Start-up: calls at 5:42 p.m., refusal prohibited, re-launched... what the "secret" manual of call centres reveals

Like almost every day, at the same time: an unknown number appears on your phone. It is 5:48 pm, you hesitate to pick up. At the other end of the line, a warm voice calls you by your first name and promises you an offer "exclusive, but of limited duration". You decline politely. It insists. You still decline. It revives. This scenario, millions of French live it every week. And behind these calls hide well-roded strategies, a script tied to extr…