Description: Growing Pains: An in-depth look at the exploding teleservices industry (Part One)
Synopsis:
Teleservices: It's the fastest-growing industry in Tucson and among those exploding in North America and around the world. As of 1998, between 6 million and 7 million agents work in some 48,000 call centers based in the United States handling inbound calls for businesses and government agencies. With 16,000 agents then in Tucson, a number that was predicted to double by the year 2003, questions swirl regarding an industry sometimes called the ``sweatshops of the '90s.'' This report takes a look at call centers, then and now. Only by understanding where one has been can one look to the future. Growing Pains: Part One is designed to build a foundation from which one can benchmark the industrys progress. Tucson, a typical call center city, serves as the main case study for this report, but the results translate well into just about any call-center market.This report begins with a call to action from union organizers who saw Tucson teleservices providers fertile ground from which to recruit workers frustrated by what can only be called growing pains.
Review:
“RuthAnn Hogue’s in-depth study of call center trends, with a focus on Tucson,
Arizona, was a real eye-opener for me. Not having worked in the industry, I had
no idea that there was such a polarity of working conditions. I read with interest
and a vague sense of horror about the environment of some call centers, which
resemble the old “sweat shop” or “galley slave” mentality, not necessarily in the
physical sense, but more in the emotional arena.
”Hogue skillfully contrasts this with call centers that go so far as to offer their
employees periodic backrubs during their work day. The contrast between the
two extremes was drawn with a sharp, well-researched line.
”Interviews with call center workers, both current and former, provided an
invaluable peek inside this “invisible” industry as well. No one says it quite like
those who’ve ‘been there, done that.’
”This comprehensive work even delves into the politics of call centers, giving
their most popular geographic locations and a generalized profile of the average
call center employee. It covers the changing face of policies, touches on wage
information and the future possibility of raising the bar on education and the
presentation of career fairs. The ‘Fast Facts’ segments proved to be interesting
and helpful.”
Shirley Bahlmann, author of historical non-fiction.
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