Not the worst call centre I worked for but still not a viable career and still very poor in many areas
Pros
They do offer decent hourly wage which for non skilled work is not too bad (although this includes holiday pay...). This company is also not like any of the horror stories i've experienced in other call centres, the supervisors (most of them) are generally supportive and they do mean well, it doesn't feel like they're out to get you. You still have to hit your targets, not be off the phones too long, etc. but i was never scared off taking a bathroom break or taking a quick break. They're also good at not being too pushy, you still have to make 2 asks and do your best to get into the call but if somebody sounds vulnerable or upset, we're told to say thank you and hang up.
Cons
It's still a typical, depressing, call centre job. The vast majority of people are annoyed about being phoned, they're often busy, so you're just reading the same script, trying to get into call, again and again, knowing that the person on the telephone doesn't want to talk to you. I spoke to people who signed petitions years ago with no contact since... no wonder they're telling you to f off or telling you to get a real job. The company claims to be innovative but really it's just the same old methods. Nobody wants to speak on the telephone these days, even less being asked for money, this is not the future and it shows. The company itself gives you the classic corporate speech upon joining but it quickly became clear that it was all talk. The company is pretty baldy run, the contract is a bit of a joke, they claim to have holiday pay but this is actually included in the hourly pay (as of 2020, maybe this has changed now), so taking holiday is basically impossible. Claiming to be a living wage employer is very cheeky when you're incorporating the holiday pay with the hourly pay... Like most companies, they claim to really care about mental health but again, it's pretty much all talk... a full shift can be horrendous and doing it every single day is incredibly depressing, realistically nothing can be done by the company to support that. They ran a 'feel good' meeting (which sometimes got cancelled at the last minute lol) which I guess was their way to improve morale... it was patronising, childish, VERY corporate and VERY awkward... and you were encouraged to join even on days off... no thanks. This is work, NOT a family, employers need to understand this. The equipment is terrible and cheap, the headsets are cheap, everything constantly breaks, the dialing software is... probably free to use, the laptop I was given still had conversations from the previous employee on... it's unbelievable. Overall it's pretty degrading work, you're infantilised constantly, the incessant dialing is depressing, the people on the telephone clearly aren't interested and who can blame them. And to top it all off, there is absolutely ZERO incentive for doing your job well. No bonus, no commission, I think some people got a voucher once... just give them the money lol, it's slightly less insulting. I worked in other call centre before (clearly I haven't learned my lesson), this one is a bit better because they're less pushy but i still cannot recommend to anybody.