOT and finally beat the competitor. All this is done within the billing cycle. Then an unthinkable suggestion – a P.J party. This was an experience, unforgettable and a wonderful memory.

When the staff heard there was a P.J party, they looked at each other with shock. Everyone said “NO“ at the time and “it’s embarrassing”. Questions were raised, how can I go to work with my P.J’s?. Eventually the staff came around and agreed to the party. Next the date is set, the deco is up and everyone is excited and looking forward to a fun filled day.

Imagine walking into a call center, that looked like your bedroom…. Pillows, cushions, water bottles, Teddy bears, and the most Important thing – every body in their P.J’s. When I say everybody, I mean even Shawn himself was wearing P.J’s. A vibey, loud place, with P.J’s most people would have thought productivity will be the last thing on our minds. If only they knew productivity was the order of the day…. We had Cereals with cold or hot milk to start our day.

We where divided into teams. Every hour our stats were monitored and the two lowest teams would perform activities for the rest of the department. We had pillow fights, hopping from one side of the room to the next while holding the water bottle using your knees, story telling and good old nursery rhymes. After eating lunch, it felt like we just had supper and it was time for bed. My workstation felt like my bed, because everybody was feeling sleepy, so we had a tug of war. My team did not win but we had fun, and we where back on the vibey trip again.

Laughter and joy was the medicine of the day. Every time I have a bad day at work, I always remember that day and I know the reason why I work in the Call Center. It was a socializing event where the staff interacted on a different level with each other, that’s what makes our department unique.

by Reshana Ramnarian:

Alert…..

Sitting at my desk with no time to breathe in between calls, a busy day it was indeed.

“Good day you are speaking to Reshana, how may I kindly assist you?” with a professional and polite tone I answered the call. A furious Mr Thulani online starts yelling at me only because he did not receive his money for the personal loan he had taken with us.

My gracious and sophisticated character allowed me to stay calm on the call, listening to the angry customer giving me a mouthful of unpleasant words. I just listened and listened to Mr Thulani making me responsible for fixing his personal problem. It was an appropriate moment for me to advise him that the call was recorded for quality and security purposes. I obtained his identity number and searched his account on the system.

Mr Thulani once again starts complaining, I empathized with him, making him aware that I understand the problem and I really wanted to help and prepare the way for a rational conversation.

“I understand exactly why you are upset Mr Thulani, if the same thing had to happen to me I would be as upset as you are.” That is what I said to the angry customer.

I finally searched Mr Thulani’s account and found the reason as to why he had not received his money. Mr Thulani’s loan application had not been processed due to the fact that he did not fax through his FICA documents. I advised Mr Thulani that he needed to fax through his documents which were supposed to have been sent through 2 weeks ago. I also advised him that our attempts to get hold of him failed as his phone was continuously on voice mail, and was advised on his work line that he was on leave.

I paraphrased his issue and rephrased in my words as well, and in doing this it showed Mr Thulani that I had listened and all was sunken in and I once again empathized with the angry customer.

Mr Thulani finally understood the circumstances and the delay around the processing of his loan application. He apologized to me for his actions and thanked me for the support.

The angry customer has taught me to be ALERT.

Acknowledge the anger

Listen

Establish the facts

Recap

Take action

by Veronica Govender:

A Day in the Call Centre

Entering the building, hearing the laughter, the noise, I already know my day has begun. Looking at all the smiling faces, some sad and somber either from being tired or having a hectic evening on MXit, nevertheless that’s how my day starts, with a hug from or to each person. I love the atmosphere, to me it feels relaxing for one moment, the next you are hearing shouting from all ends across the floor. CMS monitoring is very loud and different pitched voices are being heard. I am always ready to assist each agent either with computer difficulties or just a question that needs to be answered regarding work, also a bit of laughter, mixed in between with the silly comments I would give or they would give to me, just to add value and excitement to our day.

Working within the enviroment, the Christmas adrenalin is within each and every person, even those who do not celebrate Christmas. Everyone talks about the fun they would be having throughout the festive season, having to share each and every new story together. I love all who come into contact with me. Walking across the floor I observe the staff and ensure that their workstations are always neat and tidy, prim and proper. I then just take a glance at management as they constantly work silently sometimes they even lift their heads for a brief moment, just to check on the staff. The hectic part is, suddenly I’ll have to take Afrikaans calls from one team to another. There are always staff shouting or calling for me, which becomes really tough at times having to be in two places at the same time.

Some customers are quite difficult to handle, but I’m glad that I’m able to handle such customers in a very calm, but professional manner. I’ve had the best training since I’ve been in the call centre. I feel so blessed to be on the floor filled with people I can relate to in some way or another. I am really looking forward to the rest of the year having to work in a call centre. My job description is to always motivate and encourage the staff to perform at their best. Sometimes I feel I that I do more than just drive the staff. I assist with certain issues and I feel God has brought me into such an environment to advise and assist wherever I can.

Today I had to deal with a problematic youngster, and I thought to myself “hey that’s something that I can handle.” The youngster kept giving me scary looks every time I called his name whilst monitoring CMS. I felt so sorry for him, looking at his sulking face and the thought crossed my mind what it was like once to be an agent. It used to often make me so upset that I wanted to cry when the supervisors kept calling my name for being on ACW. I used to often wonder whether to come back the next day or not, but hey that’s what motivated me to stay here.

Today there were discussions about the Year End Function, and staff have already been deciding about what they would be wearing for this occasion. The theme is quite interesting. It is a Carnival Ball theme, something like a Masquerade Ball with masks, fancy outfits and feathers. This has actually put me into a fairyland mood, thinking about how extravagant each person will be looking. The theme being Carnival, you can only imagine what each person attending would be looking like in their ravishing outfits, me included. I said “We will dance the night away” beacause I love dancing. Many of the girls cannot picture me on the dance floor, but I warned them I’d show them a step or two.

I believe God has brought me amongst the youngsters for a reason, to guide and advise them on certain issues they feel they cannot address their parents on, and I am only too glad to help out. My day in the call centre is basically filled with laughter, tears, excitement, and not forgetting expectations. My experiences have taught me a lot in doing my best at the call centre. There is quite a good vibe in the work place, if u catch my “drift”. I just love working at Blake and Associates. Each day is a new experience and a blessing to have them as part of my world.

by Keitshepile Phillimon (Blake Botswana):

“Deliberately learn something new, do something new and try a new way everyday. All these activities enormously widen your horizon and you will begin to see opportunities that you never knew existed.”

I never knew I was born a collector but because I wanted to meet new things, I realised I can do it. It’s really difficult to deal with customers but, in other words, its simple. In a call centre/collection company good customer service is the key to success. If customers really like your service, that means money is collected. Some customers seems to be difficult but your approach can cool down their mood. Having a positive mind in collections will make you achieve your dreams, and always bear in mind that any second you lose, is money. Time is money and money is time. Remember there is no better way of doing this than making everyday count. My dreams are now based on collection and I really believe in them, I can just do it bit by bit. “Small things makes a difference.”

There is one motivational story I once read entitled “The winners code” by George Chingara which said:

More than 97% of people in the world work for an organisation or someone. An organisation presents someone’s dream, working for them means helping them accomplish their dream. This is good, however everyday you must also push your dream to reality, and this calls for you to squeeze your time from your frenzied schedule to work on your own dreams. Always work hard but “smart” to achieve your dreams. There is nothing sweet without sweat.

by Zamagugu P Nyawose:

LIFE WITH BLAKE

As I wake up in the morning and do my normal routine when preparing for work, I wake up my fiancée to say goodbye and I say “goodbye my Traceps”. Oops that is not his name but he just smiles back and says “don’t worry my engine, you will trace me later”. As I enter the Blake premises, I start greeting my uncles (security) and aunties (canteen ladies).

I will then enter the live floor and greet my grandmothers (key account executive and managers) and my parents (supervisors) and most of all my brothers and sisters (agents) and then the rush begins “work and no play”. Blake has made me into a proud working lady. When I meet other agents from competing establishment, I just let them talk and then I close the conversation with “I’m working for Blake and Associates” and immediately I see them becoming intimidated.

Whoever thought of the slogan “pride” was not lying; Blake has instilled in me a sense of discipline and responsibility. I have grown as an individual and in my capabilities in the working environment. As I portray Blake as my home, don’t be mistaken to think we play because once the billing cycle is close to the end; our grandmothers become military officers and its war until the end results are reached. Lastly I would like to end on the note, that when I refer to my status, I am Mrs. Howard Blake because we are all married to the Blake household and our lives begin and end at Blake.

by Arran Pillay:

It was a Thursday morning, I came in to work and went through my daily extract of accounts. Whilst browsing through a few accounts, I came across one where the debtor had made an arrangement with the financial institution to pay R550.00 per month fixed over 60 months.

I had an agent who had called the debtor a couple days before and the debtor had been so confident that she had paid the correct amount monthly. (To explain, the financial institution takes fixed arrangements, but as soon as the debtor defaults by one payment the full amount becomes payable.) So I decided to give the lady a call. She told me that she has documents which she had forwarded, I looked at the document and, fair enough, they had accepted her R550.00 arrangement, which I did advise her about. Then she asked for the call centre to kindly stop calling her, the reason being that the amount that she offered to the financial institution had been accepted.

The lady was then to receive devastating news from me, when I informed her that instead of transferring R550.00 via EFT she had mistakenly transferred R450.00 into the account, which made the full amount now due. This lady lived with her 80-year old mother who’d had a stroke, and she was also caring for her. When she went through her records she started to scream and cry, saying this was all she could afford and by a silly mistake that she had made on the computer it has now made her arrangement null and void. She cried to me for over 5 minutes about how difficult life was and how, instead of buying a little food per month, there could now be a possibility of not affording any because of her silly mistake.

It just makes one think that small mistakes could become detrimental in our daily lives. I strongly believe that life has a lot of obstacles, and for this lady one small mistake caused so much heartache and despair and just made life more difficult for her.

So I always say to myself, even if I as an individual have half a loaf of bread a day, I had better appreciate having that little, than having nothing.

by Sumaya Khan:

MY DESTINATION WITH BLAKE

I would firstly like to thank Blake & Associates for giving me the opportunity to work with their dynamic team in Human Resources.

Throughout my working journey I have experienced different fields of work, whereas developed a passion for administration. In my previous work experience, I have gained knowledge in the Accounts Field. My previous employer has referenced me as being a person that works independently and always willing to go the extra mile to ensure the highest standard of performance.

I believe that opportunities do not always come by easily, and when one does come around, we should grab it and persevere in it with everything we have. I joined the Blake HR Division on the 31^st August 2009. I have grown within the business, and it has been a pleasure working as a team with the staff and agents, assisting with all types of queries and learning in the process. Going into a new field, I was not sure what to expect, being rather nervous I took one day at a time, dedicating 100% of all my abilities to ensure my work was delivered on time. Along the way I gained the trust of staff members and managers who today trust me and appreciate me for work well delivered.

The conclusion I have reached is that we should never feel that things are too difficult. We should take each day as it comes and learn from our mistakes.

When you write down your goals, always remember to write down the year or date by which you intend to achieve it, because a goal is a dream with a deadline. Is it a stepping-stone to the path of my success? It opens doors to many opportunities. It exposes hidden abilities and talents which I thought would be beyond my reach. All this challenge requires of us is our zest and perseverance to go on and reach for gold. It has taught me how to be a self-motivator and a team motivator, which together with teamwork, perseverance and determination, I believe is the foundation to every decision and challenge.

I attain to be more efficient in my career, to move further up the career ladder of success.

In conclusion, I would like to note that I believe I have what it takes to challenge myself in attaining where I am today. The motivation link to my path of success is that God will never give more than you can handle and never take you through something without being there to guide you through it.

I believe that without perseverance and determination I would not be able to dream big, aim high and reach for the skies.