Call Center Crash Course, Does It Help?
During the early years of the call center industry, one of the most in-demand services is English proficiency training, since customer service and outbound telemarketing for the US that time was something relatively new to Filipinos and that for us to be able to cope with it, an excellent command of the English language is a must and we have to admit that those kind of training really helped a lot. Now, as years go by, because of the rapid growth of the industry and the huge demand of agents it entails, most BPO companies decided to do in-house training, fusing it with the company’s existing training procedure which actually help them save time and of course money. Because of this, the need for training services from third party companies had lessened dramatically. During its silence, a new breed of training centers came out, the call center training institutes that offers short term courses for people who wants to enter the call center industry, they provide basic trainings such as grammar, American culture, geography and a little bit of everything.
I would say it’s a good idea but If you would really want to be a competitive candidate for any call center, it would take more than a crash course to get you in, especially if you are competing with other candidates that already had call center experiences, I’ve done recruitment before for a call center in Ortigas and I would say that I’m not that impressed with applicants that boasts about their call center training, I’m not saying that they are terrible, all I’m trying to say is, if I want myself trained, I would definitely want to know what’s really important. What I’m pointing out is to go more in dept and focus on the important parts. If you want to train call center agents, train them on phone skills, phone ethics, build confidence, spontaneity and train them to think on their feet. Most of the applicants I interviewed before can’t even look straight at me and can’t even express themselves. Bottom line is, for people out there who are planning to take training courses for call center, look at what they have to offer, what’s their training program and what does it cover. For those who are doing training and are planning to do call center training, consider my words as pieces of advice, all of those came from first hand experiences.
-rgs
Price
UI is know out around the for being a low cost solution that works here in the Philippines call centers, I have noticed over the last couple of months there has been some new kids on the block offering a lower cost then what we are. Most of them you really have to search to find them or be here in Manila.
I started to do my rescearch on who these companies where and how they are offering a lower price then US, Pretty much what I found was the quailty of the phone lines, internet, support staff and client relations.
I have thought about offernig some what lower prices and then giving a lower service, something like in stead of using a teir two voip provider us a tier 1 to help lower the price for the services that we offer. After thinking about it I said no way, we dont want to be known to the public as the cheaper guys but with a lower quaility of service, we want to be in the middle, offer not the lowest or highest price but just right in the middle.
The door is always open
Most call center out there have closed door policy, meaning that if you are here in the Philippines most of the call centers would not entertain you in their office or show you around.
Why, I really have no idea but we have had allot of complaints from some of our clients that were looking around at other call centers but where not aloud to see their call center, just meeting outside like at Star Bucks or something. Here are Unique we are transparent what you see is what you get and any clients that fly out here to check us out, our door is always open.
Filipino powerlifters bagged bronze in Int’l tilt in Austria
PROVING that the Philippines is the best in Asia when it comes to powerlifting, the team of Filipino powerlifters took home the bronze medal in a four-day 2007 World Open Powerlifting Championships recently held in Soelden, Austria.
Reports from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) revealed that the competition kicks off on October 15 until 20 gathering some of the finest powerlifters in the world.
According to the Philippine Embassy in Vienna, capital of the host country, the Filipino powerlifters set a new record for the country and Asian records, Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo quoted.
Proud Filipino powerlifters were composed by Enrique Rafael ‘Richie’ Rosales, Erlina Pecante, Elvira Lorenzo, and Jinky Santos competed in different events in which Romulo added that they had a “sterling performance†in Ostrava, the Czech Republic.
Filipino supporters in Austria burst out when Rosales captured the bronze with his stunning performance of 225-kg (495 lbs.) bench press. Rosales competed in the 82.5-kg (181.5 lbs) weight class.
The DFA said the Philippines was setting a new Philippine National Bench Open Record by officially posting the heaviest bench press recorded in any weight class in the Philippines (225 kg. and 80.1 kg bodyweight).
Powerlifting is a strength sport, consisting of three events: the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. In an Internet research showed that each competitor is allowed three attempts on each lift.
Meanwhile, Pecante, who in the 82.5 kg. class and set two new Asian Masters 1 (40-49 years of age) records in the squat and total events; Lorenzo, who joined in the 52-kg weight class brought to set a new Asian Masters 1 (40-49 years of age) record in the deadlift event; and Santos, show off her personal bests in the squat and deadlift in the 48-kg weight class.
Both Lorenzo and Santos were first timers in the World Open championships.
Pecante, along with her teammate Colonel Antonio Taguibao, who were winners of the Czech competition held early this month, presented their winning medal to Philippine Ambassador to Vienna Linlingay Lacanlale.
Lacanlale lauded the Filipino powerlifters for the honor and glory they brought to the country. He also hopes that the Philippine government will give further attention to powerlifting as one of the major sports competition in the country.
The success of the Filipino powerlifters in the international competition would somehow inspire Filipino youths to venture into this sport, Lacanlale added.
Among of the major sponsors of the Filipino team was Unique Interaction, a call center in Ortigas led by its Chief Executive Officer Beau Rudd and Chief Operating Officer Rommel Sarmiento.* (Roberto Bacasong)
Call Centers and Internet as new playground for con games
By Fernan Angeles
EVERY playing field known to man has become vulnerable to con games even the most sophisticated modern day information technology system is no guarantee of its being scam proof. In fact, the modern day technology that provides convenience shopping has become susceptible to fraudulent transactions by unscupulous groups masquerading as legitimate marketing conduit.
With reports on scams being pulled off via the Internet of through the call centers, information technology firms are now pressed tool develop, conceptualize and put up a scam-proof system that would guarantee the protection of the people against con artists who have found the call center industry as their newest playing field for fraud.
Recent reports indicate an uphill trend on the number of people, who have found themselves victims of con artists via the internet and the call centers.
The newest scam, high-tech, involves no selling in the Internet and through call centers. Sweet talking “call center agents†at the other end of the telephone line would offer a free trial of a supposed new product or an IT system that is apparently being packaged as “something new†in the market.
It would however require the subsequent victim to submit their credit card number “if only to guarantee†that they are dealing with people who are not just after free hitches. The free trial, which would be seven days from the supposed receipt of their product or IT system, could be cancelled any time without anyh charge. Another ploy is what they call money back guarantee, when the truth is that you’ll never get your money back, and even if you do, it would perhaps be long enough for the money yo be considered as borrowed from you, with the loan without earning an interest.
Under the well planned scam, anybody who gets to respond to their calls or invitations are offered a seven day free trial. From there, anybody who gets to be convinced are asked whether or not he’s a credit card holder. The moment one gets to give his credit card number, then its a done deal. Police have had reports of people complaining about their credit cards accumulating debts for products and services which they never had.
As to how the scam is consumated, police believes that the scam may have been similar to those in the past where computer brainiacs are able to hack into the system using high tech gadgets, which are good enough given numbers corresponding the account of their unsuspecting victim.
In Metro Manila alone, blotter entries of people who claims to have fallen victim to the ploy are on the rise. For the first half of the year, police said that there are already roughly 130 reported incidents of such nature.
Under these circumstances, it is imperative for the call center and internet communities to cooperate with the police on matters pertinent to a scam that promises to be tomorrow’s must lucrative con game. Equally important is the vigilance of the apparent victims to be the computer dependent community.*
Hello World, Hello Philippines
By Roberto Bacasong
SOUNDS familiar? Outsourcing today is considered the most dynamic business in the country. Reading the reports about call center published under the business sections of the country’s top national dailies revealed the development on this industry.
For instance, BusinessWorld newspaper, a national daily in the Philippines, always give noticeable update of what is going on in the IT matters, and the business process outsourcing.
In the same newspaper, an article entitled: “Business process outsourcing firm to set up shop in Leyte,†published on November 7, 2007, written by their Leyte correspondent Lemuel L. Pagliawan, reported that a local BPO firm is planning to set up an office at the Leyte Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Park in the town of Palo.
This is a huge development, this only means that call center remains to be the sunshine industry in the country. We can continue boosting the challenge if we continue to focus and develop the resources that we have. The partnership between the local and the national investors are considered a strong testimony of keeping this industry alive.
This will not only benefit our nation, it will give a wider opportunity for all of us in the next following years. It is a pride and honor that despite political instability report, the country remains to be the center stage of promoting the call center business.
If our government leaders will focus on doing outsourcing for the country, it will contribute a dramatic effect to our employment ratings. It is a testament that will be used by our future generations.
Saying a simple hello to our customer is not only establishing rapport. We are bringing the name of the Philippines in the outsourcing world. This is a business in which Filipinos are to be proud of. This is the trend now in the country, which continue to receive a flying color in the outsourcing world.*
In the Limelight of the Call Center Industry
By Naomi M. Rosal
In the beginning, the Philippines has gone through major impacts in the distraught of communication. Many have conquered our land in poisoning the beauty of our own heritage. This led a barrier of freedom to express but their own language. However, English became a positive outcome. It is a bridge to build a better society for the benefit of the whole nation. And it is definitely an edge for the Filipinos to conquer their fear of not only being known to be the smallest planet on earth. But it has great facts that the Philippines is the only foreign country to apply the English world successfully.
Unlike other nations for instance, India or China, these two countries are leading to be the second and third highly regarded only. However, the Philippines had supported the English to apply the language profoundly to be widespread. Let us begin with the call center industry.
Today, the BPO (business process outsourcing) exists to create this industry. Call centers not only helped to improve employment in the Philippines, but it became a factor location to play English as a major edge for the nation. Lets take a closer look inside the call center abode. We have the young people for one thing, who carries out the language proficiently in producing great results of communication with clients in the US.
It is guaranteed that young Filipinos in the outsourcing companies will succeed in expressing the same tone and accent as Americans does speak it. Thus, the great influence in inheriting the same accent and tone as Americans does speak it will surely satisfy the the business for the US as well.
Why? Call centers is the only place to inculcate perfectly the ways of how Americans really communicate. It has helped build a better culture in creating refinement as pertaining to personality development. For instance, honing the strength to speak confidently and more aggressive in front of the people, breaking the fact that Filipinos are known to be shy and soft spoken. Surely, many have considered call centers as the bridge to educate each individual to excel better in communication. The young people especially seemed to express oneself by believing ones place. Humor is greatly played as it is the number one ex factor to relate clients in the US.
In the US, since their language is known to be the friendly user communication worldwide, humor is created to embellish better in human relations. It is used for building rapport in sales and the like. American humor in their language has helped improve business for both parties.
From then on, business for the US has prospered and progressed in the Philippines. Not to mention, capital is cheap too for the US. The transaction in a call center business for the US has gone smooth and has given rise to build better money for both parties as a benefit. Both has entail a fair deal of satisfaction. If you have the edge of high English proficiency and have the confidence to stand out, get in a call center today. Its a job for you.*
Wanted: With American Accent
By Bobbit Mariano
A job hunter who consider working in a call center may find difficulty in applying to such position particularly if the job description entails not only must have a good verbal and written communication skills, but must also have an American accent.
Newspaper job advertisements have emphasized the need for such requirement since the bulk of Business Outsourcing Clients came from US. Thus, a customer care should have an American sounding tone.
Human Resources personnel, then first requires the applicant to read a list of English words to determine on whether or not they have the so-called American accent. In the Philippines, applicants who live in the southern region usually failed the first stage of application process due to their strong regional language dialect as compared with those living in Metro Manila.
And true enough, applicants pronounce the English words differently. American accent, on the other hand, is totally different from British or Australian tone.
But having an American accent does not guarantee the success of an applicant, a hopeful customer service representative (CSR) must also hurdle the second stage of passing the English written exam, and finally the third step which is the listening skills.
Clearly, the competency of a CSR does not depend on having an American accent alone. The customer care must also be polite,courteous and have a long patience in dealing with difficult callers or clients. To increase the level of competency of the representatives, most of the established BPO companies have even funded a comprehensive training on verbal communication skills, hiring professional trainers for their employees.
English trainers share the process of learning the sound system (or phonology) of a language or dialect. The methodology involves several steps, including assessing your current accent for trouble spots, or non-standard patterns and habits, changing the way you form your mouth to form vowel and consonants sounds, modifying your intonation and stress patterns, and changing your rhythm.
An experienced customer care has stressed that if all foreign call centers were staffed with representatives who were given the proper training, tools and procedures, then off-shoring would not be such a hot-button issue for so many consumers.
The CSR added: “I don’t believe there are intrinsic ethnic or cultural barriers to providing good customer service, but I do believe many foreign call centers are not properly staffed and trained.â€*
