Hollywood loves to pick on call centres, often garnering a reputation for being annoying, unhelpful, and a common place for phishing scams. But how much truth is there to these on-screen depictions?
We’ve analysed and debunked some of the most hilarious, thought-provoking, and iconic call centre scenes from TV and film.
The Simpsons – “Lisa the Greek,” 1992
IMDb Rating: 6.9/10, Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 85%
In the 14th episode of the third season, Homer’s antics cause him to lose $20 in a sports bet. Following this, Homer sees an advert for betting advice, calls the hotline (1-900 ‘guaranteed pick’), and the operator informs him that it costs $5 for the first minute and $2 for every minute thereafter. The operator begins speaking extremely slowly, making it evident that they just want the caller’s money.
This scenario is highly unlikely to occur in real life, particularly in sales contact centres, where agents are closely monitored by various metrics, one being Average Handling Time (AHT). AHT measures the average length of a customer call, and a lower AHT is generally considered better. A survey of 500 UK contact centres found that 50.4% consider AHT to be one of the top performance indicators, highlighting the importance of efficient, resolved calls for both customers and agents.
Some call centres have other performance metrics too, including:
- First Call Resolution (FCR): how often a customer’s issue is resolved on the first call.
- Call Abandon Rate: the percentage of customers who hang up while waiting to be served.
- Customer Satisfaction (CSAT): this is collected only if a customer completes the after-call survey.
The Wolf of Wall Street, 2013
IMDb Rating: 8.2/10, Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 80%
In this iconic film, Jordan Belfort (portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio) is depicted selling penny stocks – shares of small public companies that trade for less than one dollar per share. During the call, Jordan’s character is extremely persuasive and passionate, but the scene portrays a boiler room more than a traditional call centre.
A boiler room refers to a high-pressure sales environment where brokers aggressively, and sometimes fraudulently, cold-call individuals to sell stocks. In contrast, contact centres operate under strict regulations and monitoring to ensure agents comply with legal standards and provide the highest quality customer service.
Unlike boiler rooms, contact centres offer a more structured environment. Agents manage a large volume of calls, encountering a wide range of situations, which helps them build experience in handling difficult interactions and improving communication skills. This ultimately enhances the agent experience, especially for those who experience phone anxiety.
The Pursuit of Happyness, 2006
IMDb Rating: 8/10, Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 67%
In this classic film, a call centre plays a key role in the story of the main character, Chris Gardner (portrayed by Will Smith). Throughout the movie, Chris is shown making persistent cold calls to potential clients in order to secure meetings and grow his client base.
While cold calls can be frustrating, they are not as common as you might think, with most agents making an average of 65 calls per day to people across the UK. If a call centre is cold-calling you, your number was obtained legally and in compliance with GDPR laws. It was likely obtained through direct sign-ups, communications, referrals from family or friends, or marketing opt-ins. No UK-based contact centre will obtain your number illegally.
Additionally, telemarketers must adhere to several rules, including opt-out procedures. Call centres are required to maintain an internal ‘do not call’ list and respect individuals who choose to opt out of receiving cold calls. There are also do-not-call registries, which prevent cold callers from contacting individuals unless they have explicit consent.
If you are experiencing persistent cold calls from a company, you can report them to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which is responsible for enforcing the regulations that call centres must follow.
The Beekeeper, 2023
IMDb Rating: 6.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 71%
A call centre is a central focus in 2023’s ‘The Bee Keeper.’ The film revolves around Adam Clay, played by Jason Statham, who embarks on a vengeful mission after his elderly friend is scammed by a phishing call. The call centre in the film is portrayed as a criminal organisation, and Adam tracks down those responsible.
The film depicts the call centre as a hub for phishing scams, where agents target and manipulate victims into handing over personal information or money. While the movie dramatises call centres and amplifies criminal narratives, this portrayal is far from the truth.
This representation of call centres is a myth to some extent; most call centres, especially those based in the UK, must adhere to specific laws and GDPR regulations to keep caller data and information safe. You can also opt out of cold calling or report a contact centre to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
The Office – “Money,” 2007
IMDb Rating: 9/10, Rotten Tomatoes Rating: 81%
The fourth episode of season four of The Office focuses on Michael getting a second job to manage his growing debt. Trying to keep it a secret, he takes a job in sales as a cold caller to sell a weight loss pill that allegedly helps people lose 50lbs in five minutes. While working, his next caller happens to be Stanley, his no-nonsense colleague who often sees Michael as an annoyance. Upon noticing this, he puts on an accent to hide his identity, which ultimately fails.
Despite this depiction of call centre agents, in the UK it is not common practice for workers to change their voice or use accent neutralisation. This is usually more typically associated with call centres based overseas, typically in Asia, where ‘accent neutralisation’ is likely enforced to make agents sound more ‘western’. This ultimately resulted in a Silicon Valley start up launching an AI tool that would help call centres around the world sound more ‘western’. While accent neutralisation training aims to improve clarity and communication with customers, it can be dehumanising, placing undue emphasis on the agent’s accent rather than on resolving customer issues. There has been ongoing discourse on accent neutralisation, and the 2018 film Sorry to Bother You touches on this subject, focusing on a black telemarketer who uses a ‘white accent’ to succeed at his job.
Looking for more contact centre related content? Check out our knowledge and resources hub.
The data used in this blog was collected from MaxContact’s 2024 UK Contact Centre KPI Benchmarking Insights Report. Data was based on an independent survey of 500 UK contact centre leaders.
Max Contact’s 2024 UK Contact Centre KPI Benchmarking Insights Report can be found here.
