Butts in the Seat

Did you ever work in a call center? Or any kind of office environment? And thought, at least once or twice, "This is just ridiculous?" This book is for you. "Butts in the Seat" is set in a fictional call center, Pharma Connection Resource (PhCR). The company is rife with politics, conflicts, cliques, drama, tedium, and senseless policies. We get to know Chrissy, the capable account manager, whose directness is not universally appreciated; frustrated marketing director Lisa, who's trying to hang in until she can take early retirement; Patty, the much-loved receptionist; Eve, the ambitious art history major who has a connection to bloviating CEO Tom; Jack, the money-focused call center director disliked by many; and the in-over-her-head EVP Ellen, who may or may not be having an affair with Jack. And then there's the call center staff-including telephone agents, some of whom are nurses, some of whom are called POAs (Plain Old Agents); Noreen, the tough but fair call center manager; and supervisor Josh, who is on leave at the start of the novel after being attacked by POA Trevor with a baseball bat after a feedback session gone wrong. An added element is that PhCR is hired by pharmaceutical companies to handle consumer calls on their behalf; we meet a few of their clients and prospective clients-the distrustful and impossible-to-please Clarissa, the alien-like George, the blame-spewing Chip, the tough-as-nails Nancy, who once threatened to rip a little boy's foot off, and a bean counter who looks remarkably like Rowan Atkinson, Mr. Bean himself. There are twists and turns throughout, and a satisfying surprise at the end.