As you walk into Teledirect Telecommerce's call centre on the sixth floor of the East Wing of Wisma Selangor Dredging, the scene that greets you is of people busy on the phones. The only sound you hear is the constant hum of their voices, as they speak to the other person on the line, either to explain or sell a product.
Suddenly, someone in the room shouts "SALE". The incessant drone is thus disrupted as loud cheers erupt. There is a flurry of activity, as the other operators jump up, converging towards the "voice" to congratulate the triumphant telemarketer.
The jubilant voice may well belong to Rozalizah Mohamad Ali, one of the star performers in the company. Indeed, when The Edge caught up with Rozalizah one early afternoon, she had already successfully locked in 12 sales — just three short of the day's target of 15 sales.
So, what draws Rosalizah to a job most people would describe as tedious and somewhat stressful?
When Rosalizah, a Sabahan, wanted a job in Kuala Lumpur 21/2 years ago, an employment agency introduced her to Teledirect Telecommerce. It wasn't exactly what she was looking for, but decided to give it a try anyway, she recalls.
Today, Rosalizah is one of the most productive telemarketers for Teledirect and says she cannot imagine working in any other job. This is coming from a 30-year-old who has a degree in accountancy.
So, what is a day in the life of a "telemarketer" like?
A typical day for Rosalizah begins around 10am, but she tries to be in the office half an hour earlier to settle in and check the schedule for the day. She then attends a briefing by the team leader, which lasts about 15 minutes to half an hour, during which performances the day before are reviewed and targets set.
At around 10am, she is at her desk and on the phone, making calls to potential clients so that she can meet the "target" — the number of sales her team leader requires her to achieve for the day.
Each call lasts about 10 minutes, and this goes on until about 1pm, when Rosalizah breaks for lunch. She is back in the same routine at 2pm, and does not clock out until 6pm. In a day, Rosalizah averages between 70 and 100 calls to potential customers, whose data is obtained from the computer.
It may sound simple but Rosalizah says the job requires telecommunication skills, and the power to convince a customer to make a purchase over the phone. And that is not always easy, as not everyone is responsive and sometimes, she encounters some unpleasant people.
What does she do under such circumstances?
"You smile, you remain courteous," Rosalizah says. "Sometimes I feel frustrated, but you move on, start again. I am used to it, so, I don't feel that bad when people are nasty," she adds.
To help its staff overcome the tedium and sometimes frustration, the company organises special programmes, such as birthday celebrations. The monetary reward is also good; apart from a basic income, the telemarketer is also paid a commission based on the sales, Rosalizah says.
|