Call Center Blogger

Learning From Your Customer's Experience (The Series)

12/14/2009 Call Center Blogger No comments

The consumerist.com is an amazing website for people like me who love reading about and tracking what real customers are saying beyond customer satisfaction surveys. In the past years, I loved how the guys and girls behind consumerist.com have concisely presented customers' cases from the strange to down right stupefying. Overall, I'm just entertained by these customer's stories as well as some very clever/funny comments they get from actual readers. We all know that in one case or another, both parties on each end of the phone line think the other one is stupid. In most cases, it is just a matter of common sense. Let me cite you a couple examples of submitted stories to consumerist that had me entertained during the weekend.

Case no. 1: Verizon CSR tells customer "Faster DSL WILL BURN your house down"

I know for a fact that several of our call centers here in the Philippines have Verizon as a client and I was chuckling at the possibility this CSR was a Filipino. I hoped not.

It was a frustrating story about a customer wanting to upgrade his current DSL plan (expired contract BTW) from 3MB to 7MB for just a few more dollars. He/she went through several CSR's from several different centers comfirming and not confirming he would be and he would not be able to do such a thing. All of the CSRs he spoke with could not explain why he couldn't upgrade to 7MB with his existing subscription while new subscribers/customers/accounts in his area CAN avail of this speed. Confusing already? I thought so too.. The last call he made was the time when he was told of the "bad" news. The lady CSR told him his wish to get a faster DSL speed will set his house on fire and burn it to the ground! He ended up not being able to upgrade and eventually canceled.

My verdict:

For the CSR/s: The blame for the inability of these CSRs to inform this customer of an honest answer as to why he can't upgrade to 7MB falls to the people who lead/manage these CSRs. From an neutral standpoint, it does seem absurd that he cannot. He is willing to pay extra and he has been a long-standing customer. Whatever reason there may be, the supervisors/managers must be able to convey and clarify this reason to CSRs. The CSRs on the other hand must be able to tell the customer why he isn't able to do so.

For the customer: I can't believe he went through 7 separate calls to several different CSRs and not be able to think outside the box. Since he was told he can't upgrade to 7MB with his current subscription and while new customers/subscribers CAN avail of the 7MB he wanted, why didn't he just cancel his service (which BTW is not under contract anymore) and just open a new one! How hard could that be? He already lasted 2 years with his current DSL plan with Verizon. Why not start a new one with a better speed? The same also goes for the 7 CSRs who spoke with him. They should have been able to suggest or (if not allowed) imply to the customer about this "out-of-the-box" idea so everybody goes home happy including Verizon.

The biggest loser in this case is Verizon I must say. The series of calls ended up with one less customer instead of 1 happy loyalist. ( Check out the full story at consumerist.com)

Case 2: Chase Executive Customer Service Drops APR From 26% To 9%

This story is a simple one by a Chase credit card customer who couldn't handle the interest rates on his debt. To cut the story short, "normal" customer service wasn't able to work with him in lowering his APR. He was able to scour online and find the contact details of "Chase Executive Customer Service" and finally work out a deal that was more agreeable to him.

This is a typical disaster waiting to happen in my opinion. Why have a "normal" customer service and another separate "Executive Customer Service." The simple reason why you put people in customer service is that you want them to resolve customer's issues at the first call. If companies don't empower their front-liners to help customers out as much the "Executive Customer Service" people could, what purpose would they serve then? Its not as if customers will pay extra just to be served by "ECS" and sure there are special circumstances that require meticulous attention to certain cases but having an ECS defeats the purpose of actually having a customer service hotline for all people to call. Just imagine if this ECS becomes "popular" and every Chase customer gets to find out about them... there would be no one else calling the "normal" customer service hotline. Furthermore, their Executive Customer Service team would be pulling their hair off because of the long queue of customers waiting for resolution in the trunkline since their contact details are now open to the public online. On a side note, apparently HSBC also has an Executive Customer Service department. :)

My verdict:

For the CSRs: In general, I'm sure some Chase CSRs wouldn't mind difficult cases to be redirected to a ECS but IMHO it really defeats the purpose of just being there. We want our customer service people to be empowered with the same abilities as a ECS department has. If not empowered with the decision-making ability, they at least should be able to quickly reach a decision-maker themselves to resolve the concern and provide better customer experience. I maybe missing something here but in general and based on my years of experience in CS, this is not a good strategy. We have Macky here from Chase and maybe he can shed some light on this. :) ( Check out the full story at consumerist.com)

This is just part one of this Learning From Your Customer's Experience Series and we'll be featuring some more unique albeit entertaining customer service issues in the days to come. Please keep reading and visiting callcenterblogger.com.

Changing Lanes

12/12/2009 MOO! 1 comment

Change.
Some things are permanent.
We hear several icons and inspirations resonate this fact.
Songs, Speeches, Movies - you get the point.
Too little of it stagnates the soul, too much rattles it.
But can this very word that elected Obama be just as ferocious and fatal to one's company?
We often hear how too many people complain about how routinary and boring their worklife has become.
The usual, too long a queue, same pitch all over, same people, same sickening schedule, awake at nights, can't sleep in the mornings.

But the bigger repulsion to a change would be that of the MGMT's - no I'm not talking about this years Grammy nominee band - which is good by the way, you should check it out.
Whether be it a change in style, approach, or the revamp of the whole Management - change is always something employees dread.

A change in metrics sometimes as required by the Clients for BPOs spell a whole new level of agitation and lead to sometimes even mass resignation.

This is how I observed its done
*More than the change - how change is delivered should be 2nd priority if not the 1st.
A trending in a centers performance whether up or down may lead to gradual changes, if performance is up - chances of goal increased increase, if its down, chances of additional Key Performance Indicators result.

*Making sure all key persons are well calibrated - should any inconsistencies arise - it is important everyone is supported.

*Understanding the reason for change - Transparency is key here - Employees are smarter than what some employers may think otherwise prepare for a revolution.

*Encouraging the change - Even good leaders tend to be remiss on this - but that's what separates them from the great ones - Speaking the language most familiar better if they begin to practice the change themselves.

*Communicating directly to your employees let them know they are as vital to the company as much as the Big Wigs, thus, create trust.

*How to work with the change - Tools, support groups - anything to show that we are guided - and not expected to grows gills for underwater breathing.

I don't read a lot of leadership books - so I may not be too sure if a company is managed well, but anyone can tell if its mismanaged - attrition speaks for itself'.

We leave not entirely because of the changes, too much and lack thereof.
Communication on these changes however, could spell a big difference.
So rather than fostering changing lanes - Lets leave that mindset that change is always good.

Aiming Higher (Part 2): Experience Vs. Leadership

12/10/2009 Dr. France Jagolino 1 comment

In Part 1 of Aiming Higher, I highlighted the concern about the lack of BPO Management to fill a fast growing industry and how transitioning managers from other industries may not be in the best interest of call centers. In this blog, I will try to outline the root of this management shortage and I am sorry to say that it actually stems from human resources; specifically recruitment.

The problem with the BPO industry is that recruitment teams follow very stereotype procedures that also mirror that of other industries. Although, some procedures are specifically tailored for call centers, this mostly applies to agent applicants while non-agent applicants go through a regimented traditional hiring procedure. Have you ever come across a manager whose communication skills weren’t as good as yours? I have encountered a lot of these in my years in the industry and it made me wonder why this was so.

The answer to that question is that recruitment looks mainly at experience as a gauge of a person’s qualification and their biases are based on that premise alone. Things like leadership potential, soft skills, talent and business acumen actually take a back seat when considering managerial applicants for a position. Experience is also an unreliable basis for competence because people have different paces in learning. A manager could have five years of experience and not learned a single thing. Although some companies have slowly seen the light, it may take years for others to even recognize this problem!

Hiring based on experience does make a managerial candidate a strong pick but I really feel it is a poor gauge of the overall competency of this person. As I can truly attest, management is not all about management alone. Leadership plays an essential part in a manager’s success. Management and leadership may be used interchangeably by everyone but we have to realize that these are two different things. Management guru, Peter Drucker, once said that Management and Leadership are not the same. You cannot manage people. Inventories can be managed but people have to be led!

In many past job interviews, I have emphasized that it is my leadership skills that will determine the success of any account I handle. As impressive as my stand may have been to recruitment managers; sad to say that recruitment directors don’t agree and I failed due to lack of experience. It takes vision on the part of any company to truly accept that managers are supposed to be leaders. In the game of experience, it is sad that a person of my potential loses every single time while those from other industries get the job without having made a single call in their life.

Another thing I feel that recruiters should take into consideration is that management can be learned and I agree that where experience may come in handy. However, leadership and versatility are things that are not easily learned and only individuals with inert attributes and talent are able to put this to good use. Let’s face it; leaders have to learn to manage but not all managers ever learn to lead properly. Many managers feel that wielding their authority like a huge sword is what makes them a leader. Unfortunately in this age of well-educated employees, this military type of leadership is no longer effective in achieving objectives and have, in fact, been the reason for mass attrition.

I feel that recruitment teams of all BPO companies should begin to have vision for the future and accept the fact that experience is not everything! There are so many talented leaders within the call center ranks that are not given the time of day because of lack of experience. Leadership does not require experience alone! Many people have attributes which make them leaders and it is unfair to shut them out due to lack of years in management. If the industry keeps on going this way, I doubt if the growing demand for managers will ever be met!

BPO companies must realise that it should be leaders that should fill their ranks and not politician managers from other industries! Only then will we see progress in the way the industry is run and we will ensure the continued growth and survival of our beloved BPO industry.

As I posted on Facebook the other day; “Like India, Philippines also need to awake to this fact that if they do not have leaders to lead the workforce, the BPO industry cannot grow”. If experience is the only way to determine who manages and leads, we are looking at a doomed industry that will eventually drag the whole nation down with it!

Read more of this writing on:

13th Month Pay in Call Centers

12/10/2009 Call Center Blogger 2 comments

December is pretty much the most awaited month of the year for employees across all industries, people working for BPO companies in the Philippines probably most especially because of their above-average salaries. Where do you spend yours?

One bright spot about working in this country is the fact that employees get guaranteed bonuses equivalent to one month's pay towards the year of the year. Many people don't realize how awesome this is because it has been treated as mandatory. Many also don't realize that this makes us a very lucky lot because not all workers around the world get a 13th month pay. This is a blessing given to us by our laws since companies are forced to provide no matter how a company does financially. In most cases, companies around the world can always opt to forgo providing bonuses if the company hasn't made a significant profit. Getting a law-mandated bonus is one of the perks call center employees should be thankful for. On the business side, as they say, it comes with the territory and its just one of the downside BPO companies have to deal with to operate here.

For the employees, where does your 13th month bonus go? Some of you may have probably received an advance 13th month pay after the Ondoy calamity to pay for repairs. Some companies opt of halve the 13th month bonus and provide an initial payment mid-year so that the "damage" for them would be less felt at the end of the year. But in general, most of us probably have earmarked a huge portion of the bonus for holiday spending, vacations, personal effects, "gifts to yourself" and debt payment. A sad fact is, the extra month bonus may have gone faster than it came. Only a few people ever think about setting aside a good portion for emergency spending and savings. It is almost a statistical fact!

We all know that we have certain financial responsibilities one way or the other. We also want to show loved ones how we truly appreciate them by giving them gifts this holiday season. You may even feel you deserve to buy yourself a present as a reward for working so darn hard this year. However, there is no other better gift to yourself than making sure you will have money to spend when all hell breaks lose and/or when the shit hits the fan! Think about how you may end up if in case you lose your job for whatever reason: lay-off or just plain quit. Think about emergency situations when you or your loved ones' situation may compel you to shell out some out of your pocket.

The festive mood of the holiday season and a thick wad of cash on your hands should not be reasons to splurge on impulse. Always take into consideration that the 13th month bonus is a hard-earned salary which you worked hard for in the past year. Many of us have "virtually" spent our bonuses even before we get it... this is why we can wait to get our hands or it!

The lesson to take from this post is we should all consider what we need to survive first before thinking about what we want to have or what we want to give. It's not selfish to think about your future even in this holiday season. Many people in other industries think we call center employees are not able to save money significantly and consistently even with our salaries. In many cases, they are correct.

If you've already received yours, it may still not be too late to save. If you're still expecting it soon, it may be a good time now to revise your earmarking for that money so you can help yourself in times of need in the future. There's no other better feeling than knowing you have money saved for the long term.

Call Center Blog Reflections For 2009

12/07/2009 Call Center Blogger No comments

What a banner year 2009 has been for the Philippine call center industry and our call center blog! A lot of things have changed and developed while some are still stuck in the 90's. There are so many things to be thankful for but lets talk about the good things that happened this year.

The Philippine outsourcing industry's growth

The good news - Despite the past year economic crisis and despite some people's predictions that the industry will only be good in the Philippines for 10 years, it definitely seems that call centers and BPO as a whole will stay where its at and continue to grow. Collectively, BPOs in the Philippines grew by 20% year on year but fell short against the projected 35% it should have grown as many experts expected it to be. Considering the bleak economic conditions, I think 20% is still something to be thankful for! It was hardly felt in the job market as many companies are still posting job opening everywhere and with high salary offers for that matter.

The bad news - The same problems still hound the industry as it did for the past years: attrition, low hiring percentage and now a new problem that is both causing and feeding the first 2 -> skyrocketing salaries. Industry leaders warn this practice may lead to unsustainability and eventual unraveling of business process outsourcing. As to the truth and its realization, only time will tell and companies can control.

Things to be thankful for

I'm always the type of person who see a half-filled glass of water as half-full rather than half empty. Its nice to know that when call center employees are laid off work, they can find many other similar jobs to go for in the job market. We are not pets, dependents or slaves of this industry. The fact is, the Philippine outsourcing leadership consider call center and all BPO associates to be the backbone and driving force of the industry. We should all be thankful that despite the fact that many people elsewhere lost their jobs, most of us have kept our own and we have received our 13th month pay to share with family and friends.

CallCenterBlogger.com's growth

Our call center blog had its own fair share of ups and downs in the past year. Personally, I had problems keeping this blog updated as much as I wanted to because of personal reasons. However, in early October of this year, I found the time and reason to write again. I became more encouraged to write regularly after I've read this anti-call center speech by Congressman Raymond Palatino. I became inclined to criticize his take on the call centers and defend the industry and employees' cause.

Since October, our call center blog has experienced growth tremendously. More and more people are finding this website frequently in search engines. A substantial number of readers and other bloggers have also been inclined to visit this blog regularly since it is frequently updated. I also took steps to make sure that we reach out to call center employees frequenting major social networks like Facebook and Twitter. As a result, our blog now exponentially growing its followers in both places. We have also gained a few business partners who have come forward and expressed interest on this blog's cause.

Things to be thankful for

I'd like to thank our first two members of the blogging team: France and Deo. They represent the quintessential followers of this blog and they were kind enough to share their time, words and expertise to the rest of us. It gives me great joy to have found nice people like them who share my visions for our call center industry and employees. We have also granted permissions to 2 other contributors to write here and we are just waiting for them to publish their first post so that we can officially introduce them to you. :). We are always looking for more call center employees to write for us about their knowledge and even just plain call center experiences so that we can provide a wider perspective to you readers. If you wish to try out writing for us, please send me an email and let me know.

Secondly, I'd like to thank my business partners who have given me an avenue to write elsewhere and get paid regularly for my writings. This particular blog is borne only out of true passion and does not provide any significant income for any of its authors. However, it has paved way for companies and editors to find us and offer us writing jobs in their own website. Hopefully, one day France and Deo will be also be approached by others to share their talents and get paid for it.

Last but not the least, I'd like to thank you for continuing to read callcenterblogger.com. If you have read this article up to this point, it means to me that you have really taken interest on matters that this website has discussed. In return, I promise to keep this blog in tune with your concerns and interest. Your regular visits truly means a lot to us.

I thank the Lord for the life, our health and the strength given to us in all aspects of our lives. May this holiday season be a time for true reflections and thanksgiving for all we have received! :)

Its beginning to look a lot like Xmas - Call Center style

12/06/2009 MOO! 2 comments

Oh the weather outside is uhm colder..

At the hint of the first Christmas carol, come the most anticipated and dreaded at the same time Time of Year for us nocturnal professionals.

Pros
1. 13th month pay and all other bonuses
2. Extravagant Xmas Parties
3. Christmas Shopping

Con
1. Work on Holidays - Applicable for mostly Inbound Reps (Tech Supports, Customer Service) - Outbounds get better schedules as we follow American Holidays

More than anything, Our culture centers on family - Maybe one of the only few things i love about our culture - It is always imperative to be together especially during holidays.

One TV ad rings to mind, remember when the whole family chose to celebrate outside of their kins office on Christmas day? Never fails to bring me a tear.

In close to 5 years of my experience with Schmetel (you'd only be a fool to think this is not a code name) I have been blessed to work in Cebu, Libis, Makati and Alabang - the initial corners of the the Call Center world, and only being required to work on 1 Christmas in Cebu City.

December 23rd - Cebu - around 8:00 pm

Management Team were deliberating on what to do - to make the Christmas eve better or at the very least bearable for our agents - Sure buffet was ready but every family has their special treats at home - My boss was talking about how the previous year they showered the agents with candies and goodies strike of midnight, some of the agents were teary eyed - Confused I burst into laughter - and then they were all quiet - I replaced the laughter with another sarcastic ''Awww'' , they'd think it'd be tears of joy for candies? What are they 8? Some of these people are spending their first ever Christmas away from home - thats what their tears represent.

So who do you think was appointed to be in charge of the goodies? you guessed it - Me and my jaded little mouth - I ended up buying the best chocolate cupcakes I could find - I figured why not give the agents a little something to remember home - Sadist was I? I thought it was sweet.

December 24th 11:58 pm

We started handing out the cupcakes - and then candies on the side - Okay so I gave in only because I believe we have to nurture our inner kids.

So it went well - Maybe not as well if they were home - but it didn't feel like my reps were as disappointed - after all its just another day.

In some ways I can relate to OFWs - missing the the holidays and all - how brave they are, and gained more respect for us Call Center employees.

We realize more than in any season why we are here - For our family and it makes more sense and less sadness - For we will endure everything for our family - even if it means missing the holidays.

Anyway its only a matter of hours. Advanced Happy Xmas!

Aiming Higher (Part 1): The BPO Management Crisis

12/05/2009 Dr. France Jagolino 1 comment

What does every call center agent aspire to become when they first enter the industry? It’s usually in the form of two letter words; namely TL (Team Leader) and for those who dream further; OM (Operations Manager). However, aspirations change along the way and agents begin to lose sight of their goals. Many factors come into play but a lot of these are still controllable. The only thing I see that hinders people from moving up in the industry is not the external factors but their own selves.

The call center industry is one of the fairest industries you could ever be in. BPO Companies don’t care if you have a fancy degree (like in my case) or if you are God’s gift to the call center industry! They don’t care about trivial things like age, gender and sexual orientation. They even accept people with physical disabilities (I actually had a trainee who only had one arm and amazingly he is working in an email account. Believe it or not, his email handling time was better than many people with both arms). However for the emotional and mentally disabled, there is still a center for them but it’s definitely not a BPO company, if you know what I mean.

Seriously, in this industry you literally start from the bottom and move yourself up from there. That’s a remarkable practice because I believe that good leaders must first be good followers. I have known many managers from other industries who entered the call center industry into a management position and sad to say that their leadership skills need a lot of work. Leading and managing people are two different things and I firmly believe that you first have to begin from the bottom to make it to the top. That’s what will make your journey more memorable and worthwhile.

A recent article in the Inquirer, Lack of management talent dogs BPO firms, prompted me to begin writing this series of blogs here entitled Aiming Higher, to look into the lack of management talent available and how people in this industry should strive to continue working towards that elusive management goal. With the Philippines having been declared the top destination for customer service outsourcing, the need for more BPO managers is greater than ever.

In my honest opinion, managers who have been bred and groomed within the BPO industry outperform those who come in from other industries. Non-BPO managers would never understand the fact that driving metrics is not just an objective but it requires a great understanding of call center agent psyche. How would they know what this is if they’ve never taken a call, themselves, in this lifetime?

How can managers who haven’t taken calls before ever hope to motivate an agent crying in a corner because some overly irate customer just destroyed her dignity? If you study the trend, many voice accounts (especially outbound sales) have attrition rates that would shock you. I know this because when I was an outbound team leader, there was a time I lost an entire team! Managers who have experienced the hardships of being an agent are more compassionate to the plight of the people they handle; having experienced the same themselves.

Another thing I have seen many non-BPO managers bring into the industry is politics and I am strictly against any form of office politics as it hinders productivity and creates breaks in crucial working relationships. The call center world depends highly on team work and any manager who can’t foster that quality in their accounts are better off working somewhere else.

If you’ve got the heart and passion for leading teams towards success, I encourage you to read the next blogs I will be posting in this series. You might just be the answer to this “BPO management crisis”.

Read more of this writing on:

Welcome Our Call Center Blogging Team!

12/05/2009 Call Center Blogger 1 comment

Our call center blog, through the years, has been continually evolving to fit the taste and interests of the Philippine call center community. We have also tried our best to create content that would help people in their call center work, finding jobs and featuring informative news. Through our efforts, the blog has gained significant following in many social networks and continues to be the most visited call center blog in the Philippines.

Because this webpage has become more visible online, we have also gained the attention of bloggers in the call center industry who were so kind to offer us their time and effort to write about their call center knowledge, experience and opinions to continue helping our call center friends with their life and work. I have installed their profiles on the right side of this page but please let me formally introduce the first 2 of our contributors below:

Dr. France Jagolina (LinkedIn Profile) is a well-educated BPO operations manager who emailed me to volunteer his words and expertise about the outsourcing industry. We have the same passion of sharing our knowledge to help readers with their work and vision of making the call center industry better for its employees. He is a medical doctor by education but a manager by profession who has fallen in love with the industry and worked his way from the bottom up. He is really an all-around guy who loves writing as well. I was impressed by the first post he wrote here about "Concerns about Agent Quality" and I'm enthusiastically looking forward to reading more of his writing here in the near future. In the meantime, should you be interested in learning more about him, click on his blog's image on the right to read more on his personal blog Kaizen.

Deo Bagadiong (Blogger Profile)is a real call center veteran with a knack for witty statements in his writings. During the first time I visited his personal blog Cow English, it only took me reading only a few words to realize he is really something. A passionate writer who writes from his heart, I admire Deo for his uncanny ability to mix humor and seriousness in his compositions. With 5 years BPO experience tucked under his belt, we can expect him to share his own thoughts and expertise as well as real-life struggles of his call center employee life which I feel most of you can and will relate to. His first post here "Rebound Company" where he shares his experience transitioning from his last employer to his new greener pasture now also impressed me and is surely a composition readers can learn from. We will certainly look forward to seeing him write here in the coming days but in the meantime you may click on his blog's image on the right to to read more of his engaging write-ups.

I envision callcenterblogger.com to one day be a big call center team blog where call center employees can occasionally write to share their knowledge and experiences. Ideally we should have many call center and BPO people sharing their thoughts here so that readers can grasp and appreciate a better understanding of our outsourcing industry. Whether you're a call center agent blogger, a workforce specialist, a QA, team leader or manager, you can help. If you feel you can write and share your efforts and wisdom to our call center-kind, please email me at callcentervet@gmail.com to let me know how you feel you can contribute.

Rebound Company

12/04/2009 MOO! No comments

Like in an any relationship - being the rebound is definitely a no no, that unless it is your bleeding desire to further the hurt, if S & M gives you the thrill, then thrill away.
It maybe a little different to spot these rebounders especially with the CC industry, everyone is on their best behavior, Stilletos shine to deceive, or more so to impress.

Lets look on the other side of the coin here - We've had our share of friends who hop from one company to another so much so they should get a stamp on.

I've worked for this Multi National BPO for roughly 5 years, we all know what an achievement that is, with the general attrition soaring up to heights faster than Big Brother evicts people.

And then I made the boldest move of resigning, too much comfort and saturation perhaps. Too much of the familiar maybe.

So I wouldn't be looking for anything serious, just something I can get by with, while I'm figuring out what it is I really want.

And by stroke of mad luck - Jobstreet posts this lucrative albeit unrealistic advert, I guess I can still afford a little whim.

I wanted my time back, and given they've arranged a salary package meeting my expectations, what have I got to lose? And the 'We're like family here' spiel always is a good motivation to work.

All the signs pointed to it, giving in more to intuition rather than reason, I surrendered - This being just my second full time job.

After just under 2 months, you begin a minor assessment if this is going to work - like in a real relationship. So Companies listen up err read on.
Pros, Cons, - Do the Pros outweigh the Cons?
1. People - Do I really want to be associated with these people? Are they willing to include me in their posse? Am I?
2. Superior - Do my superiors deserve my respect? Will it get better? Will they?
3. Work - Do I see myself doing this for a long time? For real?
4. Growth - If growth isn't what your looking for, you just may be lying, because anything that will not let you grow, will only help you get worse. Do I see a future in this?
5. Will it get better? Can I handle the heat? Do I want to?

Now that I am out of my Sanctuary and in to the 'real world' - I have better understanding of the CC hoppers - Not that I have new found respect for them - Lets just say I have an idea why they do that, although I'm still clueless why they do it often, maybe just doggone misfortune.

People leave for a myriad of reasons - which only points to one thing actually, Happiness. More than growth or anything monetary, consideration of present happiness is almost always what cinches the deal or in this case, breaks it.

And yeah, worst thing about rebounds? They never last.

Call Center Agent Partylist On The Ballot

12/04/2009 Call Center Blogger 1 comment

The people at the Association of Call Center and BPO Agents of the Philippines have been really busy the past couple of weeks. ACCAP is finally on the ballot for the 2010 National elections!

ACCAP supporters are well-organized groups of volunteers comprised of call center agents, supervisors and managers. They also include people with varying degrees of affinity to the call center industry like family and friends of call center employees, IT people, writers, telecoms industry pioneers and even chief operating officer of a call center company. The group is truly an assembly of people who know and certainly feel what working in a call center is and they are trying to make a difference for the people in it.

Late last month, the Call Center Agent Partylist group held its first ever press conference at Inasal Restaurant in Quezon City Circle. Attended by several media reporters, it was a huge success for ACCAP which eventually led to several more press releases including an ACCAP TV News feature during primetime. The next few days was devoted to organizing and mobilizing supporters for both online and offline campaigning as ACCAP leaders wanted to emulate the success of the Obama phenomenon during the last US elections.

My contribution is going to be online as I will take a small part in organizing the online campaign. ACCAP has many well-thought advocacies specifically directed to uplift the lives of all employees in the outsourcing industry. We are still looking for people to help us carry out a solid campaign by any way legal and possible. If you want to help us out by promoting our call center and BPO agents' cause through your social network pages, blogs and even just creating awareness in the call center you are working for, please do email me at callcentervet@gmail.com and we will be happy to have you join us in this noble cause!

Concerns About Agent Quality

12/04/2009 Dr. France Jagolino No comments

Almost every person I know wants to work in a call center and the answer is obvious. Call center jobs pay way better than regular “day” jobs you can get. Some BPO companies are able to pay their agents almost thrice the amount most local non-BPO companies can. To avoid dwelling into what’s known fact, one thing some people can’t seem to understand is that BPO companies will not just hire anyone off the street.

Having worked as a recruitment officer in a major company, I have seen the best and worst applicants on a daily basis. It’s sad to say that that many applicants, more than 80% to be precise, actually fall below par to the standards that all large BPO companies adhere to when hiring new agents. Believe it or not, even applicants with prior call center experience actually fail the application process while others wash out during training.

Why is this so? It really is a question of agent quality from the get go. Meaning, if you don’t possess the language skills, accent and reasoning that clients expect from their potential agents; then you flunk! Others are able to make it through the recruitment process but training furthers screens them and they end up being terminated for failing. Factor in work attitude and further screening occurs. For most centers, one NCNS (No Call, No Show) incident is enough to seal an agent’s fate. I’ve seen this happen too often.

If you’re reading this and you are hoping to land a job in the industry, my job here is not to scare you but to actually help you get the job you want. Having been in the industry long enough, I have observed what works and what doesn’t work for agent applicants. Hopefully, the tips I will share below will help you get hired:

Write a good resume: In any job, a resume can make or break you. There are lots of resources on the internet that can give you good tips on internet writing but here are some for you. Keep your resume short and simple. Ensure that your contact information is on top and phone numbers you include are current. Nothing frustrates a recruiter more than an outdated phone number. Include all pertinent work experience but if you have no BPO experience, you have to make sure you write a good career objective in line with the position you are applying for.
Make sure you can speak English fluently: This is very important and often the first thing the recruiter is looking for. When you speak your first sentence in an interview, experienced recruiters are able to determine whether you have the language competency required for the job. Here’s a tip, if the recruiter ends your interview within 5 minutes, chances are you might not move on to the next stage of the hiring process. Either that or the recruiter is hungry or has the call of nature. If you can’t speak English fluently, the only thing you can do is to take up an English Proficiency course. TESDA actually offers this for free so better start looking for the nearest TESDA training center. If you have money to spare, there are many excellent private call center training schools that can help enhance your language skills.
Be honest with your answers: Honesty is the best policy and recruiters can spot liars a mile away. If ever you do get away with it, a background check can end it all for you. You don’t want to be in a position where you lost your job because you lied about your credentials. The call center industry is a high trust environment and any breach of that trust is dealt with severely. So always be honest with your answers. If ever you were terminated from your last job, mention why this happened and the recruiter may even reward your honesty with a passing score.
Be confident: Recruiters love confident applicants who are both articulate and witty. The way to be confident is to garner the necessary skills to prove to a company you have what it takes to work there. If you have experience, then be nature you are confident. Just be careful not to be too overconfident and obnoxious. I’ve failed applicants for sounding conceited during interviews. If you are a first timer in the industry, I really do recommend prior training (TESDA or other call center training schools) so that you will become more confident in your acquired abilities.
Do your research: Many people miss this part. It is always good to do some research about the company you are applying to and about the industry (for new comers). It shows interest and determination that you went out of your way to learn about the company and its objectives. If you have friends working in that company, a short coffee session with them at Starbucks is well worth it with the information you can get. Recruiters will sometimes jump on you with a question like, “what do you know about our company” and every applicant who was able to answer that properly usually makes it. That research can make or break you.

Although these tips are helpful, they will not guarantee you instant employment. So, please don’t email me with scorn about not getting hired even after following these steps. It’s not a foolproof plan but will still give you an edge. At the end of it all, it’s still all up to you. If you really want to job, I’m sure you’ll do everything to get it. I’ve always loved this industry and it’s been a fun ride working as an agent all the way to manager. I hope someday you feel the same rush I do.

To be hired into a quality job, make sure you are a quality choice for recruiters.

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