CHAPTER TWO
“Welcome to Allegro Corporation, Jillian. I’m Connie, the senior administrative assistant here. We’re so happy to have you aboard this summer. Your mother talks about you all the time.”
I smiled at the older, heavyset woman as she showed me around. The woman’s kitten heels clicked loudly as we walked. She paused every few seconds as she said “hey” to another co-worker and asked about their weekend. Connie cheerfully pointed out the copy machine, coffee maker, and mailroom.
This woman is way too cheerful for eight o’clock in the morning, I thought. But at least I know where the coffee maker is now.
“I’m so grateful you had a spot here for me, Connie. But forgive me, my mom didn’t really explain to me what exactly I would be doing here.”
“Allegro is an advertising agency specializing in Internet advertisements and sales. We’re one of the largest employers here in Brunswick, with about six-hundred employees throughout the company. You are going to be answering phones and transferring calls for the sales department. It’s quite simple really.” She paused as we entered a bland cubicle at the end of a row. The cubicles to my left and right were empty, and the closest person was only in shouting distance. It appeared I would be all alone.
“Well, here we are. We’ll hire a few temps throughout the summer, so you won’t be alone for long.” I glanced around my workstation. It was empty save for a computer, chair, and phone. The phone was massive, with dozens of little green and red lights blinking away like a Christmas tree.
“I’ll send someone over to show you the ropes, but basically, you answer the calls using our standard greeting and look up the status of the person the caller wishes to speak to using the computer directory. If they’re available, transfer the call. If they’re out, transfer to voicemail and message the rep. The sales department is the largest department with over two hundred and fifty people, so it might seem overwhelming at first, but I’m sure you’ll pick it up in no time.”
My stomach tightened as I watched the array of lights twinkle. Unlike most tech-savvy kids my age, I was terrible with electronics. I’d graduated in the top ten percent of my high school, but was a complete moron when it came to computers, let alone fancy, hi-tech phones with blinking, angry lights that cautioned what I’d find on the other end. I’d accidentally broken three of my mom’s laptops somehow, and the Geek Squad cringed when they saw me walk into the store. I still didn’t have a smart phone because I was afraid I’d break it. I couldn’t even hook up my DVR correctly without getting Christian to fix it.
What If I can’t handle all the calls? Or I screw up? My mom called in a favor to get me this job; I can’t let her down or embarrass her by failing. In a small town like this, everyone would know how badly I’d failed before she could even make it home. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and squared my shoulders, putting on a fake bright smile.
“It shouldn’t be a problem at all. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
I hoped speaking the words out loud would help instill some confidence, but I felt like a fraud.
“Well, if you need anything, call me. My extension’s in the directory. I’ll send Temperance right over to give you a quick demonstration, and someone from IT should be by to set you up with a username and password.”
I wasn’t given a chance to respond before someone called Connie over the intercom, and she left, heels clicking merrily away. I sat alone in the cubicle for a few minutes, trying to read the tiny buttons on the phone without much success when someone tapped me on the shoulder.
“You must be Jillian,” a cheerful woman greeted.
Why is everyone so happy this early in the morning, I groaned in my head.
She wore a sunny yellow top with white lace adorning the collar and a pleated black skirt that fell below her knee. She was probably in her late thirties, but with her lack of makeup she appeared older. “I’m Temperance. I’m going to show you how all this craziness works. How familiar are you with the Cisco Unified IP phone system?”
“Um, not at all. I’ve never worked in an office before. The past couple of years I was a camp counselor, and I babysat, so this is all kind of new to me.” Temperance pursed her lips disapprovingly. I looked down at my feet, lifting my hand to my mouth as I bit the side of my thumb, trying to will my face not to flush.
“Oh boy. This is going to be harder than I thought. And they put you on the busiest floor, too,” she clucked, taking my hand and dragging me to another cubicle a few rows away and pushing me into the chair. “All you have to do is…” She prattled on and on for fifteen minutes about the meanings of the rainbow of color choices in the computer, not pausing to give me a chance to write any of it down or memorize a thing. “Got it?”
I couldn’t even respond, trying to keep the colors and screens straight in my head. I simply stared at her like a deer in headlights.
“Here, sit down and watch how I do it for a while. You’ll pick it up.”
Two hours later, I was completely overwhelmed and bored out of my mind simultaneously. We hadn’t moved at all, and I hated sitting still for this long. I swiveled in the chair, spinning in circles and taking in all the knitted decorations that filled Temperance’s cubicle. Between the crocheted seat cozy and pictures of cats everywhere with sayings like “Hang in there” and “You’re purrfect they way you are,” I assumed the woman didn’t get out much.
Temperance made me watch everything from a distance, never letting me participate in the training or learn anything. I tried for the first thirty minutes to look over her shoulder and pay attention to what she did, but the woman pushed buttons and typed so fast, I had no idea what she was actually doing. When she announced it was time for me to try it on my own, my heart began to race.
“Are you sure? Maybe I should take the rest of the day to observe and try it tomorrow?”
Temperance swiveled in her chair to face me. “Nah, I think you’re ready. Come on, give it a try.”
I had no idea what inspired this woman’s confidence in me, but Temperance was determined. She stood up from the chair, took her headset off, and brushed off her chair, inviting me to sit.
“Now, the next time the phone rings, simply do what I’ve been doing.”
I have no idea what you’ve been doing, I thought as I switched seats. I’ve been making a list of birthday present options for my Gamma in my head instead and practicing my Russian.
“Here goes nothing.”