Tell us your experiences of long call centre waiting times
As call centre waiting times are on the rise, we would like to hear about your experiences of being kept on hold
August 2022
Listening in: can call centres hear you when you’re on hold?
If hold music is playing, it’s almost certain no one is listening. But if there’s silence on the line, watch what you say
May 2022
Ring in the changes: Spain to make call centres pick up within three minutes
A draft bill also requires companies to use a freephone number available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
August 2021
Covid test-and-trace staff told to limit toilet and food breaks to 10 minutes
Consumer champions
What is going on at the Co-op Bank’s call centres?
July 2021
Notes and queries
Readers reply: why are companies always experiencing higher-than-normal call volumes?
Notes and queries
Why are companies always experiencing higher-than-normal call volumes?
May 2021
NHS test-and-trace workers are charged out at more than double their pay
Union calls rate ‘excessive’ as government supplier Serco charged £21.50 an hour for Covid employees
April 2021
Call centre firm tells UK homeworkers they will not be watched with webcam
Teleperformance had told staff they would use AI-enabled cameras for data security reasons
March 2021
'Missing from desk': AI webcam raises remote surveillance concerns
Call centre staff to be monitored via webcam for home-working ‘infractions’
April 2020
NHS 111 staff 'turning up to work with coronavirus symptoms'
Call centre worker says colleagues are terrified of being infected because of unsafe conditions
December 2019
John Lewis to offshore contact centre jobs as UK staff laid off
Staff in Plymouth say they are being asked to train workers in Philippines to replace them
August 2019
From the lottery to Nobel prize: meet workers who make life-changing phone calls
What’s it like to make uplifting calls that change lives? Ammar Kalia spoke to the people whose job is to spread joy
May 2019
UK call centre to trial four-day week for hundreds of staff
Exclusive: Simply Business to switch from 37.5-hour week to 30 hours with no loss of pay
November 2018
Thank heavens for the tact and delicacy of call centre staff
Zoe Williams
'No other way to fight back': Philippines call center workers battle unfair quotas
May 2018
Rise of robots threatens to terminate the UK call-centre workforce
It is feared that almost 46,000 jobs in customer support will disappear before 2021 as firms embrace automation
December 2017
Simon’s story and the tragedy of unemployment
Letters: John Owen recognises only too well the circumstances that led the subject of Aditya Chakrabortty’s article to an early grave. And Aditya’s piece made Jenny Mitton so angry she could burst
April 2017
I ordered 50 tiny tambourines. And then I wept
Victoria Coren Mitchell
We’ve all had customer services meltdowns. Mine involved a discussion about percussion…
