"Thank you for calling Iyogi technical Services" I heard myself mumbling into my microphone. That’s the same thing I have been saying from a long time and now it seems I have become an IVR and it has become a routine that u will hear beep sound, press the button and starts the whole drama. And I have been doing mindless dribble from past 1 year. Not though 1 year was a long time, but I had bigger plan. I cannot be stuck here. Customers call in get their computer fixed. Ya I am the computer guy for them. But they have a less idea that they need to get their credit card ready because rather than a tech support it has now becomes a sales process and the thirst for the revenue has become so strenuous that if they have to kill me to get sales, they will not give it a second thought. With the cut throat competition the things were getting worse. But it was paying the bills. Not many people last long at this kind of job, and the ones that do tend to get lost in a daze. They space out, letting reflexes take over. Their mind far away while their body and vocal cords running the same motions it’s learned over time. Honestly I don’t even remember why I took up this. I mean I belong to a small town middle class family where I don’t have to take of an old mother or a bed ridden father or an unmarried sister. Fortunately I am the only child and a pampered one I should say. But I was not the brighter student in college; I knew I had to struggle to get myself running in this big city. So I took a job at a small company. That process got shutdown and around 250 people were thrown out. Sad huh! Well that only I got another job and that how I landed over here running between things. “Thank you for choosing Iyogi as your personal tech support. Good Karma” I heard myself saying and I was back into reality. I arched back on my chair.
It was time to have some coffee. So I stroll down to the lounge. Lately I have been having a lot of coffee. I mean you need to wide awake and active to listen to them. While returning back to my workstation, I looked around to the fish market that it has become and heard the same melody of modulated voice that I had been singing from a long time. I stopped frozen. I almost dropped my coffee cup when I realized what I heard it. My voice, I heard my voice ring out with the others. "Thank you for calling Iyogi Technical Support." I snap back to reality and I am done with another call. I never realized when I got back and took a call. The half filled warm cup of coffee was smiling at me. I got up and uneasily walked into the washroom. "It’s been a long day, I am just tired" I say to my reflection. I shake my head and splash some cold water on my face, Another 4 hours more and I can go home". I am about to walk out of the bathroom when my cell phone rings. I grab it and pick up, “Hello" I reply. “Thank you for calling Iyogi Technical Support." my voice from the other end calls out.
"Wasn’t I just in the bathroom" I thought as I look around. I look over at Sunil, the guy in the cubical next to me. “Sunil" I say, seeing he’s not on a call, "Does anything seem strange today” I asked. "Seem like sales is not happening and managers are getting on our nerve nothing new, why?" He says. “Don’t know" I reply, looking around again. “Something just doesn’t feel right somehow. I am going to go out, you in?" “Sure" He says, hanging up his headset. As I got out of the office the sun ray started hurting my eyes. God knows how long I have been in this exile. I felt been trapped over there. It’s a beautiful day, but you would never know it sitting inside, if it is day or night. They keep all the window blinds down and the office dark. They say it’s to keep the glare from the screens to a minimum, but we all know it’s to keep up focused on the job and not day dreaming about the world outside. I sit talking with Sunil for a while.
"Are you feeling okay”?" Sunil asks getting up. "Hold on one second” I say extending my hand. Thank you for calling Iyogi Technical Services"
I snap back to reality just as I am finishing up the order. I jump up as soon as I realize what I am doing, causing the chair to fall backwards. “Div, are you alright" Sunil asks as he looks over. My hands are shaking as I look at him. “Were we just outside?" I ask biting my lip. "Yeah, you seem nervous. So I asked if you were okay when we were walking back and you jumped over and took phone call before you answered" he replied with a worried look on his face. I look around, everyone is staring at me. "I...I think I need to go" I stammer out grabbing a few things off my desk. “This Is Insane" I think to myself, “I am just overworked. I’ll take tomorrow off. Get a head stall on the weekend. I’ll be fine I just have to get out of here. I paused. "Thank you for calling Iyogi Technical Services" I hoar. Suddenly I am sitting back at my desk talking into the headset. I spin around. In the cubical behind me I see me on the phone. I hear my voice coming from the desk, "Thank you for calling..." I look around. Me. I am sitting behind every desk, in every cubical around. I hear my voice coming from all of them, chanting the same phrase over and over again in like some horrible nightmare, over and over again it rings in my oar, "Thank you for calling....Thank you for calling....Thank you for calling"
I snap back to reality just as I am finishing up the order. I try to scream, I try to jump up and run away but I can’t move and I can’t speak. I watch as my arm roaches over and presses the flashing button. I pull as hard as I can but I can’t stop my finger from pressing it down. I close my eyes, I try to bite my lip, hold my tongue, anything, but nothing works. I hear the words spill clearly and perfectly from my mouth as they have thousands of times before. "Thank you for calling..."
It was time to have some coffee. So I stroll down to the lounge. Lately I have been having a lot of coffee. I mean you need to wide awake and active to listen to them. While returning back to my workstation, I looked around to the fish market that it has become and heard the same melody of modulated voice that I had been singing from a long time. I stopped frozen. I almost dropped my coffee cup when I realized what I heard it. My voice, I heard my voice ring out with the others. "Thank you for calling Iyogi Technical Support." I snap back to reality and I am done with another call. I never realized when I got back and took a call. The half filled warm cup of coffee was smiling at me. I got up and uneasily walked into the washroom. "It’s been a long day, I am just tired" I say to my reflection. I shake my head and splash some cold water on my face, Another 4 hours more and I can go home". I am about to walk out of the bathroom when my cell phone rings. I grab it and pick up, “Hello" I reply. “Thank you for calling Iyogi Technical Support." my voice from the other end calls out.
"Wasn’t I just in the bathroom" I thought as I look around. I look over at Sunil, the guy in the cubical next to me. “Sunil" I say, seeing he’s not on a call, "Does anything seem strange today” I asked. "Seem like sales is not happening and managers are getting on our nerve nothing new, why?" He says. “Don’t know" I reply, looking around again. “Something just doesn’t feel right somehow. I am going to go out, you in?" “Sure" He says, hanging up his headset. As I got out of the office the sun ray started hurting my eyes. God knows how long I have been in this exile. I felt been trapped over there. It’s a beautiful day, but you would never know it sitting inside, if it is day or night. They keep all the window blinds down and the office dark. They say it’s to keep the glare from the screens to a minimum, but we all know it’s to keep up focused on the job and not day dreaming about the world outside. I sit talking with Sunil for a while.
"Are you feeling okay”?" Sunil asks getting up. "Hold on one second” I say extending my hand. Thank you for calling Iyogi Technical Services"
I snap back to reality just as I am finishing up the order. I jump up as soon as I realize what I am doing, causing the chair to fall backwards. “Div, are you alright" Sunil asks as he looks over. My hands are shaking as I look at him. “Were we just outside?" I ask biting my lip. "Yeah, you seem nervous. So I asked if you were okay when we were walking back and you jumped over and took phone call before you answered" he replied with a worried look on his face. I look around, everyone is staring at me. "I...I think I need to go" I stammer out grabbing a few things off my desk. “This Is Insane" I think to myself, “I am just overworked. I’ll take tomorrow off. Get a head stall on the weekend. I’ll be fine I just have to get out of here. I paused. "Thank you for calling Iyogi Technical Services" I hoar. Suddenly I am sitting back at my desk talking into the headset. I spin around. In the cubical behind me I see me on the phone. I hear my voice coming from the desk, "Thank you for calling..." I look around. Me. I am sitting behind every desk, in every cubical around. I hear my voice coming from all of them, chanting the same phrase over and over again in like some horrible nightmare, over and over again it rings in my oar, "Thank you for calling....Thank you for calling....Thank you for calling"
I snap back to reality just as I am finishing up the order. I try to scream, I try to jump up and run away but I can’t move and I can’t speak. I watch as my arm roaches over and presses the flashing button. I pull as hard as I can but I can’t stop my finger from pressing it down. I close my eyes, I try to bite my lip, hold my tongue, anything, but nothing works. I hear the words spill clearly and perfectly from my mouth as they have thousands of times before. "Thank you for calling..."
