Inside a Mortgage Settlements Area

David Pogue of NYT gave a report what it is like working as a tech-support call centre. It just reminds me of what it would be like working inside a Settlements Booking area for a major bank. What he describes follows -

"I've been making fun of bad tech-support reps. Actually, not just recently—they've been one of my favorite topics for years.

Deep inside, though, I have a lot of sympathy. By definition, the tech-support job entails talking all day to angry and unhappy people, which surely can't make you feel like skipping home from work. Meanwhile, at most tech-support centers, you have to fulfill an hourly quota of calls processed—so the job is stressful, too. No wonder the burnout rate is so high (and so many of these jobs are moving overseas).

So today, equal time. It's time to place half of the tech-support blame where it belongs: at the feet of Them. The Users.

Several years ago, I had the chance to visit a tech-support call center for one of the big computer companies. The technician gave me a second pair of headphones so I could listen in on his conversations with the hapless users.

I learned so much that day. I learned that all computer companies outsource tech support to dedicated call-center companies. I learned that the Users can be outrageously rude to these hapless tech-support reps, taking out their built-up frustration on somebody who had nothing to do with causing the problem.

And I learned that when they say, "Your call may be recorded for quality assurance purposes," that's only partly true. They also record your calls so they can pass around recordings of the funniest ones."

One the other hand, conveyancing staff working for lawyers and conveyancing companies, they are frustrated by the banks putting them on hold for 20 minutes and just generally having to deal with inexperienced bank staff, little wonder people are rude, They are sick of it,