Sales and Service Call Centre Agent
Pros
Transat is very well reputed company that offers great staff perks (such as standby & the possibility of swapping your swifts in order to benefit using them). Group benefits are offered (at a cost) after 3 months, including a discount on your STM bus pass, 3 weeks vacation after 1 full year, RRSP contribution, “Family & Friends” discount, gym, and Employee Aid Program. It’s centrally located & is accessible by several bus lines (beware in time of weather conditions – it’s quite a walk from the metro). It is located in a building that has a tiny food court that is (outdated) useful (there is an SAQ, Métro grocer & a pharmacy)! The interview process was professional, encouraging and outside the norm (it was a group interview). On your 1st day, you will feel proud walking in and be greeted by the friendly HR personnel). Upper management, such as M. Eustache (past CEO), is more down-to-earth and accessible than your lead or supervisor (he will say Hello if you cross each other in the elevator or outside). This is a GREAT company for a student or someone who lives at home with their parents or has a spouse earning a comfortable income. There is the possibility to move up quickly, if you’re able to tolerate or even figure out their «game plan» and inconsistencies. The only way to logically stay at this company is if you have other financial support AND a nonchalant attitude.
Cons
Once you have completed the training, reality will quickly set in. There is an undisclosed motto that is repeated constantly between employees in all sectors: “Fake it until you make it”. It will not take long to realize that despite its reputation as an employer, Transat has major room for improvement in the treatment of employees and work/life balance. It’s no wonder the turnover rate is so high….. but don’t bother offering solutions, if you’re a recent hire, your opinion is not considered of value. Despite your background and years of experience, you must “pass the test”. Leads and supervisors will not listen or even pay you any attention until you have ‘stood out’. On the contrary, any positive feedback to improve business may land you on their “black list”. It’s as if they have decided to build a wall because they are expecting you to be fired or leave for something better (a natural occurrence). We are constantly under surveillance. The motto should be: “Watch your back and trust no ONE”. Word gets around fast. Rumours and news travel faster than in high school and FB (this is not applicable to work-related important updates). Prisoners are less monitored than Transat Call Centre employees. If you are 5 minutes late, it will automatically be deducted from your pay, no matter how much overtime you do or give back. You must always use the appropriate status on the system or risk getting a warning from your sup. If you need to use the bathroom, the time is deducted from your (one) 15-minute break. If you’re a smoker, start practicing your sprints. Some employees are permitted to go pee on the ACW status, but the others are not – I’m still trying to figure out why). As a call-centre agent, employees are offered a HelpDesk line. What does this mean? When in doubt, on a file, you can call a «Lead». Note that: Wait times are long. When you finally get through, they are condescending AND make you feel like you’re an idiot (have you followed the procedures on Eureka? is always their 1st response). IF you get a helpful and efficient lead, trust me, you recall their names! Not because they offer exceptional service but simply because they are doing their job. There are no set rules and regulations in the treatment/handling of client files or in the way staff is treated. Whomever you get as a lead/sup will determine the outcome. The same situation, with a different lead, can lead to a more favourable outcome. It’s hard to justify working here at such a low salary of $14.10/hr, when we deal with unsatisfied and pissed off clients ALL THE TIME. Not to mention, computer systems that are so outdated, it can take an hour (or more) to complete a file with such situations as a “deviation” (type of modification to a vacation package). Even if your client was polite, after being ON HOLD for an eternity, they will turn on you…. ** Do NOT propose calling a client back (to save him time) – this will only penalize you and cause extra stress and work. Calling a client back requires you change your status to ACW. If the call is too long, you must notify your sup to obtain permission. She must then advise COPEQ (the scheduling department) to adjust your schedule. In high season, it is VERY high stress. Back-to-back calls, mostly with dissatisfied and disgruntled clients. The company has no empathy for their clients and their customer service is below par. Anything we can do you get rid of the client or transfer them to another department, trust me, the agent (or lead) will try. BEWARE: you may fall on a fellow colleague who will REFUSE to service that client. This airline company is out to make a profit. Their strict terms & conditions make it that the client will never win. Most times, it’s warranted (trust me, you’ll hear every excuse imaginable), but I have been witness to cases where Transat was not fair. For example, in a case that Transat must replace an existing reservation (a hotel that no longer meets our standards, for example). They issue letters/emails to advise clients that their package was modified to a new hotel. The trick here is that Transat offers the client “equivalent” to PRICE, NOT equivalent to what was booked. Try explaining to a client that she is better off cancelling a vacation and obtaining a reimbursement for a vacation package she booked 8 months ago, instead of accepting the lousy $100 credit we are offering, since the hotel replacement is not even comparable to what she wanted. Any other package that is equivalent costs approximately $3K more.
