something to remember

today, i look back at my experience from my first job and oh, how much i miss it, i wish i didn't have to leave but you know--and should always know, some things just happen.

as most of you, or atleast some, know that i worked in a bpo company in davao city as a consultant, and i almost have didn't have any problem about it because it fits my body clock perfectly that i didn't have to worry about my sleeping sched although i still have to set an alarm everyday (not that i make use of that anyway, most of the time i wake up before the alarm, but there were still days i couldn't). to narrow things down, yep, i worked as a call center agent--the most underestimated job in the corporate world (atleast here in my place). yes, i'd say it is because y'know man, society! people think those who work in a call center are those who weren't able to graduate, those who can't have a "real" job, and whatnots. some people have asked me after knowing my job, "are you serious? why did you even get that job?" yes there may have been employees who haven't graduated YET or some don't even plan on graduating anyhow, did you ask? did you ask? but guess what dude, call center agents are, like, if not, the awesome-est people! this is based on experience, i met the troupe. they are the most flexible human beings, from the ever-changing shift to the irate customers even to the demanding leaders (they need to be!). i can't even list all the good things i can say about call center agents. i mean, i can but it'll be hella long, and you won't be able to relate anyway. must. see. it. for yourself. there is nothing wrong about being a call center agent or working in a bpo company, ghad, if only you people would know.

i have a li'l trouble speaking, by which i mean communicating/expressing my ideas orally (in english, lol). soon, i'll be a teacher, and i dream of becoming a dj, a broadcaster, an event's host, even, but my accent really succcccc. #IlonggoProblems. i needed to improve myself, and this is the first thing i thought of. (err, my parents enrolled me in speech classes when i was in primary school). so, in the middle of may 2017, i fulfilled one of my dream jobs.

i started taking actual calls in the last week of august. at first, i was really pabebe because my first ever support was my crush, kurt (thanks to yul). he has a girlfriend though.  i still remember how fun it was having kurt and lily as our support. lily. i adore lily so much! she's very funny and err idk, i feel like she's my older version. hehe. everybody loves lily. 

i miss seeing the huddle board during nesting, ghad i miss team hazel, the winning team--cz, ate bonn, melvin, daf, and i. i miss the yellow cab pizza party! i miss ate who sells mango float, i miss the supports also, melson, ate chiara, kuya christian who always scolded us then, but was so proud of how we developed when we were already part of the team, all the members from the other teams who helped us, sat near our bay, and visited us once in a while to help.

aside from my friends, i really miss my customers. here goes the reason why i decided to write about this.

i had encountered a lot of accents, in different ages, with different needs and i must say, damn! it was helluva experience but so good! so good! (buhay call center fb page inspired me to share this)

on the 2nd day of nesting, i had a customer whose accent nobody can understand, not even the top agents. myghad it was pure headache, i almost had a nosebleed, like, literally! after 40 minutes the concern is solved. dispute a tech. lol

there was a customer named hal, and while processing the concern, i asked if he has watched the film 2001: space odyssey because his name reminded me of it, and he was like, "wait, how old are you? that's a really old film! how come you've watched that?!" and i, a very intellectual lady proudly responded, "oh, you know i'm a literature student so we basically deal with that". lie. sige nga, saang part ang na deal mo sa kaka-literature mo? charot. truth is, a friend recommended it (segue: man, that film is a must watch. don't you dare die if you haven't watched that yet, i tell you. i watched for three nights cause i fall asleep in the middle of watching it, but seriously, it's a really good film. stanley kubrick, dude.) as we end the call, he was saying "good luck in your studies, gayle". and i was a bit guilty for that. idk why lol

there was also this old man customer who called to ask if i had a record of his technician's name because he forgot where he put the info. there was no way i could have the tech's info, but when i asked why he wanted it, he said he just wanted to thank yo man for doing a great job. nicee, the call took us almost 20mins just for that, but i'm happy that there are people like that. (result? sabog aht. charot. nailed it.)

one time, i purposely greeted a customer 'good morning' even though i know it's like 4 in the afternoon in their place, and she was like "hey it's already afternoon here! why are you saying good morning? where are you located?" in an angry tone, and i was like "oh, i'm sorry ma'am it's morning here in the ph", because man, i didn't see that coming. she wanted to be transferred to someone from america but i said i could help her, so she gave in. at the end of the call she was all "thank you so much", and i was "not a problem ma'am, and good afternoon." hahahaha.

while calling to the other department, the agent asked me if i'm from the billing department, of course i barely heard that, so i answered "no, im from the philippines". i can tell the agent is about to laugh so hard but he kept chill. i know. i laughed so hard at myself too. lol

this one is the first call i got on my last day of work, she wasn't a customer but she said early in the morning in her backyard, she saw someone which she says an employee of our client with all the sash and pins of the company giving her ads, it was really creepy, i was literally saying 'oh my god' all the time in the duration of the call, she was asking, "does your company do that?" i said no. i also suggested she better call a police. 

there was a typhoon that time, i forgot which one, but a retired woman navy or something called to set a payment extension. i asked if her place is affected by the typhoon (because the company won't bill them for the unused services) but she said no, but her relatives are. she's the one who pays all the bill and it was heavy on her part because she is also helping all the other victims in her place. so i told her i'd waive the late payment fee for her because that was the least i can do and man, i almost tear up. in the end, i got a vsat :)

the most memorable customer i had though, her name is emma, and she's on her 80s, i guess... what i did for her was really easy, i even forgot what, but she was like, "what's your name again? can you spell that for me because i want to write your name. i like to write names of beautiful people". at first i was like, ghad i hope she's not kira. kidding. so i asked her name too, even though i already know, and told her i'll write her name too cos she made my day.

there are still a lot of convos between my customers and i but it's already 5 in the morning. if i'm a normal person, i should already be awake by now, but yeah, i'm still awake.

you see my dear, it's one thing to be yourself, and another to be kind. I mean really be kind. that's something Cinderella taught, but a thing I can prove because of being in a customer service. people are assholes, I am pretty much one, we bring others down but hey, at the end of the day what we did for people will be what remarkably counts. and that feeling is more satisfying than being the one who's been done good.

cheers. i'm trying to fix my sleeping sched. but bye now. 

x, gayle