By Nawara Fattahova

Talking to a hundred or more different people every day can be annoying or fun depending on your point of view. This is what call center operator Ali Ibrahim does for a living. He loves his work, and finds it easy, although he didn't aspire to work in this profession. Kuwait Times met Ibrahim, who spoke about his job. Some excerpts:

Kuwait Times: When did you start working at the call center?

Ali Ibrahim: I have been working at the call center of a telecommunication company for a year.

KT: How many days per week and how many hours per day do you work?

Ibrahim: I work six days a week, eight hours a day.

KT: Do you work the same shift every day? Or does it change?

Ibrahim: I don't change my working hours. It's the same every day: From 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

KT: How many calls do you answer daily?

Ibrahim: Approximately a 100 calls every day.

KT: How long was the longest call you dealt with?

Ibrahim: It was over an hour and a half.

KT: Have you ever got into trouble or a fight with a customer?

Ibrahim: Yes, many times, and all the fights were over roaming charges, when the customer didn't know that the charges are so high and they were using the roaming service abroad frequently.

KT: Has any customer filed a complaint against you?

Ibrahim: Yes, it happened once. A customer filed a complaint against me for a mistake of another employee, but I bore the entire responsibility and took the blame.

KT: Are you happy with your job?

Ibrahim: Yes, I do like my work.

KT: How did you choose this job and why?

Ibrahim: I was looking for a job after I graduated from high school. One day I saw an ad in the newspaper, so I submitted my CV to the email address mentioned, and a few days later they called me for an interview. I passed and started my career.

KT: How do you start your day?

Ibrahim: I start the day with a cup of coffee at the office. Then I start receiving phone calls. The calls are mostly complaints and some callers demand information. For technical issues, I transfer their calls to the technical support department. I'm only allowed to take a 5-minute break every hour.

KT: What problems or obstacles have you faced in your job?

Ibrahim: The most difficult thing in our work is to convince the customer. Customers usually call complaining and think they are right. They usually don't want to listen to our explanation, as they believe in the saying that the 'customer is always right'. So sometimes I have to transfer the call to the manager to deal with difficult customers.

KT: Do you find your job hard or easy?

Ibrahim: My work is very easy and I enjoy it. I hear my friends working in other professions complaining about their work, but I find my job easy. The most important thing is that when my working hours end, I'm done and my work finishes. I don't have to take work home; I don't have to be on standby and receive calls after working hours for any kind of issues, and I don't have to be ready to work overtime or on holidays.

KT: What do you like the most about your work?

Ibrahim: Besides the abovementioned points, I like the work atmosphere and friendly environment, especially since all my colleagues have become my friends.

KT: What experiences or skills have you gained from this job?

Ibrahim: I learnt about dealing with the public. I learnt to control my behavior even when I'm angry.

KT: Can you tell us about a bad or embarrassing situation that happened to you at your workplace?

Ibrahim: I faced a difficult situation when I was dealing with a customer who had serious problems and I wasn't able to resolve it.

KT: Tell us something funny that happened with you?

Ibrahim: Once a female customer called asking about her bill, which was over KD 1,000. When she gave me the number and I saw her name on the system, I stood up involuntarily as she was a sheikha. She had racked up this huge amount within two weeks only when she was travelling. And she paid the bill immediately. Also, in some situations the customer is serious, but they tell me funny stuff, so I start laughing and it's hard to stop.

KT: Do you think of changing your job?

Ibrahim: No, I don't.

KT: What are the benefits of your work?

Ibrahim: I know about all the promotions and good deals, so I can tell my friends about them first. There are some offers that the company does not announce to the public, as they are trying to sell higher-priced bundles.

So if the customer doesn't know a promo exists, they won't ask about it and the telemarketing or sales staff won't tell them. I tried this myself and told my friend about the offer, so he activated it, while the staff didn't tell him it exists.