End Of An Era

Well, in the end it all fell to bits like a house of really cheap cards on a windy day.

After almost 8 years of loyal service, 2 of which were served with distinction and top quality coaching/customer satisfaction scores on the Email team, I was forced to resign rather than be relocated back to Frontline customer services taking calls.

And why? Well, in a nutshell, the endless streams of Indian SITEL employees in Hyderabad, who can send out utter mindless sh*te and/or templates at impressive speed while being paid around a quarter of my wage. The Cult Of Productivity decreed that the Email team should be cut to around a third of it's original number, and yours truly was in the wrong place at the wrong time - but refusing to compromise on actually spending time getting things right, which made it worse for me in the end.

I wasn't over-keen on going back to being sworn at all day by angry people who have been cut off for not paying their bills, or blaming me for their wife dying of cancer, or holding me personally responsible for the fact they couldn't get a free 350 quid phone every year despite their loyalty (oh yeah, and they spend about a tenner a month.........). I did it for 5 years, and to be honest, I consider that I served my time there. It was done, I had moved on/up.

So, having been told to report back to call taking on the 18th, like a good little obedient number on a spreadsheet, I tendered my resignation effective the 17th - and am now unemployed, for the first time in a very long time indeed.

It was a very sad and emotional day, but only due to leaving the bosom of a fantastic team, and for the fact that it was blindingly obvious that 8 years of real quality service meant sod all in the end. My loathing and hatred for everything T-Mobile and SITEL shall endure; in other words, and to the dread of the statisticians who are paid so well to turn out reams of doctored graphs and charts showing how much everyone in the country loves T-Mobile, I will become 'a detractor' *shudder*

I don't as a rule hold grudges, but this one just got chiselled in stone on my soul.

We were always told how important it was to 'live the brand'. Well, I said it then, and I'll record it here for posterity. A brand is something burned onto flesh, often denoting forced ownership.

Customers want someone competent and polite, to spend time and due diligence getting things right, the very first time. They do not want a clueless battery hen clucking out a slew of corporate soundbites while creating or compounding errors through complete ignorance of the role, and a good old fashioned simple lack of care.


In other news, you may have noticed the very obvious 'donate' button at the top right of this blog.

No?

Look harder :P

Ordinarily, I'd be far too proud to beg, however under the circumstances, I could use all the help I can get. Pride is just too expensive right now....

PS. Business news just in - the Disney Corporation are looking to bid to buy out T-Mobile UK. Apparently, they recognise a mickey-mouse company when they see one.