2 Job Offers, Need Advice

Off Topic
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[quote]wstevens3785 wrote:

[quote]fraggle wrote:
I would say Job #2, for the same reasons others have said.

Also, wrt to Job #1, do you know what the turnover is? I only mention this because a friend of mine was doing the same thing, with a contract for one year and promises of a big raise upon renewal.

After one year, almost everybody in the department was let go, and they hired a new crop of unskilled labour.

[/quote]

Hard to say. Since Ameriprise acquired Columbia they’ve been expanding their mutual fund operations in hopes of gaining a larger market share. The term “call center” is such a buzz word that when I’ve discussed this with friends they immediately roll their eyes and, without even hearing option 2, say to not take the job.[/quote]Buzz word.

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bump

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[quote]wstevens3785 wrote:
bump[/quote]

No need to.
All’s been said that needed saying.

Choose.

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[quote]wstevens3785 wrote:

[quote]gabex wrote:
Job1-
Find out if this is inbound or outbound call center (or if both, how what % of each)
Outbound will probably be cold calling, prospecting, etc
Inbound you would be dealing with existing clients, perhaps “upselling” and providing customer support
For the call center part, aside from sales, find out what the other metrics are
“Number of calls made or received”
“Average talk/handling time”
And also find out EXACTLY how you are rated on sales

You need to know more about this job because there are a lot of “hidden” aspects of call centers

You know 11-8 is set hours, your schedule is predicable, so will your day, etc

Job2-may not be as predictable in schedule, hours, your job function, etc, and all of that, with an equal pay as job 1 I don’t know if would be worth it…

Do you mind sharing who job 1 is with? PM me if you don’t want to post here.
[/quote]

I don’t mind, and thanks to everyone for the replies.

It’s for Columbia Management, they were previously owned by Bank of America but were recently bought out by Ameriprise Financial. The job requires I get my Series 6 and Series 63 licenses to deal with mutual funds, so training is roughly 5 weeks before I even get on the phones.

I was skeptical when I heard “call center” and “customer service rep” in the same sentence, but it’s a lot different than what I thought. It’s an INBOUND call center, so I wouldn’t be churning out hundreds of cold calls a day. They said an average day is around 30 calls talking to financial advisors, wholesalers, etc. but would obviously increase a good deal in volume around tax season.[/quote]

I also work for an inbound call center. It is a glorified call center to be honest. Training is 4-6 weeks. Starting pay was about $32k (that’s in Indiana). I was told I would take an average of 60 calls a day. For my first year, we had metrics that were somewhat based on the number of calls we took (average handling time, availability, and average hold time, etc). I busted my ass, and always took 80-100 calls a day, one time peaking at 120. Some calls were simple, I could handle in 30 seconds. Some are more complex.

Unfortunately, in my job, there is not a whole lot of upward mobility. There are 60 people in my department all wanting to get ahead, with very few openings.

Just be cautious with the call center and try to get as much information as you possibly can.

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Hey guys,

Thanks for all the replies and advice, it’s much appreciated.

I ended up taking the offer with job 2. Hopefully it was the right choice!! Thanks again.

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[quote]wstevens3785 wrote:
Hey guys,

Thanks for all the replies and advice, it’s much appreciated.

I ended up taking the offer with job 2. Hopefully it was the right choice!! Thanks again.[/quote]

Phew!! I feared I turned up too late, but you did the right thing anyway!!

49

[quote]wstevens3785 wrote:
Hey guys,

Thanks for all the replies and advice, it’s much appreciated.

I ended up taking the offer with job 2. Hopefully it was the right choice!! Thanks again.[/quote]

Let us know it 6 month what you think of the job. Good luck.

50

[quote]wstevens3785 wrote:
Hey guys,

Thanks for all the replies and advice, it’s much appreciated.

I ended up taking the offer with job 2. Hopefully it was the right choice!! Thanks again.[/quote]

It is the right choice. ANYONE can get a call center job. Talk about feeling trapped.

I accepted a traveling job with a software company at 23 in 1994 for 24k traveling heavily. I quadrupled that in 6 years with less travel. Income potential was great and I went places. I still was away maybe 2-3 days a week on average, but I was able to get a house and get secure. Be smart about your money. Save 10% each month.

You did the right thing and you’ll enjoy it, and if you are any good the upside is 10 times Job 1, and the experience looks way better on a resume than a phone drone.

Good luck.