MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines' call center industry is undoubtedly a massive money maker for the benefit of the economy -- with that, we are talking about billions of dollars. A growing industry means options, and with options, we are talking about really good options. There are probably call centers in every city in the Philippines, thank Filipinos for having English as an official language. Sadly, there are many agents who are called hoppers -- employees who resign to apply to another call center. For what reason? I don't freaking know exactly why.
I know I am not a call center expert. I haven't even in this industry for more than two years, but I am an observer. Luckily I got out of being an agent on my 365th day (thanks promotion.) By doing that, I was able to see a lot of possibilities and trends; and even the bad and the ugly.
Call centers are not temporary jobs. They are not there for the new grads to feast on and later forget because of a "better career opportunity." It's actually a great way to grow and start a career. And many do not understand this just because call center agents are usually stereotyped as how they are being stereotyped by the public. You know what I am talking about, don't you? But trust me, it's not an easy job. It never was. It's not as easy as it is. It's a network of the corporate world plus the manpower all in - working like a jetplane's engine.
Call centers are not "a boss and employees" type of company. It consists of departments with amazing expertise of their own. You'll be amazed as how intelligent the call center people are.
So, let's get going.. what are the factors to consider to find the right call center spot? IF you want to grow with the company.
1. SALARY
Of course it's the dough. Call centers have VERY stressful environment and you should make sure you are paid your worth. The lowest basic (exclusding the allowance) pay that I heard for virgins (not coconut, but people who have no call center experience at all) is PHP 12000 (265 USD/month) That's a decent basic, isn't it? But hey, doesn't mean you have to stick to the one with the highest offer -- just make sure that you are paid properly. The tougher the job the bigger the pay, it is! As the song says "It's not about the money."
2. ENVIRONMENT
Like what I was saying, the call center environment is a force to be reckoned with! All credit goes to it's stressful nature. You have to have a tough heart and thick skin in order to last. This is Sparta! Kidding aside, I believe one of the biggest factors why people stay in the centers is the environment. We are talking about the facilities, the mood, the stress-level and all those things, you know. The first time you stepped in, you'd know what I am talking about. There is always that feeling coming from your comfort-internal-organ saying "This place is home!"
3. PEOPLE
Check the people. Are they nice? Are they living in negativity? Are they all happy? This is important because what the people around you feel gives you a hint of what the company's state is. The negative they are, chances are the company is, too. Make sure you stay away from politics and make sure it's not a problem of the company. Politics in companies is something we all must accept that is kinda irremovable. It is there whether we like it or we liked it or we likeded it. So just make super sure you are working in a callcenter with the best people and bossess with or without politics.
4. GROWTH
Heard about the 10-year old employee Johnny who's still an agent? And in that 10 years all the bossess were outsourced? It's not a good news! Although it's nice that Johnny is loyal, isn't it weird that after 10-freaking years he is still an agent?! And all the promotions were given to outsiders? No way, Jose! Make sure that people are growing because if they are not, there's a big chance that you will not too! If it's career growth you are looking for, make sure it's implemented by the company or else you'll be a fossil employee -- too good to be discovered underneath the soil of the forgotten.
5. LOCATION
I believe this is one of the no-brainer factors we have to discuss here. I actually live 10-15 minutes away (yes, time is now a way to measure distance) from my office and I STILL complain when the traffic is heavy or the driver has to fill up the gas tank. Nobody wants to be late (unless you are talking about your death.) Anyway, make entirely sure that you are working in a call center that is transportation-able (made that up!) Don't waste 2 hours of your time on a bus or driving because if you do that, you are wasting your precious time. Trust me, sleep is one thing you'll wish can be downloaded on iTunes. It's so important to your call center life and in order to have that, you need your time! And mind you, being late won't make anyone happy.
So, that's basically it. This is just my opinion. :) I believe having positive ratings to all of these will make your call center career successful. Now you are asking where can you find a company which has all the factors mentioned? That I am not really sure. It depends on what type of person you are and by the end of the day, it's your happiness that matters. We are all different and one could be good for one and not for the other. What are you waiting for? Don't be a hopper and start adding growth to your career.
Call Me Jed™ (cc) 2014. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Philippines License.
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Call centers are not temporary jobs. They are not there for the new grads to feast on and later forget because of a "better career opportunity." It's actually a great way to grow and start a career. And many do not understand this just because call center agents are usually stereotyped as how they are being stereotyped by the public. You know what I am talking about, don't you? But trust me, it's not an easy job. It never was. It's not as easy as it is. It's a network of the corporate world plus the manpower all in - working like a jetplane's engine.
Call centers are not "a boss and employees" type of company. It consists of departments with amazing expertise of their own. You'll be amazed as how intelligent the call center people are.
So, let's get going.. what are the factors to consider to find the right call center spot? IF you want to grow with the company.
1. SALARY
Of course it's the dough. Call centers have VERY stressful environment and you should make sure you are paid your worth. The lowest basic (exclusding the allowance) pay that I heard for virgins (not coconut, but people who have no call center experience at all) is PHP 12000 (265 USD/month) That's a decent basic, isn't it? But hey, doesn't mean you have to stick to the one with the highest offer -- just make sure that you are paid properly. The tougher the job the bigger the pay, it is! As the song says "It's not about the money."
2. ENVIRONMENT
Like what I was saying, the call center environment is a force to be reckoned with! All credit goes to it's stressful nature. You have to have a tough heart and thick skin in order to last. This is Sparta! Kidding aside, I believe one of the biggest factors why people stay in the centers is the environment. We are talking about the facilities, the mood, the stress-level and all those things, you know. The first time you stepped in, you'd know what I am talking about. There is always that feeling coming from your comfort-internal-organ saying "This place is home!"
3. PEOPLE
Check the people. Are they nice? Are they living in negativity? Are they all happy? This is important because what the people around you feel gives you a hint of what the company's state is. The negative they are, chances are the company is, too. Make sure you stay away from politics and make sure it's not a problem of the company. Politics in companies is something we all must accept that is kinda irremovable. It is there whether we like it or we liked it or we likeded it. So just make super sure you are working in a callcenter with the best people and bossess with or without politics.
4. GROWTH
Heard about the 10-year old employee Johnny who's still an agent? And in that 10 years all the bossess were outsourced? It's not a good news! Although it's nice that Johnny is loyal, isn't it weird that after 10-freaking years he is still an agent?! And all the promotions were given to outsiders? No way, Jose! Make sure that people are growing because if they are not, there's a big chance that you will not too! If it's career growth you are looking for, make sure it's implemented by the company or else you'll be a fossil employee -- too good to be discovered underneath the soil of the forgotten.
5. LOCATION
I believe this is one of the no-brainer factors we have to discuss here. I actually live 10-15 minutes away (yes, time is now a way to measure distance) from my office and I STILL complain when the traffic is heavy or the driver has to fill up the gas tank. Nobody wants to be late (unless you are talking about your death.) Anyway, make entirely sure that you are working in a call center that is transportation-able (made that up!) Don't waste 2 hours of your time on a bus or driving because if you do that, you are wasting your precious time. Trust me, sleep is one thing you'll wish can be downloaded on iTunes. It's so important to your call center life and in order to have that, you need your time! And mind you, being late won't make anyone happy.
So, that's basically it. This is just my opinion. :) I believe having positive ratings to all of these will make your call center career successful. Now you are asking where can you find a company which has all the factors mentioned? That I am not really sure. It depends on what type of person you are and by the end of the day, it's your happiness that matters. We are all different and one could be good for one and not for the other. What are you waiting for? Don't be a hopper and start adding growth to your career.
Call Me Jed™ (cc) 2014. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Philippines License.