Two years ago, it was Christmas time when I got a call from a company of remittance agency for an interview. I was so happy they contacted me for the position as a teller. I passed the interview and started my training right away at the agency. They asked me to go to Paris to meet the team and signed my contract and welcomed me with an open arms. Went back to Marseille and started working 5 days a week. Sometimes I worked on Saturdays but it was not a problem because I was motivated since finding a job in France is quite difficult.
As days passed by, I started to understand the system. There were only 3 of us working at the agency including the supervisor. We have many clients because it is the only agency that offers money remittance with small charges so clients take advantage of it. The agency is always jampacked and it's quite hard to work especially when one person is on day off. Then, only 2 tellers left, during lunchbreak 1 teller is on work. What I was doing is not really a big problem as I love my work. The thing is, working with staff shortage is tough. Clients are waiting hours just to be served. Long wait can be tedious so clients become impatient, aggressive and it is definitely a way to lose a client.
Lack of employees can lead to essentially negative aftermath for the agency and the overall business. Quite often, there is a software bug connection or the printer doesn't work and these things add complication in my everyday job. The worst part is that we are being asked to serve the clients not more than 4 minutes (as per supervisor). How the hell I am going to do that ??? It happened to me that I have spent 9 minutes with a client and that is a big issue already. We have clients who are illiterate (which is not their fault). They send money and as a teller I need to ask all the information of the sender and the receiver to complete the form into the system. There are clients who doesn't even speak either English or French. Personally, 4 minutes are not enough to finish the transaction.
image from this site http://ifonlysingaporeans.blogspot.com/2015/02
As a teller, I have encountered different people. Nice, impatient, funny, bizaare, shy, violent name it we all have them. At one point, I was harassed over many times by clients. Why ? It is because manpower is not enough to serve them. Clients wait minimum 1 hour just to send money. Normally, remittance takes 2 minutes per client if all the information is correct and complete. I kept my patience, my smile and continue to render a good and quality customer service. I made an effort, but the company doesn't really care. I asked the Supervisor that we need another teller so we can serve the clients as fast as they want to. The most important thing is to avoid client to wait hours and hours at the agency. Even loyal clients told me that it's been years it's always the case with the agency....long waiting hours !!! The company knew about this but they refused to hire another person. Even if it means, employees are being harass or to have unhappy clients. We all have a right to feel safe and supported by the company while at work but the company does not really give a damn care.
And so they terminated my contract after 3 months. Unfortunately, company prefers quantity over quality service. I don't have any regrets, the truth is I did not intend to stay in the company.
“Quality takes time and reduces quantity, so it makes you, in a sense, less efficient. The efficiency-optimized organization recognizes quality as its enemy. That's why many corporate Quality Programs are really Quality Reduction Programs in disguise.”
Tom DeMarco,
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