Citibank's management plans to introduce a voice computer (IVR) to take in transfers, give out balances, etc. So far this was done by the workers in the Citiphone-call center in Duisburg. The workers are supposed to use the saved time for selling loans and insurance contracts to the customers on the phone. A new software will be introduced so that the call center-workers can handle the accounts in a comprehensive way that so far was only possible in branches. Furthermore, the workers of Branchphone (also in Duisburg) will handle calls for all branches from February on.
Most workers like these changes at first. The work in the call center will be less boring and demands more responsability. There are more decisions to be made on the phone, for instance whether a customer deserves a loan or not. And in the branches the purely organisational calls will be reduced, like making an appointment. But these changes are part of the efficiency measures. Citibank is reorganising the departments and branches in order to play the workers off against each other. We in the call centers are supposed to take over the work of the branches - under worse conditions! And taking management plans they will deteriorate further: so far in the call center many calls were transferred to other departments. That created many breaks the teamleaders could not control. That is going to be changed. We shall not be able to get rid of calls quickly and transfer them.
Through the expansion of the call center the tasks of the branch workers will be reduced further. Most of the day they are already selling insurance contracts and loans. The work performance of each worker is measured in order to put pressure on them easily. Management and teamleaders want to sell us all these changes as improvements. Actually they want to play us off against each other, control us better and make us work more productive.