Millions of people now work in call-centres. They spend all day being insulted by a disgruntled public, conditions are poor (toilet breaks timed or worse denied), and pay is derisory. If only there was someone taking care of these people from above, offering succour and hope of future salvation from their Dickensian misery. I'm sure God would approve, we just need a candidate or a name for him/her.
-- Redbrickterrace, Oct 23 2001

Patron Saints http://www.saintspr...om/saintfinder1.htm
If cab drivers, miners, paratroopers and television have one, why not? (Excellent wallpaper also.) [pottedstu, Oct 23 2001, last modified Oct 21 2004]

More patron saints http://www.carr.org.../saints/patrons.htm
See under telegraph/telephone. [pottedstu, Oct 23 2001, last modified Oct 21 2004]

'Prayer Before Logging Onto the Internet' http://www.catholic.../isidore/prayer.htm
Also available in Latin. [angel, Oct 23 2001, last modified Oct 21 2004]

FTC's Do-Not-Call Registry https://www.donotcall.gov/
The patron saints of telemarketer call recipients. [bristolz, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]

Nothing specific to call centre workers exists, but St Clare of Assisi and St Gabriel both have claims to be patron saint of the telephone (Gabriel is patron saint of communications). St Expeditus is the patron saint of e-commerce and procrastinators. (See links.)

Actually, on the subject, how about a neat, one-word or two-word name for call centre workers, or an abbreviation? Phone Jockeys? Headsetters? Talkies?
-- pottedstu, Oct 23 2001


well done RBT, I croissant you.

When working as a call center (re) manager, I have noted that I possess all the tools to create and run the sweatshop of the 21st century. If management doesn't deign to take care of the agents (pottedstu, best term I know, I hate "reps") then I agree that divine intervention is required.

BTW, my centers were open 365 days:

``You'll want all day tomorrow, I suppose?''

``If quite convenient, Sir.''

``It's not convenient, and it's not fair. If I was to stop half-a-crown for it, you'd think yourself ill-used, I 'll be bound?''
-- daruma, Oct 23 2001


The title of this idea was broken across two lines on my monitor. I though it was going to say Patron Saint of Call Girls.
-- pussygalore, Oct 23 2001


pottedstu: I call thenm phone monkeys, but then again I call a lot of people with jobs monkeys. For example I am a trolley monkey atm because the people at my work have deemed me good enough to help retrive trolleys from the carpark at the sainsbury's where I work. What I wouldn't give for trolleys with herd instincts.
-- kaz, Oct 23 2001


Sorry, what's a "call centre?" Is that where telemarketers work? Or where customer service people emploted by credit card companies and the like work?
-- snarfyguy, Oct 23 2001


snarfy: both. also where you call for airline tickets, mail catalog orders, phone bill inquiries, PC troubleshooting help, Ginsu knife purchases from infomercials and the like. Some are predominately "inbound" (you call them) while others are "outbound."
-- daruma, Oct 23 2001


I bloody hope not. Alice's AI 'conversational techniques' are nearly as gibberingly inscrutable as Elisa's. Mind you, sounds like some of the telesales people I've had to deal with.
-- Guy Fox, Oct 24 2001


When I was one I called myself a "teleharrassment specialist". I tried to do my job as ethically as humanly possible (even standing up to management repeatedly and refusing to do things I didn't agree with) and still doing well by my employer and myself. This was not some boiler room telemarketing either. Many of the companies were "respected" U.S. firms. But at the end of the day the job itself lends itself to irresponsibility. Punish Corporate America for having such lowest common denominator ideas about how to economically, effectively market to potential customers. So I say, Teleharrassment Specialist it is.
-- thecat, Jun 14 2003


If anyone really wants to see call center folks helped, check out http://www.voicecare.org.uk/. There are workshops and resources designed to help call center folks take better care of their chops.
-- hyphenator, Nov 07 2003


On a tangential note, it also sounds like telemarketers would work more happily in a spiritual environment--architecturally, I mean. If someone invented a religion that leaned heavily on telemarketing for its finances, instead of tithing or the collection plate, would it be all that different, or even successful? I'm thinking of a telemarketing office space (with no offense intended to any of the fine religions involved) somewhat like, say, the Blue Mosque or St. Peter's or the Mormon temple outside DC...
-- cloudface, Nov 08 2003



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