Read this article by a recognized World Business News website author --->
Does Philippine Call Center Success Translate to BPO, Software Development, and ADM Success?
When I read this article, I felt proud that our call center agents here in the Philippines get recognized for the language proficiency or at least the acquired ability to neutralize regional accent if not mimic a perfect American accent.
But the highlight that really made me both laugh and cringe in embarrassment is the fact that a lot of our beloved call center agents use the phrase "...For a while." During a conversation with the Filipino agent, the author almost believed that he was talking with an American during the whole time and could detect any slip of accent. But then the Filipino agent said "for a while" instead of "hold on" or "please wait a moment". As a manager myself, I've listened to hundreds of live and recorded calls and I must attest that this incident is very very wide-spread and I always slap my forehead everytime I hear this phrase. Sometimes I just couldn't help but laugh too!
It's sad that no matter how extensive and stringent our language training for our call center people is, there will always be minor slips like "for a while." My best guess is it is a "cultural thing." Something that people may have incurred during their studies in school or maybe environmental like hearing it on T.V. and other forms of media.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not "mayabang" because I feel embarrassed or disgusted by language errors like these by my fellow Filipino call center employees. I wrote this as a wake up call and I want you readers to be aware of this so you will not commit the same. We're not in the business of tricking our customers that they are talking to Americans. But since we've already gone a long way in adjusting the way we speak to them and we've already worked hard to neutralize our accents, why don't we go all the way and make sure we speak and do everything perfectly. Ofcourse, nobody's perfect but without a goal, what is a man?
2 comments here!:
Hi there gurl. It has been a while..
he he he..
Definitely that is an everyday issue in call center industry. Good thing i am not fond of using it as i always use "Please hold on."
Well, we are not perfect.. Aren't we?
:)
See you in my blog..
I do agree with you with regard to this issue. I have been hearing a lot of agents say this instead of "can I put you on hold..." Aside from this, common mistakes like saying "Take out" instead of "to go" , "close the light" instead of "turn off the light" or "I'll fetch you" instead of "I'll pick you up". I guess, we as supervisors and managers should always try to atleast correct these common mistakes if ever we do encounter or over hear our agents instead of just letting it go.
Just my thoughts.
P.S.
I really like your blog, not only that it is very interesting but informative esp. in the industry that most of us are in...Kudos to you!!!!
RED (",)
Post a Comment
Hi! Thanks for reading this post. I hope this has enlightened you in someway about the call center industry. I appreciate your gesture of wanting to leave a comment for any purpose. However, if you are leaving a question for me, please click to subscribe to the comments feed here or to my blog feed here so my reply along with all the reader comments can be stored on your browser bookmarks for your easy access.
I also encourage you to connect with me through the following popular social networks so we can better interact with one another! :)
1. Call Center Blogger Facebook Page
OR
2. Call Center Blogger Twitter Page
Thank you for reading again and I hope you enjoyed this call center blog as much as I enjoyed writing on it. Feel free to contact me at callcentervet@gmail.com. Godspeed.
Reminder: If you leave a comment with an unrelated link or link designed to promote your website, it gets automatically deleted. Don't waste your time.
For the time being, NO COMMENTS will be published at this time due to idiot spammers who try to comment even with the warning above. For immediate concerns, email me.
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.