Telstra call centres on 4 Corners now

[pazza]

Anyone get the feeling that Labor will use the footage of the Telstra situation in the upcoming election campaign, using it to highlight how employers are now behaving because of Work(No)Choices?

 

[Dorval6]

Good episode but they kind of lost me halfway through when they started hooking into those 'terrible' sales techniques - shock horror - people trying to sell stuff in a sales job

Anyone whos ever worked in sales knows that you need to sell things to keep your job and you need to use techniques to get that sale through.

They started going a bit 'A Current Affair' at one point with the line of questioning.

Other than that, not a bad show.

 

[Chief]

The issue they had was that the inward-call support centre was turned into a sales centre, and that selling overtook support as the primary role of the centres. Then the targets increased in the time-honoured tradition of never letting your sales force believe it is doing a good enough job. Rule by stress and fear. At least two suicides of formerly star performers seem to have been the result.

It also showed that when you ring Telstra their job is not to support you, but to get you to buy more and that your connection problems are of less concern than their bottom line. Repairs are a nuisance and preventative maintenance is now non-existent. I've had a cable connection that had to be repaired multiple times over a period of months and I can guess now that what they were doing was putting a band-aid on and waiting for my next call. They often threatened that if there was no issue they'd charge me a call-out fee, even after a long history of problems with the connection. Then again, I did refuse to pay three months of bills which they wiped so they aren't ALL bad.

 

[Chief]

Public servants in its most literal sense, and we benefited.

Nowadays public servants are government servants so I wonder if we'd have the same situation anyway.

 

[Chief]

Absolutely. Australia's infrastructure was second to none

And it cost $600 to install a new phone line...

 

[medusala]

I remember walking in to my ANZ business banking branch in St Kilda Rd and asking them why I couldnt ring an ANZ branch and instead had to ring a 1800 number. The reply was that given the huge queue to get through most people simply hung up. Thus saved them money on answering non revenue making queries.

 

[medusala]

And it cost $600 to install a new phone line...

And wait a decent while.

 

[Dry Rot]

Good episode but they kind of lost me halfway through when they started hooking into those 'terrible' sales techniques - shock horror - people trying to sell stuff in a sales job

Anyone whos ever worked in sales knows that you need to sell things to keep your job and you need to use techniques to get that sale through.

They started going a bit 'A Current Affair' at one point with the line of questioning.

Other than that, not a bad show.

Um, they weren't sales folk. They were support folk ie "my phone line is buggered" - not "I'd like to change my mobile plan or open an account"

 

[carlyp]

I used to work in a major call centre, back in the good old days. I've seen it first hand. KPI's forever increasing and extra stress put onto the person on the phone.

I watched four corners and stood there shaking my head. There needs to be some kind of watchdog paid to watch the likes of Telstra, CBA, ANZ, NAB and Westpac plus other call centres. Not good enough. Big business gone bad.

Thankgod I graduated from Uni!

 

[Z_K]

I used to work in a major call centre, back in the good old days. I've seen it first hand. KPI's forever increasing and extra stress put onto the person on the phone.

And for peanuts, generally.

I watched four corners and stood there shaking my head. There needs to be some kind of watchdog paid to watch the likes of Telstra, CBA, ANZ, NAB and Westpac plus other call centres. Not good enough. Big business gone bad.

Not even going to touch that.

Thankgod I graduated from Uni

Sorry, not sure what your saying there. Is it a general expression of happiness that you graduated (or surprise?) posted in the wrong thread?

 

[Dry Rot]

I used to work in a major call centre, back in the good old days. I've seen it first hand. KPI's forever increasing and extra stress put onto the person on the phone.

I watched four corners and stood there shaking my head. There needs to be some kind of watchdog paid to watch the likes of Telstra, CBA, ANZ, NAB and Westpac plus other call centres. Not good enough. Big business gone bad.

Thankgod I graduated from Uni!

Did you like the AWAs they were forced to sign? The 30% cut in their salary? Their unions couldn't help them.

Do you support WorkChoices? And the advantage that big bad business takes of it?

 

[carlyp]

And for peanuts, generally.



Not even going to touch that.



Sorry, not sure what your saying there. Is it a general expression of happiness that you graduated (or surprise?) posted in the wrong thread?

Not peanuts, I was casual. I got paid a shit load to work the late shifts.

Fair enough, I know what you mean. There still needs to be some kind of check and balance on these multinationals and AWA.

Lastly, Im glad I graduated and got out of there and onto something I loved and still do. Call centres are a place where you can lose every bit of pride and satisfaction in yourself and your work

 

[carlyp]

Did you like the AWAs they were forced to sign? The 30% cut in their salary? Their unions couldn't help them.

Do you support WorkChoices? And the advantage that big bad business takes of it?

AWA's can be good in the right environment. Call centres are not the right environment.

You will find this incredibly wishy washy but parts of work choices I like part of it I dont. Depends on who or what I'm talking about.

Im generally a small l liberal so big business aint my friend either.

 

[1jasonoz]

Not peanuts, I was casual. I got paid a shit load to work the late shifts.

Fair enough, I know what you mean. There still needs to be some kind of check and balance on these multinationals and AWA.
Lastly, Im glad I graduated and got out of there and onto something I loved and still do. Call centres are a place where you can lose every bit of pride and satisfaction in yourself and your work

Why?

Aren't employee's businesses best asset?

 

[medusala]

There still needs to be some kind of check and balance on these multinationals and AWA.

Those evil multinationals. Should have a big wall to keep the bloodsuckers out.

Are you sure you are in the right party?

 

[carlyp]

Why?

Aren't employee's businesses best asset?

I think they are and if I was running a business that would be part of my ethos. Part of my experience in life has been that way anyway. Always look after your employees and they will look after you generally.

Doesnt mean that the CEO's and Boards of Telstra and the big four banks (etc) think the same way though.

 

[medusala]

Why?

Aren't employee's businesses best asset?

Not if they are on the docks.

 

[1jasonoz]

Not if they are on the docks.

Yes the scabs where dumped by patricks and the right whingers and had to sue their former employer who refused to pay their wages.

 

[carlyp]

Those evil multinationals. Should have a big wall to keep the bloodsuckers out.

Are you sure you are in the right party?

I'm a Liberal, always will be. I am a strong advocate of capitalism and grew up in a family which was very money orientated. I'm also an advocate for a fair days wage for a fair days work and I've experienced what its like to work in a work place that doesnt show and practice those virtues so Im also not naive.

I've worked in the call centre environment, I've seen how they (the big 4 banks for example) work and it isnt always preety.

I'm being realistic here.

 

[1jasonoz]

I think they are and if I was running a business that would be part of my ethos. Part of my experience in life has been that way anyway. Always look after your employees and they will look after you generally.

Doesnt mean that the CEO's and Boards of Telstra and the big four banks (etc) think the same way though.

But the government and the government supporters on heres have continually argued the line that employees are the employers best asset, so they need little protection and should be able to individually sit down and negotiate with big employer groups.

Isn't that correct, have the right whinger muppets been lying?

 

[1jasonoz]

I'm a Liberal, always will be. I am a strong advocate of capitalism and grew up in a family which was very money orientated. I'm also an advocate for a fair days wage for a fair days work and I've experienced what its like to work in a work place that doesnt show and practice those virtues so Im also not naive.

I've worked in the call centre environment, I've seen how they (the big 4 banks for example) work and it isnt always preety.

I'm being realistic here.

Op's not a good word to say to Med!!

He beleives that employers should be able to treat workers in the same way anyone can buy a sovalaki. He belives it should be no harder to hire or fire a worker than it is to buy a sovalaki.

 

[carlyp]

But the government and the government supporters on heres have continually argued the line that employees are the employers best asset, so they need little protection and should be able to individually sit down and negotiate with big employer groups.

Isn't that correct, have the right whinger muppets been lying?

If thats what they believe then good on them I've seen one major call centre work place change its ways because they lost 4 of their best staff to the opposition so I live and hope that maybe their right. Only small evidence that its correct though, would like to see more.

I have seen the ugly side of big business though so Im not naive enough to say that they will look after their workers because their 'the companys most important asset'.

Its a major gamble though.

 

[medusala]

I'm also an advocate for a fair days wage for a fair days work

So you are a big advocate of the judgement in the Harvester case?

One wonders how that correlates with liberal politics.

 

[medusala]

He beleives that employers should be able to treat workers in the same way anyone can buy a sovalaki. He belives it should be no harder to hire or fire a worker than it is to buy a sovalaki.

Employees and employers should be able to negotiate without interference. If employees cant force the employer to let them collectively bargain then they shouldnt be able to. Common sense. As long as employers abide by a contract of course they should be able to dismiss an employee at any time. To argue otherwise is nonsensical. Does any really expect employees to give numerous written notices before they resign? No, of course not.

Your great hero Keating understand the laws of supply and demand. Came to realise that the dollar shoud be floated, that Australian industry be exposed to competition, that it was idiocy to think that the wool price should be set without reference to the market.

Its completely logical to extend EXACTLY the same thinking to IR.

 

[1jasonoz]

If thats what they believe then good on them I've seen one major call centre work place change its ways because they lost 4 of their best staff to the opposition so I live and hope that maybe their right. Only small evidence that its correct though, would like to see more.

I have seen the ugly side of big business though so Im not naive enough to say that they will look after their workers because their 'the companys most important asset'.

Its a major gamble though.

Thats government policy through Workchoices.

Its also the basis of Meds rants!!