TMCnet News
Virtual call center trains grads stay at home in Watertown, N.Y., area(Watertown Daily Times (NY) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Aug. 24--To go to work in the morning, Brian E. Hamilton rolls out of bed, pulls on some clothes and heads to a small room in the South Massey Street apartment he shares in Watertown with his wife, Megan Y. Kinne. While the cats, Sam and Bones, pad across the floor outside, Mr. Hamilton answers calls from DirecTV customers in places as far flung as Washington state and Alaska. In the evening, Ms. Kinne joins him at a corner desk across from his, logs in and begins answering calls of her own. "Good morning, thank you for calling DirecTV, may I have your first and last name?" she says, typing the information into her computer. "How can I help you today?" This year, officials from Dulles, Va.-based N.E.W. Customer Service Cos. Inc. announced that they had chosen Watertown as the location of their newest virtual call center. In April, N.E.W. established a training center at Jefferson Community College, with the expectations of hiring at least 120 people, and began the six-week training sessions. The first graduates of the program, which had been hailed by local economic development officials for its employment opportunities, have started working full-time in Watertown and surrounding communities. Carthage resident Jo Ann Tymko saw a story about N.E.W. on the news and went to its Web site. She submitted her application at the end of March. "You wonder about work at home, if it's too good to be true, and I went into it a little leery," she said, voicing what tends to be a common worry among new employees. "I even told my husband, 'I'm going to have to see if I get paid. If I don't, I'm out of there,'" she said. "It was everything they promised." Mrs. Tymko already had the required computer and Internet connection; she said her only investment for the job was the purchase of a $30 headset. Her pay is $10 an hour, with insurance and free DirecTV. Yet Mrs. Tymko said the intangible benefits are what make the job so valuable. "It's nice not to have to worry about gas prices or scheduling extra time to get in to work because of the weather," she said. "I don't have to buy extra clothes; I don't have to worry about office politics." As a customer care representative, Mrs. Tymko works 10-hour days for four days a week with Thursday through Saturday off. Since the company offers extensive overtime hours, Mrs. Tymko adds extra work when it's convenient. Including overtime, she said, she makes about $1,000 every two weeks. During her breaks, she pops into the kitchen to start dinner or starts a load of laundry. Family members, understanding that she needs complete quiet when she's on the phone, hand her sticky notes if they need her. At the end of her workday, Mrs. Tymko takes off her headset and walks into the living room. "There are a number of people I've known that are trying it and they are enjoying it too," she said. "It's especially convenient for people who want to stay at home. It's the only place where you can go to work in a bathrobe and slippers and don't have to worry." Like Mrs. Tymko, Mr. Hamilton was both attracted by and suspicious of the home-based nature of the business. Mr. Hamilton, who previously had worked as a truck driver and at Stream International, said he equated working at home with fly-by-night operations and fraudulent call centers. Despite his suspicions, Mr. Hamilton applied to N.E.W. in March. As he moved through the hiring process, which included an initial interview, Web meetings and a final interview, he said, he became increasingly convinced of the legitimacy of the company. By the time he started training, Mr. Hamilton said, he was convinced that signing on with N.E.W. had been the right decision. Mr. Hamilton began his six weeks of training with 22 others and said that 15 completed the course. He estimates there are about 60 people who have been through the course and are working in Watertown. A class of 23 people now undergoing the training includes his brother, Robert L. Hamilton. After Mr. Hamilton completed his own training session, he signed up to work five hours in the morning and five in the evening with a three-hour break in between. Every day, he logs on to a program on his computer, where he's part of a group of 25 home-based workers and a supervisor, and clicks on the button that indicates he's available to receive calls. As a full-time math and science major at JCC with a full-time job at Stream, Ms. Kinne said, she "got jealous coming home every day and seeing him chill out." Ms. Kinne began her own N.E.W. training in June and then scheduled her hours around her other demands so she could attend school from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and work at home from 3 p.m. to midnight or from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Ms. Kinne said her new job means she doesn't have to worry about hair or makeup and can work in her pajamas. When she's done with work, she said, she's able to get right into bed and go to sleep. When questions come up that she can't answer, and they do, Ms. Kinne turns to her husband to ask him or writes instant messages to other online staff. Other employees also are able to send her messages when they know of large problems -- lightning storms in Florida, for example -- that may be interfering with DirecTV. Ms. Kinne and Mr. Hamilton say they answer up to 55 calls per day, dealing with problems as varied as snowy screens, remote controls that don't work or television wires that have been chewed by raccoons. Although neither one wants to remain a call center employee forever -- Ms. Kinne plans to become a nurse -- both say the job is a perfect fit for them for now. "The most important thing is that it's not a scam," Ms. Kinne said. "It's an actual job, with actual work. You're just lucky enough to be in the comfort of your own home." To see more of the Watertown Daily Times, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.watertowndailytimes.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Watertown Daily Times, N.Y. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |