3 Valuable Life Lessons I Learned Working as a Call Center Agent

Let go of your prejudices

Six months after walking away from my science career, I found myself applying for call center jobs.

That, in my mind, was still better than relying on the government to take care of my finances.

I expected a lot of things before starting, and I admit my expectations were mostly negative, but never that I would spend 4 years working in customer care.

Along the way, I learned how this industry can teach you some valuable life lessons. Here are 3 of them.

1. Do your best and keep your ego in check

I always held myself to high standards, and working as a customer care agent was no different.

The first company I worked for was the “typical” call center environment. A huge outsourcing company with clients from various industries.

Great about that type of call center work is its focus on numbers. Everything is measured and tracked.

How much time you spend per call?

How long do you need to finish up your notes after the call?

How satisfied are customers with your work?

How much time do you spend on breaks?

Everything.

In the beginning the constant control was tough but I started to see it as an opportunity. You could not cheat your way to great performance. The numbers never lie. I wanted to become the best in our team — and I achieved that goal.

I stood out from the majority of people who let their hate for the job dictate the effort they put in.

By consistently showing up and doing good work, I gained trust from my supervisors. I was given individual responsibilities, had more freedom, and needed to spend less time on the phone.

To do good work, I also let go of the belief that the work is “beneath” me.

My coworkers came from all kinds of backgrounds, some were students, some were single mothers trying to make ends meet, some were academics.

The most unhappy ones were those who thought they were entitled to have a better job.

I learned that everyone I meet, my coworkers, just as much as my customers, could teach me something. Everyone can do something better than me or knows more about a specific topic.

An elitist frame of mind robs you of the opportunity to experience life and other people to the fullest.

2. Don’t take things personally

I encountered my fair share of angry customers. Some yelled. Some insulted me. Some even threatened to sue me.

With time, I learned to not take these attacks personally.

In the beginning, it was hard to remember that a customer was not angry with me personally but with the situation, and I was just at the receiving end.

But I needed to learn to be non-reactive.

Otherwise, my work, and most of all, my mental health would have suffered tremendously.

Life is full of people who take others for granted, are full of prejudices, or think they have the right to be mean. People feel entitled because they hold some kind of position, have accumulated wealth, or are otherwise “powerful” by society’s standards.

I learned that other people’s nasty behaviors are rarely my fault. Instead, it is a reflection of their character and their probably unhappy, empty life.

Once I realized this, I also became more aware of how I treat other people and what assumptions and prejudices I have a hard time letting go of.

3. Your words matter but the magic lies in listening

You probably heard the phrase “the customer is always right.”

I came to understand a more accurate phrase would be “the customer always thinks he’s right.”

And my job as a customer care agent was not to prove him wrong but to understand why he thinks he is right and then try to solve the problem for him.

As a result, my active listening skills improved tremendously during my years in support.

With no facial expressions or gesturing, I could only focus on the words coming out of the other person’s mouth.

For many people, the connection and the feeling of being understood mattered more than the problem being solved right away. I received several good reviews from customers who stressed they were satisfied with the call because they were left with a good feeling.

The same is true in life.

People want to feel understood and have their feelings validated.

By trying to understand others first, and practicing empathy, my relationships with friends and work colleagues improved tremendously. I can deal with conflicts in a much more rational manner.

Be kind to service workers

I grew up in a household so poor, many people would not think is possible in Germany. I believe this has contributed tremendously to my ability to stay humble and to not take anything for granted.

Working as a customer care agent, however, I realized how many people look down on service worker jobs and, sadly, on the people who are working in this field.

I urge you to pause for a moment before you interact with a service worker.

No matter if it is a call center agent, an Uber driver, or the waitress who is serving you on your next night out.

Pause and set the intention to be friendly, smile if you can, and, most of all, treat them with respect.