Concretebroker

Published on 3/14/2021

Published by marketing@concretebroker.com.au

Women in concrete call centres feel the heat

Delivering and ordering concrete often isn't all its cracked up to be

Concrete Broker continues their focus on women in concrete by analysing the role of women in concrete call centres in 2021.

Cover photo courtesy of Photo by Arlington Research on Unsplash

Ordering and delivering concrete isn't always all its cracked up to be

Photo by Vinicius "amnx" Amano on Unsplash

These days most of the concrete ordered and delivered throughout Australia is organised logistically through large call centres teamed by predominantly female staff. Whether its Boral, Holcim, Hanson or Metromix you are ordering from, their Call Centre staff are the "go to" place for most concrete orders and deliveries. Yet whilst we are greeted with a friendly female voice and a cheery attitude from within the Call Centre, more often than not the walls are shaking. For just like concrete batch rooms around the country, these professional women are charged with the responsibility of delivering vital information to concreters, builders and concreting customers throughout the land. And the news isn't always good, says Kathryn Hargreaves, of leading Concrete supplier Concrete Shopper in Melbourne. "Whenever a truck is late to site, or not where it is supposed to be, or out of specification, Call Centre attendants bear the brunt of customer anger and frustration", says Kathryn. "And it's often out of the control of the Call Centre staff" she says. "They are simply the messenger, and they more often than not cop an earful from disgruntled customers for the priviledge", Hargreaves went on to say. 

In recent times Call Centre attendants are even more in the firing line in Melbourne, where rain, COVID lockdowns and work stoppages have delayed progress on job sites For.in Melbourne, as in many locations around Australia, it is difficult to obtain the booking time you want, and even more difficult to receive an "on time" delivery. With recent downturns in the local economy, trucks have been moved interstate and drivers let go, further exacerbating the situation. And as a consequence once again it is the Call Centre attendant who handles the customer complaints and frustration. "A few Friday's ago," said Mary from Sydney, whose employer she wishes to remain anonymous, " it was hell on wheels. Every truck was late to site. Some customers had to wait for up to 90 minutes or more for their message, i.e. last load to site. There is nothing we can do," she said. "The allocators and schedulers organise the day in advance, yet when customers under order, or when trucks are delayed on site, or heaven forbid a plant breaks down, it's a bloody nightmare," she tells Concrete Broker. "We feel the customers frustration, but are powerless to assist in most instances," Mary said. "We just have to do the best we can".

Things are changing for the better, says Tim Harrison of Concrete Shopper Sydney. "The female Call Centre attendants I deal with on a daily basis are not only professional, honest, and women of high integrity, they are individuals who can handle the pressure," he tells Concrete Broker. "More often than not they are experienced operators wha have been in similar situations before, and are well versed on how to deal with irate customers", he says. "They just tell it like it is," says Harrison. "If your truck is going to be 40 minutes, or even an hour late, then that's the news you receive. It's not sugar coated," he says, "its the real deal, as hard as it may sound."  

Yet many concreting customers are starting to find the behaviour of many large concrete suppliers more than frustrating. For whilst they and their workers spend hours waiting for concrete, the concrete companies are only too happy to charge them waiting time. They are charged at the rate of $3.50 per minute plus gst, for every minute their concrete truck is on site over the designated 30, or 45 minute allocated time limit for delivery. "It's bullshit", says Phil, a concreter from Western Sydney. "Why should I pay them waiting time, when I've had to wait over an hour for my truck?"  Now I'm starting to understand how the female call centre attendant feels at the end of a long day.

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	SPRING SEES A RISE IN CONCRETE DELIVERIES ON THE EAST COAST With summer coming concreting jobs are on the agenda

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