Avoid these phone drones like the plague - Customer Experience Associate AnywhereWorks Employee Review

- 1. Let’s get the name out of the way. What is actually creative about this company or those who run it? Yes, they’re from super-trendy Portland Oregon. But this is an answering service, that's it. - 2. There is rarely anything you can do to actually help the callers. Telling callers "I'll take a message" quickly becomes dispiriting as you realise you are essentially a human answering machine and aren't adding value to anything or anyone. In fact the service offered by Full Creative may well damage the reputation of its client companies. Callers phone up, speak to a real person, but the person can't help them so they feel like they're being messed around. "I'll take a message" doesn't cut the mustard for most callers. Then there's the many repeat callers, who have previously left messages but the client companies have not taken the time or effort to phone them back. And as a result, yes, you guessed it, the callers will take out their anger on you. - 3. Micromanaging by performance stats. This job is the customer-service equivalent of working in an Amazon distribution depot. In a normal office you can get a coffee, stretch your legs, and go to the bathroom whenever you need to. But when working for Full, every second is accounted for and analysed. I've heard multiple stories of employees having a 'pee bottle' by their home desk so they can urinate without impacting their performance statistics. The speed at which calls come in back-to-back is incredibly stressful and bordering on inhumane… If you're even slightly thoughtful, introverted, or just need to mentally recover between calls, your automated Full Creative overlords will have no sympathy. - 4. Many of the scripts for the calls are genuinely appalling, but must be followed to the letter. If you’re smart enough to see the flaws in a script, amend the script to your natural speaking style, or dare to ad-lib for a call type for which there is no script, management will not appreciate you taking initiative. - 5. Also the level of verification on calls sounds pathetic to the callers, and you can clearly hear them getting angry when you say “You said your name was Emma Smith, is that E-for-Elephant, double-M-for-Motorbike, A-for-Arapahoe, S-for-Sailor, M-for-Morturary, I-for-Iguana, T-for-Turpentine, H-for-Hesbollah?”. If I were a caller, I’d just put the phone down. If I were a Full Creative (Answerconnect/Answerforce/LexReception etc etc) client, I certainly wouldn’t want this nonsense going on from the people I pay to represent my company. Furthermore, the call ‘quality assurance’ scores have almost nothing to do with how happy the caller is. If the caller obviously sounds like they’re in a rush, you might think it makes sense to make the call short and sweet… BUT NO, WRONG. Example - caller says "It's Bob, I'm Candice's attorney, just let her know I called". This caller does not want to leave details, and the client would obviously know who it is. However, it's your job to harass this unfortunate man for details. You'll get in trouble for not collecting and verifying surname, email address, phone number, starsign, favourite colour, etc etc etc. This will obviously annoy the caller and, yet again, they'll take their frustrations out on you. - 6. This is one shady company. No contact with HR. So many things are discussed with your manager in online video-chats without being documented in emails. You'd be well advised to keep screen-recordings or notes of all conversations with managers ready for the day when your manager denies saying something or accuses you of making something up. Also the clients this company takes are just as shady. You’ll be taking calls for timeshare programmes, “get rich now ask me how” seminars, suspicious investment opportunities, lawyers who don’t turn up to clients' hearings (lots of upset callers), suspicious building companies who don't perform the service they are paid for, etc. - 7. While the 'self-scheduling opportunity' might sound great at first, you'll quickly realise there are not enough hours actually available for everyone to book their minimum. If you're contracted to work 34 hours per week, there won't actually be 34 available for you to book. And you'll be blamed and put on a disciplinary notice for being unable to book non-existent hours! As a result of the above, you will then spend your life sat watching Shiftboard/Tradeboard waiting to see if any shifts are put online. Which means the time you spend thinking about the company and spend on work-related tasks goes far beyond the hours you are paid for, and you end up working 7 days a week. Totally at odds with the healthy work-life balance the company pretends to promote. A typical work day might look like this: 8am-10am, 12-12:30pm, 4:30pm-5:00pm, 7:30pm-8pm, 10:30pm-12. Despite what the Kool Aid drinkers might say, this is the real reason the company supports home working. While a physical office location cannot expect that an employee commutes to do little 30 minute shifts here and there at any hour of the day, a 100% remote company can. You are always available, and you will be working every day as and when they need you. And if they don't need you, they'll blame you. - 8. Obviously the usual customer service problems apply - rude callers, foreigners who can't understand you, little old ladies who like to chat for hours on end, people not taking "no" for an answer (a particular issue for an answering service...). - 9. The pay is appalling. I'd ask how they expect people to live off their salary, but obviously they don't. Low pay and messed-up hours means their little phone drones are always at their beck and call. But because they're working from home and get to work in their jimmy-jams, they'll be singing the praises of the company and how much it cares about them. Avoid at all costs.