Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is the largest mobile telecommunications network and wireless phone provider in the United States. The network has 104 million subscribers as of Q1 2011,[1] just in front of the second largest carrier, AT&T Mobility, which has 97.5 million subscribers as of Q1 2011.[2]
Headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey,[3] the company is a joint venture of U.S. telecommunications firm Verizon Communications and British multinational mobile network operator Vodafone, with 55 and 45 percent ownership respectively.[4][5] On January 9, 2009, Verizon Wireless acquired Alltel Wireless in a deal valued at $28.1 billion. The acquisition expanded Verizon's wireless network.
Although it may seem counterintuitive to some, in today's economic climate, it's especially important for companies to invest in their employees.
Verizon Wireless is doing just that through its onsite tuition-assisted college program called Learning Link. The program offers classes in nine of its contact centers, and over the next two years it will expand to 14 additional contact centers. Learning Link differs from other corporate tuition programs in that it doesn't require any initial employee cash outlay and supports up to $8,000 per year in tuition. Employees are responsible for any cost over that amount.
Dorothy Martin, national program manager for Verizon's Learning Link, says the impetus for the program is simple: Successful employees build a successful company. "[Investing in staff] gives a sense of security to employees in uncertain times that a company is doing well and profiting well," she says
Since the company first introduced the tuition-assistance program in 2005 more than 900 customer service representatives, nearly half of whom are contact center employees have received degrees. Of those, many have been promoted or have made lateral moves to other departments. As of the end of 2008, Verizon Wireless reported a job transfer rate of 28 percent for participants of the tuition assistance program, compared to just 13 percent for other employees. Of the participants, one third received promotions or career development moves.
"There are a lot of leadership opportunities within customer service," Martin says. "Some people have gone to marketing...sales is another area. It gives them a more well-rounded perspective on the business as well."
In addition, retention rates for those who have participated in the program are more than double that of Verizon Wireless' overall workforce. Martin says the company conducted a survey in 2006 among participants in the program, and 96 percent said they plan to stay with Verizon Wireless at least two years after receiving their degree. "It's saving them the time and trouble to go to a college campus," she says.
This program not only benefits employees; it's good for business. "By having a well-educated workforce, our employees are able to do a better job of meeting customers' needs," Martin says. "Happy employees are engaged and committed employees, which transmits to excellent customer service."
Having worked for Verizon Wireless for quite a few years as a customer service rep, I was privvy to so much misdirectional horseshit and flat-out obsfucation that it actually wore down my sub-conscious to the point where I bought into it for a while. Now that I have had my employment "terminated," i.e. I was told to grab my coat and cell phone and marched downstairs into a tiny room where vague talk of "performance" took place, I am gonna let it all out and fuck the company if it doesn't like it.
Interestingly enough, VZW wastes a shitload of money scanning blogs and other online sources in an effort to protect its sterling reputation. Emails are sent out on a regular basis advising customer service reps, managers, associate directors and others about the so-called "lies" being spread about the precious savior company. Well, I read several of those blog posts they were attacking hardly any of of them were wrong. This one is even more accurate because it is being written by somebody who saw it from the inside.
But we won't get into that today. Let's start instead with how I started with the company.
First off, the hiring process is just this side of sadistic. I endured five different phone interviews as well as a background check and the old reliable piss test before being advised that I just might get the job. Then, despite the fact that I was still working for two employers at the time, I was given almost no notice for the first day of orientation. But I was assured that I would have a decent amount of time to inform my current employer about my start date for training. Instead, on the date of orientation, we were all advised that we would have to report to work for training...the very next fucking day! I literally had to drive like a bat out of hell to my employer and drop off a letter of resignation in their drop box the night before! Real fucking professional, huh?
The initial part of training was all right. Massive amounts of information were heaped upon us all while we were assured that memorization is not the desired way to absorb it. During training, utopia descended upon us as individuals were periodically brought in to upsell the company's virtues, of which there were several. Everyone who came in found it necessary to remind us that those who spoke negatively about Verizon Wireless did so because they weren't pleased with their own progress. In other words, as one trainer put it, these people didn't see the company for what it was. That same dumb ass wound up fired a few months later.
For that is the great secret Verizon Wireless keeps from its new hires. People get fired like crazy! To hear it told in the beginning, everybody loves working their and those few that get let go do so because of some mistake they made, never because of unrealstic policies enforced by the wonderful company. There's a vested interest in keeping unions out of Verizon Wireless, hence the masquerade known as "employee retention."
Once training concluded, we headed into what is called "Transition," a veritable boot camp for new hires wherein people are treated like children, evaluated for every burp and cough, and put through Hell for however long it lasts during that particular period. That's one of the things the HR reps don't tell you on the phone when you're being interviewed for the twleth fucking time...every nuance of your job is remotely monitored to the point where you cannot take a shit without it counting against you!
For me, Transition was six weeks of nagging self-doubt and regret. I was sure I'd made a horrible mistake. One of my two previous jobs was secure and I'd had it for six years, but it didn't offer benefits or full-time (at least back then) but this was unreal. Our entire future at the company rested on a few individuals in the "Quality Department" whose job it is to listen to the calls you're taking and decide if you are learniing the job. When I was there, this determination was made within five weeks! One person grew disgusted and quit. We were never really told of our progress so most of us had no idea if we would have a job by the end of this horrific experience.
Out of the 24 of us, only one didn't make it, and she quit out of disgust. I couldn't do that. Being a guy and not a kid, I needed this job and it was too late to walk away.
Having worked for Verizon Wireless for quite a few years as a customer service rep, I was privvy to so much misdirectional horseshit and flat-out obsfucation that it actually wore down my sub-conscious to the point where I bought into it for a while. Now that I have had my employment "terminated," i.e. I was told to grab my coat and cell phone and marched downstairs into a tiny room where vague talk of "performance" took place, I am gonna let it all out and fuck the company if it doesn't like it.
Interestingly enough, VZW wastes a shitload of money scanning blogs and other online sources in an effort to protect its sterling reputation. Emails are sent out on a regular basis advising customer service reps, managers, associate directors and others about the so-called "lies" being spread about the precious savior company. Well, I read several of those blog posts they were attacking hardly any of of them were wrong. This one is even more accurate because it is being written by somebody who saw it from the inside.
But we won't get into that today. Let's start instead with how I started with the company.
First off, the hiring process is just this side of sadistic. I endured five different phone interviews as well as a background check and the old reliable piss test before being advised that I just might get the job. Then, despite the fact that I was still working for two employers at the time, I was given almost no notice for the first day of orientation. But I was assured that I would have a decent amount of time to inform my current employer about my start date for training. Instead, on the date of orientation, we were all advised that we would have to report to work for training...the very next fucking day! I literally had to drive like a bat out of hell to my employer and drop off a letter of resignation in their drop box the night before! Real fucking professional, huh?
The initial part of training was all right. Massive amounts of information were heaped upon us all while we were assured that memorization is not the desired way to absorb it. During training, utopia descended upon us as individuals were periodically brought in to upsell the company's virtues, of which there were several. Everyone who came in found it necessary to remind us that those who spoke negatively about Verizon Wireless did so because they weren't pleased with their own progress. In other words, as one trainer put it, these people didn't see the company for what it was. That same dumb ass wound up fired a few months later.
For that is the great secret Verizon Wireless keeps from its new hires. People get fired like crazy! To hear it told in the beginning, everybody loves working their and those few that get let go do so because of some mistake they made, never because of unrealstic policies enforced by the wonderful company. There's a vested interest in keeping unions out of Verizon Wireless, hence the masquerade known as "employee retention."
Once training concluded, we headed into what is called "Transition," a veritable boot camp for new hires wherein people are treated like children, evaluated for every burp and cough, and put through Hell for however long it lasts during that particular period. That's one of the things the HR reps don't tell you on the phone when you're being interviewed for the twleth fucking time...every nuance of your job is remotely monitored to the point where you cannot take a shit without it counting against you!
For me, Transition was six weeks of nagging self-doubt and regret. I was sure I'd made a horrible mistake. One of my two previous jobs was secure and I'd had it for six years, but it didn't offer benefits or full-time (at least back then) but this was unreal. Our entire future at the company rested on a few individuals in the "Quality Department" whose job it is to listen to the calls you're taking and decide if you are learniing the job. When I was there, this determination was made within five weeks! One person grew disgusted and quit. We were never really told of our progress so most of us had no idea if we would have a job by the end of this horrific experience.
Out of the 24 of us, only one didn't make it, and she quit out of disgust. I couldn't do that. Being a guy and not a kid, I needed this job and it was too late to walk away.
Turnover is a costly problem for many employers. Verizon is particularly affected by this issue, given that 80 percent of its workforce is in customer service and retail sales, areas that traditionally experience very high turnover rates. Isolating the direct cause of improved retention is a tricky proposition — there are often complex reasons why an employee chooses to stay — but Verizon suspects that LearningLINK may be one important factor.
A striking finding for Martin was that the general workforce is more than twice as likely to leave the company than are LearningLINK participants. This is reinforced by survey data showing that 96 percent of LearningLINK participants said they intended to stay with Verizon for at least two years after completing their degrees. When factoring in the cost to the company to hire new people, LearningLINK’s role in contributing to employee retention demonstrates that it likely pays for itself while also reducing overall rehire costs.
Headquartered in Basking Ridge, New Jersey,[3] the company is a joint venture of U.S. telecommunications firm Verizon Communications and British multinational mobile network operator Vodafone, with 55 and 45 percent ownership respectively.[4][5] On January 9, 2009, Verizon Wireless acquired Alltel Wireless in a deal valued at $28.1 billion. The acquisition expanded Verizon's wireless network.
Although it may seem counterintuitive to some, in today's economic climate, it's especially important for companies to invest in their employees.
Verizon Wireless is doing just that through its onsite tuition-assisted college program called Learning Link. The program offers classes in nine of its contact centers, and over the next two years it will expand to 14 additional contact centers. Learning Link differs from other corporate tuition programs in that it doesn't require any initial employee cash outlay and supports up to $8,000 per year in tuition. Employees are responsible for any cost over that amount.
Dorothy Martin, national program manager for Verizon's Learning Link, says the impetus for the program is simple: Successful employees build a successful company. "[Investing in staff] gives a sense of security to employees in uncertain times that a company is doing well and profiting well," she says
Since the company first introduced the tuition-assistance program in 2005 more than 900 customer service representatives, nearly half of whom are contact center employees have received degrees. Of those, many have been promoted or have made lateral moves to other departments. As of the end of 2008, Verizon Wireless reported a job transfer rate of 28 percent for participants of the tuition assistance program, compared to just 13 percent for other employees. Of the participants, one third received promotions or career development moves.
"There are a lot of leadership opportunities within customer service," Martin says. "Some people have gone to marketing...sales is another area. It gives them a more well-rounded perspective on the business as well."
In addition, retention rates for those who have participated in the program are more than double that of Verizon Wireless' overall workforce. Martin says the company conducted a survey in 2006 among participants in the program, and 96 percent said they plan to stay with Verizon Wireless at least two years after receiving their degree. "It's saving them the time and trouble to go to a college campus," she says.
This program not only benefits employees; it's good for business. "By having a well-educated workforce, our employees are able to do a better job of meeting customers' needs," Martin says. "Happy employees are engaged and committed employees, which transmits to excellent customer service."
Having worked for Verizon Wireless for quite a few years as a customer service rep, I was privvy to so much misdirectional horseshit and flat-out obsfucation that it actually wore down my sub-conscious to the point where I bought into it for a while. Now that I have had my employment "terminated," i.e. I was told to grab my coat and cell phone and marched downstairs into a tiny room where vague talk of "performance" took place, I am gonna let it all out and fuck the company if it doesn't like it.
Interestingly enough, VZW wastes a shitload of money scanning blogs and other online sources in an effort to protect its sterling reputation. Emails are sent out on a regular basis advising customer service reps, managers, associate directors and others about the so-called "lies" being spread about the precious savior company. Well, I read several of those blog posts they were attacking hardly any of of them were wrong. This one is even more accurate because it is being written by somebody who saw it from the inside.
But we won't get into that today. Let's start instead with how I started with the company.
First off, the hiring process is just this side of sadistic. I endured five different phone interviews as well as a background check and the old reliable piss test before being advised that I just might get the job. Then, despite the fact that I was still working for two employers at the time, I was given almost no notice for the first day of orientation. But I was assured that I would have a decent amount of time to inform my current employer about my start date for training. Instead, on the date of orientation, we were all advised that we would have to report to work for training...the very next fucking day! I literally had to drive like a bat out of hell to my employer and drop off a letter of resignation in their drop box the night before! Real fucking professional, huh?
The initial part of training was all right. Massive amounts of information were heaped upon us all while we were assured that memorization is not the desired way to absorb it. During training, utopia descended upon us as individuals were periodically brought in to upsell the company's virtues, of which there were several. Everyone who came in found it necessary to remind us that those who spoke negatively about Verizon Wireless did so because they weren't pleased with their own progress. In other words, as one trainer put it, these people didn't see the company for what it was. That same dumb ass wound up fired a few months later.
For that is the great secret Verizon Wireless keeps from its new hires. People get fired like crazy! To hear it told in the beginning, everybody loves working their and those few that get let go do so because of some mistake they made, never because of unrealstic policies enforced by the wonderful company. There's a vested interest in keeping unions out of Verizon Wireless, hence the masquerade known as "employee retention."
Once training concluded, we headed into what is called "Transition," a veritable boot camp for new hires wherein people are treated like children, evaluated for every burp and cough, and put through Hell for however long it lasts during that particular period. That's one of the things the HR reps don't tell you on the phone when you're being interviewed for the twleth fucking time...every nuance of your job is remotely monitored to the point where you cannot take a shit without it counting against you!
For me, Transition was six weeks of nagging self-doubt and regret. I was sure I'd made a horrible mistake. One of my two previous jobs was secure and I'd had it for six years, but it didn't offer benefits or full-time (at least back then) but this was unreal. Our entire future at the company rested on a few individuals in the "Quality Department" whose job it is to listen to the calls you're taking and decide if you are learniing the job. When I was there, this determination was made within five weeks! One person grew disgusted and quit. We were never really told of our progress so most of us had no idea if we would have a job by the end of this horrific experience.
Out of the 24 of us, only one didn't make it, and she quit out of disgust. I couldn't do that. Being a guy and not a kid, I needed this job and it was too late to walk away.
Having worked for Verizon Wireless for quite a few years as a customer service rep, I was privvy to so much misdirectional horseshit and flat-out obsfucation that it actually wore down my sub-conscious to the point where I bought into it for a while. Now that I have had my employment "terminated," i.e. I was told to grab my coat and cell phone and marched downstairs into a tiny room where vague talk of "performance" took place, I am gonna let it all out and fuck the company if it doesn't like it.
Interestingly enough, VZW wastes a shitload of money scanning blogs and other online sources in an effort to protect its sterling reputation. Emails are sent out on a regular basis advising customer service reps, managers, associate directors and others about the so-called "lies" being spread about the precious savior company. Well, I read several of those blog posts they were attacking hardly any of of them were wrong. This one is even more accurate because it is being written by somebody who saw it from the inside.
But we won't get into that today. Let's start instead with how I started with the company.
First off, the hiring process is just this side of sadistic. I endured five different phone interviews as well as a background check and the old reliable piss test before being advised that I just might get the job. Then, despite the fact that I was still working for two employers at the time, I was given almost no notice for the first day of orientation. But I was assured that I would have a decent amount of time to inform my current employer about my start date for training. Instead, on the date of orientation, we were all advised that we would have to report to work for training...the very next fucking day! I literally had to drive like a bat out of hell to my employer and drop off a letter of resignation in their drop box the night before! Real fucking professional, huh?
The initial part of training was all right. Massive amounts of information were heaped upon us all while we were assured that memorization is not the desired way to absorb it. During training, utopia descended upon us as individuals were periodically brought in to upsell the company's virtues, of which there were several. Everyone who came in found it necessary to remind us that those who spoke negatively about Verizon Wireless did so because they weren't pleased with their own progress. In other words, as one trainer put it, these people didn't see the company for what it was. That same dumb ass wound up fired a few months later.
For that is the great secret Verizon Wireless keeps from its new hires. People get fired like crazy! To hear it told in the beginning, everybody loves working their and those few that get let go do so because of some mistake they made, never because of unrealstic policies enforced by the wonderful company. There's a vested interest in keeping unions out of Verizon Wireless, hence the masquerade known as "employee retention."
Once training concluded, we headed into what is called "Transition," a veritable boot camp for new hires wherein people are treated like children, evaluated for every burp and cough, and put through Hell for however long it lasts during that particular period. That's one of the things the HR reps don't tell you on the phone when you're being interviewed for the twleth fucking time...every nuance of your job is remotely monitored to the point where you cannot take a shit without it counting against you!
For me, Transition was six weeks of nagging self-doubt and regret. I was sure I'd made a horrible mistake. One of my two previous jobs was secure and I'd had it for six years, but it didn't offer benefits or full-time (at least back then) but this was unreal. Our entire future at the company rested on a few individuals in the "Quality Department" whose job it is to listen to the calls you're taking and decide if you are learniing the job. When I was there, this determination was made within five weeks! One person grew disgusted and quit. We were never really told of our progress so most of us had no idea if we would have a job by the end of this horrific experience.
Out of the 24 of us, only one didn't make it, and she quit out of disgust. I couldn't do that. Being a guy and not a kid, I needed this job and it was too late to walk away.
Turnover is a costly problem for many employers. Verizon is particularly affected by this issue, given that 80 percent of its workforce is in customer service and retail sales, areas that traditionally experience very high turnover rates. Isolating the direct cause of improved retention is a tricky proposition — there are often complex reasons why an employee chooses to stay — but Verizon suspects that LearningLINK may be one important factor.
A striking finding for Martin was that the general workforce is more than twice as likely to leave the company than are LearningLINK participants. This is reinforced by survey data showing that 96 percent of LearningLINK participants said they intended to stay with Verizon for at least two years after completing their degrees. When factoring in the cost to the company to hire new people, LearningLINK’s role in contributing to employee retention demonstrates that it likely pays for itself while also reducing overall rehire costs.