What is The Call of Call Center Agents?

This is in response to the privilege speech of Rep. Raymond “Mong” Palatino in the House of Representatives last August 17.

This speech may be in a way an eye opener for people outside of the realms of the BPO industry, but I’m disappointed that it lacks proposals of concrete, temporary or permanent solutions to the problems outlined in his speech. It is also not informative and helpful in any way for us BPO workers.

The PHP15,000 basic pay is indeed above the usual entry level jobs available locally but pay on other offshore destinations are well above our rates here. This is may be due to market forces, as cheap but skilled labor draws BPO investors here in the Philippines. But what I can say is, if we BPO workers would want higher salaries, do we bother upgrade our skills to be more viable for higher pay? Is the present government administration helping us to be competitive by providing free and accessible trainings to further hone our skills and be paid more?. The sad answer is no.

Attrition rates in BPOs are not totally attributable to a negative perspective. Again because of the good opportunities that BPOs offer, workers ‘hop’ to other companies that will offer them the best compensation package that will suit them. A factor mentioned is ‘poor quality of jobs in call centers’ meaning the exploitative side of the job. Being on the phone for almost 8 hours is not easy and stressful. But BPO is not only limited to call centers, there’s back-office, non-voice accounts, transcription, IT, graphic arts and a lot more choices to work for in the BPO industry. The key is that current BPO workers should upgrade their skills and we and the government should be partners in this.

I believe that the call center job is a specialized job, therefore it needs special legislation to protect the welfare of its workers. I suggest the right of the call center agent to go to the restroom even if its queing and not be reprimanded for it. A mandatory gym allowance provided by BPO companies, free multivitamins and HMO benefits from day one. A car plan for every BPO worker to protect them from travelling via public transports that is a danger to their safety. Entrepreneurial seminars for BPO worker to educate them on how to handle hard earned money and to teach them how it make it grow, and a lot more.

In his speech, Rep. Palatino said ‘Nawa’y huwag dumating ang panahon na ang isasagot ng ating mga kabataan sa tanong na “What do you want to be when you grow up?” ay maging isang call center agent’. I just want to say that I don’t see anything wrong working as a call center agent. But I see a lot in your speech, Rep. Palatino.

The call of call center agents: we are working with dignity and we will not stop to provide the needs of our family and shame to those who are in government who are without conscience and squanders with our taxes.

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The Stream Global and eTelecare Merger

May be the biggest BPO industry deal since the ClientLogic-Sitel merger, Stream Global and eTelecare will combine for a 26,000-strong workforce that will span 50 solution centers located in North America, Europe, the Philippines, Latin America, India, the Middle East and Africa.

Ayala Corp. owns eTelecare through it's BPO investment company LiveIt and Stream Global is a premium provider of customer care and business process outsourcing services, a global firm that is a publicly listed company in the United States. (NYSE/AMEX:OOO)

The company will operate under the Stream Global Services name globally, and under the eTelecare brand in the Philippines. eTelecare operates 7 sites and Stream Global have 2 sites in the country and when combined, currently employs 11,500.

This is again a good indication that the Philippines continues to play a big role in the BPO industry and a firm foothold established by Stream Global in the Philippines will pave the way for the company to be a major BPO global presence.

The way I see it, this will offer new exciting opportunities for employment locally and I see this as another significant step forward for BPO industry in the Philippines.

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Global Rankings of the Most Attractive BPO Destinations

Based on global management consulting firm A.T. Kearney’s Global Services Location Index (GSLI) latest edition, the Philippines ranked 7th (with a previous rank of 8th) most attractive offshoring destination. I believe this is based on several weighted factors and the three main categories are: financial attractiveness, people and skills availability and business environment.

In the financial attractiveness aspect, I believe BPO employees are still in the lower end, based on salaries being paid compared to our competitors. Chatting with a friend from Hyderabad, India, she receives INR 18,000 basic pay plus allowances and a carpool incentive working as a CSR for a known U.S. company. In comparison, a typical CSR in the Philippines in general earns around PHP 15,000 basic pay plus meager allowances. In my opinion, we are underpaid but we can still maintain good quality of work.

For people and skills availability, I think we are facing a major problem in this aspect as the demand for BPO workers increase but the talents needed for is still short to satisfy the need. The government has a soft stance to fill this need as TESDA, I believe is not reaching as far as it could to properly train the potential workforce. This is evidenced by the emergence of call trainings offered by unscrupulous businesses that promises to train but for a high fee.

In general, I can say business environment is average as different BPO locations in the Philippines are still on its way to become competitive. The stabilty of the Philippine economy I think is still a big question mark for me, as the current government administration in her SONA, continues to lie about the current economic situation of the Philippines.

Placing a respectable 7th in the index only shows that we can do more. I believe the Filipino can be the best, with proper education and knowledge. A really bright future is still ahead and I urge my BPO friends to press on and share what they have learned to aspiring BPO workers and together we will succeed despite of the challenges.

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Prepaid Loads Now Have Longer Validity

I woke up this morning and I needed to load my Globe number with prepaid credits to SMS a friend. Now a 40 peso load have a 15-day expiration, (plus 20 free text to all networks as per Globe's promo) due to the NTC Memorandum Circular No. 03-07-2009, loads will have longer expiration or validity periods.

Credits worth P10 or lower will be valid for three days from the previous one-day expiration. Loads more than P10 up to P50 can be used for 15 days while credits worth more than P50 up to P100 will remain valid for 30 days.

Loads more than P100 to P150 will expire at the end of 45 days while credits of more than P150 to P250 will last for 60 days. More than P250 to P300 will remain valid for 75 days while credits worth more than P300 will last for 120 days.

This is great news for consumers (most BPO workers are on a prepaid service) as they will can now buy lesser load values without worrying that it will just expire within the day. I mean, load is not like food that is perishable and has a shelf life, and big telco companies have been ripping us off.

The everyday dependence of the Filipinos to communicate through cellphones, is not only limited to texting or calling their friends or loved ones, but is also used for business activities. In the long run, a cheaper cost in telecommunications is vital to spur economic activities that can help us withstand the recessionary effects of the global financial crisis.

Enough of the National Telecommunications Commission - big telcos connivance. I believe that a new law needs to be passed in congress to better regulate the telecom industry. The abolition of the NTC is very welcome for me, and form a new body that will truly represent the welfare of the public.

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New BPO Destinations

It's July and halfway through the year and I wrote early this year about the robust BPO industry in the Philippines, and still it is making a strong showing that will sustain until the end of the year.

Shifting to the global BPO scene, new BPO markets are ready to take off and will definitely own a share in the industry because of it's unique characteristics. The dampening of the economy makes companies prepare to emerge more profitable when the economy recovers and that is a golden opportunity anticipated too by the global BPO industry.

The way I see it, the new BPO destinations that will compete with the Philippines are Sri Lanka, Egypt and Central American countries.

Sri Lanka although shaken by a recent civil war have a good outlook as BPO companies such as WNS Global Services, Quatrro BPO Solutions, RR Donnelley, HSBC and Aviva already operates here and another big BPO player to locate will be Genpact. Sri Lanka has a large and able workforce specializing in finance, as the country has the largest pool of UK-certified accountants oustside Great Britain. This is a definite advantage for back-office operations to flourish in this island nation.

Egypt, with its multi-lingual, educated workforce boasts lower cost for quality. IBM is already here and 1,500 call center agents for Vodafone caters to the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand customers. Away from the political uncertainties in the Middle East, a sustained BPO growth in Egypt is very likely.

Central American countries like Panama, Guatemala, Costa Rica are the next BPO strong hold. Fluency in spanish is a big advantage for these countries as they can communicate to approximately 50 million Hispanic Americans in North America. These countries also have the same time zone as the United States.

A Dell call center, National Asset Recovery Services (NARS)- a U.S. company that collects unpaid bills for a variety of clients and Sitel operates in Panama City. Procter & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard and Sykes use Costa Rican offices for accounting, personnel and other back-office services. Sitel, eTelecare Global Solutions, Concentrix found the Nicaraguan BPO market attractive and set foot there.

As for us Filipinos, we are a versatile workforce and also have exceptional talent but we should not rest on our laurels and continue to learn. Let us prove that we still have the edge and earn the right to be the best in the industry.

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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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