May 20
No solicitors is not Good news
Picture this scenario if you please. You have worked all day long, are tired from slaving away at the grindstone. After braving the tedious drive home and the ever annoying stop at the local grocery store where you only needed to pick up a few minor items to feed your-self and the other exhausting family members, only to stand in a long line behind a person that seems to have absolutely nowhere to go and no life, you finally arrive home. Your sanctuary, where nothing and nobody can disturb your peace. Granted you have still a few things to do, like cooking Dinner, washing your laundry and helping your kids with homework, but you can do this without any further obligations or interruptions of the outside world besides the ones you choose to let in your home via the Television Set. Ah, finally you are done, the kids are off in their room, the meal is over and the dishes done. You have just turned on your favorite TV Show and it just at its funniest point, the Phone starts ringing. You sigh, but absentmindedly pick up the receiver; after all it could be your Mom, your best friend Joe or your little Sister. “Hello?” you intone into the Phone. Nothing happens! “Hello?” you ask again, this time a little more irritated then the last time, you are missing the punch line of your Show. Then suddenly you hear this overeager voice on the other side. “Hello? Oh high, how are you today?” Not a good move, you are instantly on edge. After all why would they care how you feel and who are they anyway. Never the less it is proper and you cautiously answer. “Fine.” The Voice on the other end doesn’t miss a beat at that point and suddenly you are in the middle of being told all about this must have, can not miss the opportunity of a lifetime. The fabulous Item that will not only make your life a lot easier and your dreams come true, but also make you rich, famous and beloved by the opposite Sex. And wait, wait for it. It will do all of this for the low, low introductory offer of only $9.99 for the first 30Days. You won’t be under any obligation and can cancel anytime. No harm done.”
You have just entered the Telemarketing Zone.
Admit it; you have had those calls at least a dozen times. With products ranging from your local News Paper to the newest Kitchen Gadget, Timeshare Housing to Insurance Plans. Most of the time you have probably taken it in strait and others you have sight in frustration right before you have threatened to sue their Company for all they are worth. Most of you, probably have put your number on the federal do not call list. Yes, we all dislike the Telemarketers, but have you ever put yourself in their Shoes? Can you even think of how it has to be for them?
I currently work as a Data Entry Clerk for one of those Newspaper Promotions Companies. We market Newspaper Promotions throughout the US. We deal with tiny papers like the New Jersey Record in Bergen County NJ and larger Companies like the St Rosa Press Democrat in Texas. We are employed from the Marketing Directors of the Paper to give their Sales a Boost and get their Newspaper out to as many People as possible. We have a quota to meet every week or we loose our Papers. When I first started working there, I was one of the Telemarketers we just described and have had my share of rough Waters. Sadly, I am horrible as a Telemarketer since I can not quiet manage to ride rough shot over the Person on the other end, not to mention that I have a quirky sense of humor. However, having been there for many years on both ends as the Telemarketer and the clerical servant, I got to know the in and outs of Telemarketing as we at the company got to know it.
To explain a few things, allow me to go of questions that I have heard personally and give you the answers
How did you get my Phone number and address?
Here we have three possible Answers.
One: We use what is called an automated Dialer. It does exactly what you think it does. We feed in the Area Code and the Prefixes and then it starts dialing automatically all the subsequent numbers until it reaches our ending Sequence. Basically, if we put in start at Area code 724 Prefix 461 and end at Area code 724 Prefix 462 it will dial all the numbers in between. 724 461 0001, 724 461 0002 and so on. The only numbers that will not be dialed are the ones that have been scrubbed against our internal and federal Do not Call lists. Those numbers will be automatically skipped.
Two: A former subscriber list. Sometimes the News Papers will send us a list of People that have tried the Paper before for a Trial period. You are eligible to get the special Promotion after 30 days from the day your subscription has ended. This too is how we have the Names and Addresses at that point. It was already in the system once. However, billing information as in Credit Cards are not given to us. We have to ask for those Details and you have the choice then to give it for EZ Pay methods which will make it a lot cheaper for you or take the Statement Option.
Three: We don’t use this option, but some do. You can purchase a Marketing List from various Companies. Those Data’s are collected via your online Purchases, other Trials you may have purchased etc.
I have already told you not to call me again. Or don’t you understand NO!
If the Telemarketer does its job he or she will be honest and explain a couple quick things to you. Since most of them either don’t have the time, you are too irate to listen or they really don’t know allow me to explain it for them. Since I work as part of the Do Not Call Department, I can give you the information first hand.
We have three different listings for Do not call. One is regular residential. Your number is placed on it and it can take up to 72 hrs for it to cycle through the dialer. It then will be removed for a period of time, from 6 month to 1 Year. This ensures that the contact number is not lost, just incase someone else gets your Phone Number if you move. During those 72hrs, it is possible that your number will get recalled by different solicitors, they do not have any control over it. Second one is a Business List; here we remove full Blocks of Phone Numbers for the Businesses. The same however applies. It can take up to 72 hrs for your number to cycle, but here the number should be taken out period. Make sure you give the Solicitor all the numbers to your Business; we can only remove what we have. Only the number which we have used to call into, is displayed on the Screen. So if you have 25 lines in your Company, we need all 25 Phone Numbers. Best is to ask for a Supervisor and fax number. Ask, who is in charge of the Do not Calls and then fax your list to the Number given attention Do not call Department. Make sure you give the full Phone Numbers, which includes the Area Codes. I personally have been unable to remove some Blocks because it showed nowhere on the fax what the Area code was. Again, remember we deal with all of the USA. The third list is the “legal”. This means it gets taken out immediately. The Number is entered into the Dialer by the supervisor and then again later by the Do not Call Department. The Number is removed permanently. Here is how you go about it. Ask the Telemarketer to speak to a Supervisor. Get the Supervisors Name when he or she comes on line and write it down for further record. Tell them you want your number to be removed immediately and permanently from their Do not call list. Explain to them that you will take legal action if you are bothered again.
I need to talk to my husband/wife. I don’t make the decision. (Just to get them off the phone)
Please, unless you really mean it, don’t ever use that statement. The Telemarketer will just either call you back personally at a later time and date or put you down as a Recall. This means, you are almost certain to be called again.
My Kid ordered the Paper and I did not want it.
Let’s be fair here. Most of the time we can not tell how old the person on the other end is. Normally we ask for the head of the household. If the kid says she or he is, it is over. They then can answer all the questions and we consider it an order. If we are not sure, normally we ask: “Are you at least 18?” Again, if the child says yes, we have to take their word for it. Please, don’t get upset with us; just call the paper or the number that is on your Caller ID. Give your name and let them know what happened. Telemarketers are not in the habit of trying to sell to children I can assure you. In our Company we record every call; once such a recall comes in we listen to the Phone Conversation. If there was any call for the solicitor or the supervisor to doubt that the person on the other end was under age and went through with it anyway, they are reprimanded the first time and fired the second.
I have tried to order your Paper several times before and never received it.
Here is the second part of my Data Entry job. I type the orders out and send it in to the Papers. If you haven’t received the Paper it can have several causes.
You live out of the delivery Area. The Paper does not always give that information to us. There are certain high crime Areas they do not deliver to or out of the way areas like Route addresses.
You did not give them the full address or a cross street. They may not be able to find it. If you are in an Apartment, make sure to give them your Apartment Number and your Building Number. The nearest Cross Street or the Name of the Apartment Complex. Please, spell your name to make sure they have it correctly.
The Paper has just not been started yet. I don’t get the order until the next day and then it can take up to 4 days for the Paper to be started at their Circulation Desk. So a good rough estimation is 3 to 5 Days from the order given.
Why don’t you get a job! Quit calling decent People.
Yes, I have heard that several times, right along with a wide array of cuss words. Telemarketing just like any other Sales Job is a real Job. Matter of fact it is a hard Job in which you have to have a lot of drive and a tough skin. Often, it is a nuisance for you on the other end, but ever so often you can get some really good deals from them. Telemarketers often get paid only by Commission and often enough they are pretty low. For them to make it worth their while they have to sell quiet a few Papers. Most of the time they work up to 14 hours to make ends meet. A lot of our Workers are elderly people or Students. We have people that had problems in their life or are new to town. It is very difficult being cussed out all day long and then still have to be polite on your end.
I am a day sleeper; can you not leave me alone?
We really don’t know when you are awake or asleep. Just let them know it is a bad time or just turn your ringer off. Most are pretty nice people, they don’t like their job any more then you do, but they have to feed their families somehow.
And now on to a lighter side of the Article.
A few very quick things that made me laugh while working on the Phones.
I love it when kids answer the phones. The little ones are often so cute. From telling you over and over their Age, to screening their Parents calls. (You might want to teach your kids not to say they are alone at home however, that is not safe and I heard it more then I wanted to as a Mother). The most memorable however was a little kid that informed me that neither her Dad nor Mom was available, since they were married to each other. How can you beat this logic?
I actually had a woman answer the phone and cuss me out for calling her. Her reason, she was in the middle of giving her Boyfriend Oral Pleasure. I would have just let it ring personally, but eh I wasn’t her.
Another one was an almost comical occurrence. I actually ended up making it a weekly ritual with the one woman. For some reason the Dialer logged me into this elderly lady every Sunday. She was a self proclaimed Christian Lady and cussed me up one side and down the other for calling her on Sunday, the Lords Day. How dare I work on the holy day? After about 6 Weeks, I would fear being on the Phone and sure enough her number would show up again, I started thinking she waited for my calls, so after a while I started just saying: “Hi Rose, it is me again. Sorry the Dialer is going nuts. I know you don’t want the Paper and I should be in church. So how was your week and what are you cooking for Dinner? My kids are fine and I get off in … however long it was until my shifts end” The first time she was upset, but then started laughing. So until I quit my job on the phone we did that every week. We would talk for about 5 minutes and catch up with each other. I really miss her sometimes.
Calling the Editor of the Paper you are trying to sell is always fun. Go right ahead and try selling the Product right back to the source.
I had a guy cussing me out one time so bad I was everything and everyone but Regina. Since I am a lifestyle Slave, humiliation is nothing new to me. I had one of my stupid days and put my head down. Started laughing so hard I had tears running down my face. After a while that guy was curious what the hell was wrong with me and why I thought being called a C&*t was funny. I explained to him that I was a lifestyle slave and that I heard worst then that as foreplay. It just made me feel like home. The guy was so flabbergasted that he bought the Paper.
And then there was the guy that liked my german accent so much that he was only going to buy the paper if I would deliver it personally to him. Sorry guy, delivery service to New York would be just a bit too expensive.
Closing thought:
Remember, that those pesky Telemarketers are only doing their Job. Try to stay polite and just let them know that you are not interested. Keep it quick and simple and don’t resort to cussing. It just makes them more irritating. They can loose their jobs if they get an attitude and most of them have families to support, just like you. Try walking in their shoes sometimes. It isn’t easy. You can always just hang up!
