Call Center

Earlier last week, I got a chance to observe the call center for Solid Waste by listening in on calls for a couple of hours. This call center receives all of the complaints and requests related to City of Phoenix garbage services. Despite having a potentially very high stress job, everyone in the call center is very friendly with a great sense of humor.

Most of the calls were people requesting replacement garbage or recycling bins or asking when their areas bulk trash pickup would occur. There were also people trying to determine if pickup had occurred yet that day, and people lodging complaints. The call center employees could look up routes on maps, including a GIS map with several layers. They could also call workers out in the field to check on how they were doing on their route for the day.

It was a good experience to listen in on these calls. I learned quite a bit more about how solid waste management works in Phoenix. I also always have great respect for anyone in a customer service job, as I have had several. They always require a lot of patience. I appreciated getting to know a few more coworkers too. Public Works is pretty large, so I am still just starting to get to know my coworkers.