Call Center Hopper

The call center industry has been reported to have the highest attrition rate amongst all industries. This can be due to several reasons: resignation, termination, job hopping to name a few. Based on experience, I should say the latter has been very common for most agents. I, for one is guilty of that.

Call center hopper was the term coined for call center agents who hop from one call center to another frequently. We really can't blame them if they do that. Let's just say they haven't found the right company yet that offers what they are looking for. For 2 years in this business, I've been to 5 call centers already including my current one and the entire process of hopping gave me ambivalence. I was happy because finally, the agony I've gone through in my previous company had come to an end and the feeling of excitement towards the environment and facilities of my new company and the joy of meeting new people had engulfed me. I was sad at the same time because bidding farewell to my colleagues in my previous company made me cry for a while. Parting is indeed such a sweet sorrow.

Call center hopping is not really a good thing. Aside from the fact that you'll have to start all over again from scratch in your new company, adjusting yourself to your new environment and people around you comes along with it. Having a lot of call centers in your resume strikes a negative perception against you. This might put your application in the new company at risk as the interviewer might think that you are not worth to work for them as there is a big chance that you'll leave them as soon as you find another call center better than them.

Another disadvantage is that you'll find yourself stuck in being an agent while the colleagues you left in your previous call center were already promoted to higher positions such as team leader. The longest I've stayed in one company is just 6 months while the shortest one is 2 months. With this kind of duration, promotion is rarely possible. As far as I know, it takes at least a year for an agent to be promoted to team leader. Some got promoted right after regularization but that seldom happens if you work in huge call centers with thousands of employees.

I'm on my third month now in my current company. I love it here. I am happy with my account, my teammates and my company and I hope that this would be my 5th and last call center.

So for those who are still contemplating on hopping to another call center, why not try to be patient with your current company, work hard and find ways on how you can enjoy your job. Who knows you might be promoted if you stick a little bit longer.