Thursday, December 8, 2005

And How May I Direct Your Call?

Well, The Great Temping Adventure continues. I am now working the switchboard and mailroom of a wholesale restaurant supply company. I answer the phone and I sort the mail. But the mail only goes out once a day and comes in once a day; and the phones, while busy, only come on in waves... I'll be sitting here in perfect silence for ten or fifteen minutes, then five people call all at the same time. Irksome, but not particularly difficult. Actually, until yesterday I haven't had computer access, or I would have told you all this earlier... this has got to be the most unchallenging job I've ever had.

All I do is forward calls, page salespeople to the phone over the intercom, sometimes give directions, and frequently attempt to mollify callers who do not wish to leave voicemails and want to know why nobody ever answers their phones ("He's probably out on the floor and I'm sure he'll call back when he's free" and "She's probably meeting with a colleague and is away from her desk, I'm sure she'll call you back soon" are my stock answers). For the mail, I sort out invoices and put the single-page invoices through the folding machine, manually fold the multiple pages and stuff them into envelopes, and then run it all through the meter. Time-consuming, but not mind-consuming.

This is a pleasant change from the last assignment, where I was a little too challenged, having to make rather arcane associations and difficult decisions while juggling uncomfortably with piles and piles of numbers. It's even cooler here, so I can wear sweaters. I guess the only drawback is that I get bored sometimes. On my coffee breaks, after visiting the potty, I just wander around the aisles and look at all the cool stuff they sell here (we're open to the public, so it's almost like working in a store), wondering what it would be like to own a restaurant and have a need for any of the nifty gizmos we have in stock... and to know what a lot of these nifty gizmos actually do.

Well, anyway, I didn't have much to talk about, I just wanted to check in. I'm going to be reassigned next week; hopefully I'll have the time and access to tell you all about it. In the meantime, stay well, and have a happy day! Thank you for calling!

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