Whether we call them teleadvisors or telephone canvassers, they undoubtedly do the most thankless job there is by inviting themselves to your home to sell their junk when you haven't asked for anything. There are laws to silence them, AI to drive them crazy, tips to get rid of them, not to mention the harsher methods based on international insults. So at 20 Minuteswe wanted to know how you survive doing the most hated job in the universe.
To begin with, let anyone who has never sent a canvasser to peel stones throw the first stone at us. Because there are not many French people who welcome the call from Julie, who offers extraordinary retirement savings, or from Jules, who sells a very interesting revolving loan. According to a 2023 UFC Que-Choisir study, 97% of respondents believe that cold calling is “a scourge”. And Alice*, team manager at a big French name in the sector, clearly feels this animosity: “More and more customers are refusing to answer us, sometimes one in three calls. And many ask us never to call them back,” she assures us. “They listen to us for the first 30 seconds then they hang up on us,” recognizes Sophie*, a telephone advisor for ten years.
“We are called crooks, thieves…”
For the latter, the shift happened not so long ago: “For four years, things have become complicated because the economic situation has a lot of influence on our jobs,” explains Sophie. “The anxiety-provoking climate is felt in people's attitudes, and a call can become the straw that breaks the camel's back,” she adds. Concretely, this translates into “squalls” or insults. “We are called crooks, thieves… I have already been told 'I am going to kill myself because of you'”, laments the telephone advisor.
And even if it's not personal, the words hurt: “of course it affects me, I'm a human being.” No one can remain indifferent if they are insulted like this,” she adds. Especially since the caller is prohibited from hanging up or answering, “under penalty of sanctions”.
“Difficult calls”, Sophie estimates them at two or three out of five. “And we are not supported to deal with that,” she insists. “In my company, there are no measures to prevent psychosocial risks. You have to take it upon yourself and try to gain perspective,” admits the team leader. As a result, “many colleagues are depressed,” assures Sophie. She herself has already given up and thought about quitting, because the job keeps her going even on weekends. Except that you have to eat well and pay the house credit.
“We're forcing it a little, we're not always clear”
In addition to the customers who send you to pasture, there is also the pressure of the employer to manage. “Everyone knows that the job is increasingly difficult, but the objectives are not lowering,” says the team leader. So go make them happen, your 30% meeting rate with 3 out of 5 customers who suggest you go play on the highway. “We work under threat to achieve objectives, with the instruction to “charge” the client,” continues Sophie. Because otherwise, no bonus but just a small minimum wage. “So we force it a little, we're not always clear, because even to the customer who calls to complain about something, we have to sell something,” she admits.
Jeered by an entire population, wrung out by their employer, the canvassers also have the government on their backs. Limited hours, prohibited numbers, regulated sectors… “We are afraid of losing our jobs with what could come out soon,” Sophie slips. She is right: the Senate adopted a bill in mid-November to prohibit telephone canvassing for a “consumer who has not previously expressed their consent to be the subject of commercial prospecting by this means”.
Read our file on canvassing
If you type “canvassing” into a search engine, the dozens of top results direct you to ways to get rid of them. A British telephone operator has even developed Daisy, a virtual granny powered by AI whose sole aim is to waste the time of call center agents and drive them crazy. This unanimity against the profession goes beyond the call center : “Clearly, it’s not a rewarding job, it’s frowned upon,” Sophie admits. I don’t hide it from my friends or loved ones, but I avoid talking about it.”
* assumed first names