The recent airing of a new fly-on-the-wall documentary about the Swansea based Save Britain Money offices has captivated television audiences for both the right and wrong reasons. ‘The Call Centre’, shown on BBC3 explores the intimate and outlandish workings of the company Save Britain Money; a business which offers a call handling service & call answering service to the general public.
The documentary delves into the workings of the company and examines the people who work there, asking whether the business practice is one which works. Interestingly, there is strong evidence to suggest that it does. However, it is questionable whether this programme portrays a true image of a call centre and even whether the documentary is a true reflection of
Save Britain Money and its staff
This blog will examine whether the BBC3 documentary, ‘The Call Centre’, is a true reflection of a call centre and whether it represents Save Britain Money as a company.
Success or Circus Show
Many thousands of people tuned in to watch ‘The Call Centre’ to laugh and cringe at the representation of a call centre which shows a unique business model where the company’s CEO, Nev Wilshire used unorthodox methods such as singing and speed dating to create happy people who can sell. The programme delves in to how Nev struggles to inspire people to make calls which the majority of us dread.
Despite his peculiar methods and the heavy criticism that Nev has received in the way that he trains his staff, you cannot ignore the fact that he must be doing something right as his offices of Save Britain Money were voted the second best and most fun place to work by the Sunday Times in the mid-size category. Therefore, although we may watch it and cringe, Nev’s staff clearly enjoy working there.
Method in the Madness
It is often hard to distinguish between the true reflection of ‘The Call Centre’ and elements which could be seen as added for comic effect and entertainment. However, Nev’s world does appear to be real, even if the programme makers have chosen certain elements to create a show which highlights the intrigue of the company.
Overall, it can be said that the ‘The Call Centre’ is a good representation of the Save Britain Money offices. However, it cannot be evidenced that the documentary is a solid reflection of a call centre because Nev’s offices have been chosen for their mad style and unorthodox methods which are not prominent in all call centres.