The Final Adieu

The final adieu was a difficult thing. My ex-workplace had my relieving letter with them, so I had to go there to collect it and trust me it was actually walking down the memory lane. Everything about the place actually made me cry and made it even more difficult for me to actually say goodbye. I met some really cute guys there and hot guys too… lol!

 

That place was a circus with psycho people around me, flirts, friends, people who taught me to drink beer, people who taught me to speak with the correct pronunciation and accent.

 

This is how the reactions were:

 

Conversation with my First Cousin on Facebook Chat (I will call ‘her’ D and she was in the U.K. when this conversation took place! Well she is in the U.K. even now!)

D: hey Mita!

Me: hi… how are you?

D: I am good. So what’s up these days? You have completed your graduation, haven’t you? So what’s lined up now?

Me: well waiting for my result and will be joining a BPO. Monday ko first day! 😀

D: oh! So you are joining a BPO. Well what company is it? How much are they paying you? What are the shift timings?

Me: Woahh! So many questions… well the company is called XYZ, it’s a British Banking Process called the ABC bank. They are paying me Rs. So and so… and the shift timings are rotational.

D: well except for the salary nothing seems interesting.

Me: well yeah, that’s what BPO’s are famous for, right? Good salary! What else do I need!

D: well I have recently closed my bank account with the ABC bank that you are going to work for. You know they charge so much from us and the customer service is so pathetic Mita. One day I called the customer service for some issue and this guy was from Mumbai but he faked his accent. I was so ‘i-rated’! kya bolu mein terko… I told him that Dude I know you are from Mumbai so please don’t give me this accent.

Me: hmmm… and say…? Hows work…?

D: good re.. chal gtg.. Talk to you later and best of luck for this BPO job of yours.

And before I could thank her she went offline. After a few days I came to know that she was unemployed there in the U.K. and hence was offended when I asked her how’s work… Nevermind.

 

Well the above conversation was nothing but more or less a feedback from a customer about customer service. Though D has always hated BPO employees as she thinks they are getting paid more than required. But in the entire conversation, all she was interested in was my salary and making harsh comments on the bank that I was going to work for. She might’ve got the worst customer service but the fact is she isn’t that polite either. She treats customer service executives as her servants, which is the case with most of us and is wrong. Before working for a BPO even I treated them like D did and after working in a BPO I now understand the executive’s problem.

 

Conversation with another cousin over dinner (Even she worked for a BPO for 3 years and then turned into a Teacher. Let’s call her M)

 

Me: aur bolo M Didi, how’s A(her boyfriend)?

M: he is fine re… ki boli toke I am now tired of him. (The words in Italic form are in Bengali and it says: “what should I tell you…”)

Me: don’t worry, just give it some time.

M: yeah re… and say Mita, maashi told me that you are joining an XYZ company? And they are paying you quite well…?

Me: yeah… it’s a blah-blah process and the salary is good. Also I have got the blah-blah facility… 😀

M: nice yaar. I enjoyed so much when I was working for the 123 company and the DEF company. I had become a Shopaholic and R (her brother) used to ask me to take him to KFC every weekend.

Me: nice. Even I am waiting for my first salary, even I want to take Alok (my brother) to all the food joints he love. And yes shopping for me and ma would be great…

M: yeah but Mita let me tell you, don’t make a career here. You are not the BPO types. And the pressure there is unbearable.

Me: well let’s see that… let’s order some cold drink now…

 

This conversation ended up here and we had our cold drink and left for home. In the above conversation it was nothing but a feedback from a person who has left the industry completely. It had a genuine feedback. M did miss the luxury of working in a BPO but was also glad that she left the pressure that she couldn’t handle.

Conversation with my mother’s sister face to face (She works for Western Railway with my mother. Let’s call her CM)

 

Me: Hi

CM: see Mita, PC (one of my BPO cousin) and M has spoiled their life working in a BPO. You are a brilliant child. You can do more than this. I know you have taken this job because you want to support your mother, very good but please in the meanwhile keep trying for Bank jobs and Government jobs. You know it’s a great honor to work with a Government Organization. So promise me that you would keep applying for Government jobs.

Me: yes CM I promise…

CM: Good! Let’s have lunch now.

 

So this was a conversation with my CM who is still giving me gyaan on Government jobs. Not her fault as she had seen people all her life working in government sectors like Banks, Navy and Railway. And to some extent she is correct too.

So after all this conversation with all the three ladies with different opinions I told myself to ignore all the comments and concentrate on my first day.

 

My first day at the work

I was super excited as it was my first real job then. I had always seen mixed reactions from people when I told them that I want to work for a BPO, as you might’ve read it in the above few paragraphs. So I saw this really cute trainer who was short in height and was on the heavy side with dark looks. Buss.. I had my first crush at work. Then I realized that he was not my Core Trainer and it was some VP (name not disclosed as he is married now… so generous of me!). The first day was full of information about the company and filing up forms for new bank accounts and getting to know new people. The first day ended with free lunch coupon and that had good food. I was in love with the cafeteria and the food.

 

My second day at work

19^th April,2011 – was an even more exciting day. I and Shrabani left home early in the morning, as our Voice and Accent training was scheduled at 7 in the morning. We were excited as we wanted to know how VP looked. The moment we reached the ‘training room number 3‘ and saw that cute trainer of ours, I had my second crush at work. Not only I but all the females in my batch had their crush on him. He was a delight to watch. My brother says that I actually can be very rude and full of vulgar in my comments on guys, but I have got the right as men have commented in the same way in the past, anyway – so this VP was not only hot and cute but yummy… LOL! My best friend had this even bigger crush on him and I tried my level best to make things easier for them.

 

My second week at work

By the second week came, the things were completely different. My best friend realized that this trainer guy has a thing for me and she was heartbroken for some hours and I was sad for her. But then his behavior changed towards me and he started flirting and started showing that he has got a thing for me. Core training was going great and going to work every day was something I was looking for. VP taught us how to speak in the Brit style and the accent and the words and it was all just fun. English had been my strength since school and I always loved this subject to the core. So a hot guy teaching me some more aspect of English was like the cherry on the top.

 

Later

As and when time passed by, people left. Some people became my good friends while some were my frenemies (friends cum enemies). Some guys showed their interest in me while some showed their interest in my best friend. Some of them showed interest in both of us. Later we had more cute process trainers but none were as hot as VP. We were then divided into teams and had our respective team leaders. This was the time when the real work begun. The training time was indeed the Honeymoon period while the work time was WORK! Talking to the customers were a mixed feeling again. Some customers were good while some customers who had an Indian Surname but born there were ruder than the actual Brit customers.

Well days passed by and I enjoyed my days there. I cried on farewells. I laughed on some calls. I met people who were really great beer friends while some were the people who taught me how to be a part of internal politics. Some people made me realize what I am and I made some people realize what they were. Some people never spoke but knew that I was working with them. I had many crushes and they all were crushed the moment I left the company, except for one. Who that one is no one would know.

 

While going out of the company’s gate on Friday after submitting my P.F. form, I had a flashback of all the good and bad moments. I knew it was a new start and a fresh set of crushes are waiting for me… LOL!

 

Anyway this was the final adieu to my ex-company where I learnt a lot.