Misconceptions About Call Center Agents

There are a lot of misconceptions about call center agents. I bet each one of you has his or her own connotation. Before I joined the call center industry, I used to think that this is a job that would benefit moms like me because you'll have no other responsibility but to answer customer inquiries. It turned out that I was wrong. Big time!

Many people think that working in a call center is easy. Easy enough that even non-degree holders can be accepted. Although it is true that there most call centers accept non-graduates, it is not analogous to say that the job is easy. More than anything, it is very important that the person can handle stress gracefully and can multi-task under pressure with quick problem solving skills. Many people view call center jobs as a past time and do not see it as a serious profession. But you can never really say how stressful it is unless you experience it. Just imagine how you can handle a job sitting all night long hearing nothing but complaints and problems. Imagine doing it for a year straight with limited bathroom breaks. Most people can’t stand this and yes it is not just the stress from the calls or cases that you handle but the performance metrics and the competition as well. For moms like me, it is even more difficult leaving your kids at home during night time. I used to think that it would be easier because the kids would just snooze away but every night is a struggle not to call in sick when you see your kids alone and left only with your household help.

Another misconception is about the salary and that Call center people are well off. Well, they sure look like it? Most call center people have this iconic look: big dark glasses, jacket, jeans and sneakers and the one that puts on an ID lace and carries a Starbucks cup, you will sure be mistaken to be a call center agent. This 'get-up' may look expensive but what you see is not always what it seems. There are centers that offer very good compensation packages but there are also a number of centers who are not so competitive.

Call center agents always work the graveyard shift. There are many centers that operate 24x7 and yes, not all call center agents work at night. Not all call center agents take calls. There are others who handle e-mail and chat queues and others have mixed support. This is also the reason why call centers are now referred to as contact centers since job scope is not only through voice or through speaking.

After I thought of all these misconceptions , I realized that there is a really good reason why call center workers in general should be given a better pay. After all, this is one of the most stressful jobs and at this time and age and everyone is already dependent in one way or the other to call centers for support, even locally for Filipinos. Just imagine food delivery, technical support for mobile phones and Internet, phone banking or even ordering your medicines from the pharmacy. I’m sure, pretty soon people will give call center workers the respect and dignity they deserve.

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Mute It

You can't deny it. We all live in the same extra world. I call it extra because its just really uncommonly difficult. And easy. A combination you feel when you are in it. You go to work at night. You sleep whole day. Then you wake up worrying what shirt could probably look new under your same old black jacket. Then you go to the same spot, if you are lucky to gain that position all your project life (whatever account that is) with your pictures posted on the wall and the rest extra-- like the new policy that just came in, steps on making that call, et cetera. Ah! This is a life! You are free to speak the unbearable, as your caller is free to hit you on your ear like a dart that's hitting the bull's eye. That is the great use of the mute button. Oh well, that completes the story. But wait! I got some more things to tell you.

Remember what they do when breaks are on? They smoke, they talk, they cuss, they cry, they laugh, breaks are like a jackpot! That's how you release the tension. What matters most is the coffee flowing right at the bar, it's a saver. You could work wide awake and you could remember all you say. Pair it with a creamy chocolate or some peanuts and your night is good. (And sometimes you just slip your chips behind your monitor to avoid getting caught!) .

Why would the mute button matter anyway? Okay, let's go back. Because you get to roar it out. You express yourself. You're being human. It's like resting your jerking muscle after a smooth massage. And so much for the breaks. They make you feel alive. No big deal. It's your work. It rewards you. It drains you at the same time. But you like the part when you come home to see your kid shine like star in his warm smile and get an honest embrace. You feel like a super mom. You are doing a hard work and you are doing it for him. That is the best part.

I'm still amazed how call center life came to us Filipinos. But really, it's because of talent. We are just amazingly adaptable. Maybe because mute buttons are promising. Mute it, that should work. You satisfy their needs -- and you satisfy your emotions. The mute function makes you impersonal with your business. And the other side, it makes you get too personal. You can ask your supervisor something you need to know while keeping the line open. Or you chat with your seat mate if you are well versed with multi-tasking, that is just really fantastic. Good thing phones were made! Nice jobs were offered. We are gaining a better definition of ourselves. We see ourselves capable. We are feeling good about it. Whether we had a bad hair day at work or we made a huge sale, it's just really different. After all, nothing really is not personal. We do things because we choose it. And that is being personal. Impersonal -- personal. Easy. Difficult. We have it all in the call center.

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Philippine Independence Day

Today June 12, 2009 is celebrated as the 111th year of Philippine Independence. That's more than a century ago and is it still relevant for us present day Filipinos?

For BPO night shift workers like me, probably it's just another day in the calendar when we can work and be paid double. But is it an irony that most of the BPO workers are employees of foreign BPO companies or call centers and we declare that we indeed are independent?

As foreign BPO investments pour in the Philippines because of the Filipino's innate talent, are we Filipinos have any plans of building our own call center or BPO industry that can rival the best and be a global player? Does our present government see this as an opportunity to 'nationalize' the BPO industry and invest and to have Filipinos run a BPO company and employ their own kababayan?

I work for a foreign BPO company but I am a Filipino. I am proud to be a Filipino and will always contribute and work for true independence. I will always dream of economic and political self-determination and the Filipino BPO worker to earn a decent living without forcing themselves to speak and to sound like a foreigner.

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A Short Story

Inhale. Exhale. Deep sigh. Over and over until the smoke from my cigarette stick goes out. I'm really nervous. The result of our exams are about to come out anytime soon. Normally I'm not afraid to hear the exam results and I don't have vices but this exam depends whether I'll stay with the account or be re-profiled. I was able to breathe easy when the results came. I wasn't able to perfect the scores but at least I passed.

Bad trip! I already wanted to move out from the call center world but I still can't. I still need money nowadays. Why is it that only the BPO industry are the ones with high-paying companies in the Philippines? I don't really care about my way as long as I enjoy what I'm doing. It just so happened that I accidentally got pregnant in the middle of my career. And I had to stand on my own since the father of my child denied to take responsibility. Plus the fact that I am also financially supporting the schooling of my niece in college. I also have to pay bills and buy groceries at home. Oh well, a few more sacrifices and maybe I'll be able to move out of here.

How did I end up working in a call center? I went online and searched for jobs. I landed over JobStreet and submitted applications for different BPOs. I was scheduled for an interview one day and after the fast-paced application process, I was hired.

With God's grace, I'm already in my ninth month here in my second call center. I didn't realize how time flies. It's been a while and I'm still surviving.

Two years ago everything was pretty normal in my life. But ever since I worked in a call center, my world went upside-down. Before, I work in daylight and I can stay as late as I can. But now I can consider myself as a nocturnal animal. I work at night and sleep in the morning.

Because of the schedule, I'm now lazy to go on gimmicks. I just plainly love to sleep instead. Even my meal time changed, and so I developed hyper acidity. Good thing though is that I walk about three hundred meters every day to get to our office so I managed to stay in shape somehow.

Before, I can still meet up with friends, now I can only send SMS or emails because our work schedules differ.

Call center life is difficult yet happy.

Difficult because the food is expensive in the pantry. You also have officemates that loves gimmicks or daylight drinking sessions. Even if you don't like to go with them, they'll say: 'Team building tayo! Bawal ang hindi sumama!'

There's also lots of demands from the management. Too many work to be done but no wage increase.

Regarding vacation leaves, you have to submit your desired dates on time do you'll be the first on the list to be approved or it wont be plotted. You can't just go on leave whenever and all-together because there's only a number of agents allowed to go on leave per day. When its queuing, you're already too tired talking yet you just can't stop or go on break easily. You might be branded for call avoidance and give you white slips as warning or the Call Routing Department will ring your AVAYA's till it smokes out of it.

In simple terms, you can't rest if there are calls waiting. So lately I became sickly because we work like machines. And you can't just file excused leaves. If you have flu, UTI, cardio problems or cancer, you still just can't be absent. For until you can take in calls, you have to. But if your tooth aches, you have a sore throat or tonsillitis, you can be absent. In other words, if your illness concerns your voice, you have the right to be absent. But not over one day without a valid medical certificate.

You also can't browse non-business related sites, mobile phones or any transmitting device are not allowed in the operations area.

Even looks are controlled. You can't wear spaghetti strap blouses, plunging necklines, mini-skirts, shorts and slippers . No eating on workstations (but I can bring in some but managed not to get caught).

Aside from those mentioned, you also have to accept all bad words, profanity and discrimination from your customers.

Call center life is happy yet difficult.

First of all, you work in an air-conditioned office. No worries about sweating. It's always cold.

Second, you'll gain a lot of friends. I'm just lucky I was deployed to one of the best teams with a nice team leader.

Third, undergraduates are welcome to apply. For as long as you're 18 and above and have at least reached second year in college. Rationale, as they say is because there are so many college graduates but not all can speak fluent English or execute good grammar.

Fourth, where can you find an office that can also substitute your apartment because you can sleep in the lounge area or snooze rooms provided by the company? There's also shower rooms if you want to take a bath and nursery if you have your kids that you want to be with. Just bring your yaya to look after them while you're working.

You'll also become better in English communication skills.

And most of all, you enhance your people skills and become more personable since you've talked to different races all over the world.

Plus there's customers that are difficult to deal with, the irate ones. I guess, if ever I'll be facing anyone irate, I can handle the situation better now. This is not my dream job but I am a person who looks for every positive thing in any task given to me. Nothing will happen if I'll just go on complaining. Money is the main reason why I am here. And so I know that money will also be my escape from this world. I'm now saving and saving. Every single cent that goes to my account is equivalent to my freedom from the world of call centers.

But I don't really hate what I'm facing right now. I know, I'm here because it has a purpose in my life. I've also learned a lot here. Everyday is a learning opportunity for me, so I also enjoy.

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Corporate Social Responsibility

Among companies and businesses today, there is a trend towards undertaking what is called "Corporate Social Responsibility" (CSR). The basic idea of CSR is that companies should be doing more to ensure that the community they operate in is taken care of. This could take various forms - anywhere from feeding programs to livelihood projects, and even environmental cleanups.

It's a good concept, and I don't see anyone disagreeing with this in principle. The thing is, a great many companies that supposedly practice CSR are under the mindset that it is an opportunity for self-promotion. If one surveys each of these companies and tries to find out which specific department is in charge with CSR, then most likely one will be pointed to the company's public relations (PR) department.

There are many problems associated with practicing CSR with a PR mindset. On top of all these is the fact that a company's actions are dictated by what would benefit its own reputation, rather than what is actually needed by the community. And speaking of the community, most companies (which are located in highly-urbanized centers) do not really have an idea of which community they belong to, or which community needs their help. Worst of all, CSR is sometimes used to coverup a particular company's unfair treatment of its own employees.

I've worked for a company which undertakes various CSR projects in different provinces - and must have spent millions of pesos already to that end - but whose record of treating it's own employees right is downright dismal. Every pay date, there are at least 50 disputes (a conservative estimate - and this is just for one site) for reasons ranging from invalid deductions, non-payment of agreed-upon allowances, to actual non-payment of salaries. Curiously, with all these, it still has a good corporate reputation, no doubt considerably brought about by its PR machinery and well-publicized CSR projects.

One point that is so easily missed by companies like these is the fact that the foremost communities that they should be serving are their own respective corporate communities. If a company's leaders can't treat their employees right or treat them in a manner that leaves them gravely disadvantaged, then there is no moral reason to keep helping distant communities. As the old saying goes, one should clean one's own backyard first.

The more relevant social responsibility of a corporation is the responsibility of safeguarding the welfare of its own employees. Addressing the needs of some distant community while neglecting the interests of those who are occupying the lower ranks of the corporate hierarchy is not is not being socially-responsible - it is called hypocrisy.

If companies are really sincere in undertaking CSR projects then the following guidelines are helpful:

1. They should not advertise themselves doing these CSR activities. CSR is not PR.

2. They should not make participation in CSR projects mandatory unless such participation is expressly indicated in the employees' job contracts.

3. CSR being a corporate activity, it should be held during office hours and not during rest days or holidays.

4. Employees who choose to participate in CSR should have full death, accident and medical insurance coverage, regardless of tenure.

5. Participation in CSR should not be used as a basis for rating or promoting employees unless such is expressly indicated in the employees' job contract.

6. Most importantly, an index should be devised which measures employee satisfaction. If it is found that employee satisfaction falls below a certain prescribed limit, then a moratorium on CSR activities should be enforced. Resources should then be directed towards raising employee satisfaction before undertaking new CSR activities.

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