Call Center Guide Philippines

Philippine call center business booms

2006-11-30T04:03:00.000-08:00

MANILA: As India moves more up- market in outsourcing, the Philippines is fast gaining a share of the customer- contact call center business. It might be low-end and low-margin, but for the Philippines it has been an employment boon.

Evidence of that sharp growth is on display early in the evening in the lobby of the RCBC Plaza building in Makati City, the main financial district of the Philippines.
Groups of prosperous-looking young men and women, Starbucks coffees and McDonald's bags in hand, head to work at more than a dozen call centers serving the United States, just as everyone else is heading home.

On a recent trip to Hong Kong to drum up investor interest, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo noted that there were barely 2,000 people in the so-called business process outsourcing industry when she gave her first state of the nation address in 2001.

"Today, five years later, it is 100 times bigger - we have 200,000 workers there," she said. "And every BPO company that I meet is looking to double their work force."
A study released last month by Duke University, in North Carolina, and the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton found that India was still the preferred destination for American companies seeking to outsource, at 42 percent.

This is at a time when U.S. companies are increasingly going abroad to source "sophisticated, mission-critical functions" because of a shortage of highly educated professionals in developed countries, the study found.

Outsourcing operations in India are thus entering better-paying types of work, like product research and development, financial analysis and handling insurance claims and payrolls. For them, there is undeniable logic to chasing higher-margin deals, especially as costs and competition rise for the call center business.

And those seeking cheaper alternatives for more basic services have discovered the Philippines. For the industry, the country's appeal, aside from lower costs, can be reduced to two factors: culture and employee loyalty.

With a long history of contact with the United States, including several decades of American colonial rule, Filipinos are more attuned to Western culture than most Asians. Call center employees not only find it easy to relate to Westerners but are also quick to adapt to a variety of accents. Most call center employees receive intensive training to acquire the accent of the country that they will be calling.

"I have relatives in California, so I am familiar with the way they speak," said Jessica Cauilan, a 37-year-old Manila native, who works overnight shifts trying to entice bank customers in the United States to make payments on late credit card bills. Her call center company, IRMC, based in New York, has several of these kinds of contracts with big consumer credit issuers.
The call center business is the fastest growing industry in the country, growing last year by 90 percent as revenue reached $1.7 billion. More than 100 centers around the country have created a new class of relatively affluent and independent young Filipinos.
But growth in the industry has put skilled employees in high demand, driving up competition and labor costs.

In India, poaching of employees is behind an increase of about 50 percent in labor costs, according to outsourcing companies, wage rates over the past five years and has piled heavy additional training expenses onto call center budgets, according to major outsourcing companies. They say that turnover of staff in some call centers in India as been as high as 200 percent in a year.

Filipino employees have displayed more loyalty, with turnover rates of 40 percent or less.
"The longer you have an employee, the higher the quality they are going to deliver," said Clint Streit, executive vice president for global operations with Convergys, an outsourcing company based in Cincinnati. "From that point, the Philippines has a clear advantage over India."
He added: "Ultimately we have to stem attrition rates in India; otherwise switch to the Philippines."

Company executives say that trend will ensure more call center operations are attracted to the Philippines, where there is still a plentiful supply of English-speakers and new graduates and average wages are about 20 percent lower.

"There are the lowest unit costs, the highest quality and the lowest attrition of any centers in the world," said Vikas Kapoor, chief executive of IRMC. "It is well placed not only to compete, but to dominate in the sector."

IRMC, which employs Cauilan, the call center worker, started its Philippine operations in February of last year. By early 2007, the company estimates it will have 1,000 employees. Likewise, Convergys has hired 9,500 people in the first three years of its operations.
"We will be doubling the size of our business over the next three to five years," said Streit, of Convergys.

Sheryl Lapuz, an IRMC employee with a degree from the University of the Philippines, said the combination of good wages and a modern workplace made it easy for call centers to attract qualified staff. "It's the 'in job' in the country right now," she said.

Philippines "favored" for Call Centers

2006-10-09T00:39:00.000-07:00

MANILA – If the recent Pacquiao-Morales war was seen by some as a one-on-one between the Philippines and Mexico, then the ongoing battle for call center jobs is also some kind of showdown, this time between India and our homeland.

The good news is the country that produced Manny ‘Pacman’ Pacquiao is also winning this face-off in a big way.
A survey by global staffing firm Kelly Services, Inc., a Troy, Michigan-based Fortune 500 company, shows that the Philippines has been grabbing a growing share of call center jobs from traditional provider India.

India is no longer the first choice for U.S. companies looking to set up some of their backroom operations abroad. More and more, they are eyeing the Philippines as the better site because Filipinos are proving to be better workers.

Filipinos, according to the study, are superior to their Indian counterparts in three areas:

* They are “healthier” as the average Filipino call center worker only uses eight days of sick leave per year, compared to 15 days for Indians;
* They are more loyal to their employers, as Filipino call center workers spend an average of 19 months with their firms, as compared to only 11 months for their Indian counterparts; and,
* They have better language skills, with 64 percent of Filipino call center agents able to speak more than two languages, whereas only 40 percent of Indians have multilingual skills.

“Our call center workers, mostly young women, are outsmarting and outperforming their Indian counterparts,” according to Trade Union Congress of the Philippines secretary-general and former senator Ernesto Herrera. The TUCP is the country’s largest labor organization.

The Kelly Services study was done in partnership with Singapore-based ACA Research, Inc., a market research agency.

The study also found that Filipinos take less time to train, meaning foreign-based employers have to spend less for training.

“The survey clearly shows that Filipinos are more cost-effective call center personnel,” said Herrera, “At the end of the day, worker productivity and overall cost-efficiency are the factors that matter most, in order for a labor-intensive, technology-enabled service operation to succeed financially.”

In an earlier interview with Philippine News, Damian Domingo Mapa, head of the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT), confirmed that the Philippines was grabbing market share from India, due to other unquantifiables.

“Generally, Filipinos’ spoken English is better understood by Americans,” he said.

It is the CICT’s job to unify all government agencies involved in IT and offer incentives to companies involved in call center operations.

Forecast: more than one million jobs by 2010

Both Herrera and Mapa cited a forecast by the Business Processing Association of the Philippines that by 2010, more than a million Filipinos would be employed in the call center industry, generating more than $12 billion in revenues.

At present, there are an estimated 130,000 call center jobs in the country.

Already, call centers are moving out of the Makati Central Business District, to such areas as Alabang and Ortigas, said Mapa. Some are even locating in Cebu, and looking at Davao.

Just how successful is the Philippines in grabbing jobs away from Indian companies?

A recent Asia Wall St. Journal article said that Indian call centers had started to veer away from that part of operations where a local had to take incoming – or in some cases, outgoing – calls, in favor of technical support.

Indians, it must be noted, are schooled in the “British” style of English, as against Filipinos who are more well-versed in the American or international style of English.

(“It’s the only kind of English!” the Indians insist. “It came from England!”)

Formally known as transnational business process outsourcing, call center jobs involve locals answering incoming calls from the clients of foreign-based companies. The U.S. is the biggest source of call center jobs for India and the Philippines, although there has been a growing trend for other countries to farm out such jobs elsewhere.

Of late, Japanese, Arab and Chinese companies have been taking their first steps with outsourcing, the hitch being their use of their own languages rather than the international language of English.

If the forecast of one million call center jobs by 2010 is realized, this would mean that one out of every 100 Filipinos would be employed in the industry. More importantly, this would translate to greater economic stability, which in turn would spell political stability.

While pitifully small by American standards, the average pay of $250 to $300 a month for a call center agent – who comprises the bulk of call center workers – is considered more than decent by present Philippine standards.

The per capita income in the Philippines is still below $1,000 per annum, although this was once breached in the mid-‘90s.

Meanwhile, the TUCP is endorsing the reinstatement of English as the medium of instruction in all school levels.

Dell to open second call center in Philippines

2006-10-07T22:25:00.000-07:00

Dell will invest more than $150 million in customer service this year.

Dell will open a second call center in the Philippines early next year to provide additional tech support for its U.S. customers.

The center is expected to take its first calls in February 2007, Dell announced on Thursday. It follows the opening of another call center in the country earlier this year. Dell announced in March that it would increase the staff at that call center from 700 to 1,400 employees. The staffing level for the new center has not yet been set, it said.

Dell also said it will will invest more than $150 million in customer service this year. The company has opened 10 call centers over the last two years. Other investments include using broadband connections for support teams to remotely troubleshoot problems with PCs.

Dell has borne the brunt of an increasingly tough PC market. Earlier this month, the company reported a profit of $502 million for its second quarter, down by more than half from the same period a year before.

Dell blamed a slow market and continued pressure on prices. At the same time, the Round Rock, Texas, company said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating its financial reports prior to its 2006 fiscal year.

DevCo Philippines Inc. (Pampanga)

2006-09-21T00:54:00.000-07:00

Description:DevCo Philippines Inc. is a leading software professional services and web solutions provider for the shipping industry. DevCo delivers best in class marine-centric IT solutions that help clients empower their shipping business infrastructures. DevCo has developed amongst others a ship-to-shore procurement system, a web-ready vessel inspection tool, a fully navigable 3D vessel model application, an e-procurement web site, a risk assessment tool and other applications for their customers.DevCo Philippines Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Wallem Group, one of the world’s leading diversified shipping companies (www.wallem.com). The Wallem Group’s Information Services Department (ISD) is one of the maritime industry’s leading technology groups.

Corporate Headquarters:
DevCo Philippines Inc. Bldg. 28 Narra Lane, Philexcel Business Park, Pres. Manuel A. Roxas Highway Clark Special Economic Zone Pampanga, Philippines 2009

Tel: (6345) 599-5699
Fax: (6345) 599-5710

Info:
info@e-devco.com
Business Development:
business@e-devco.com
Career Opportunities:
jobs@e-devco.com

Western Wats

2006-08-17T02:26:00.000-07:00

Western Wats CebuWestern Wats PhilsMactan Economic Zone IICebu City Philippines

Description:Western Wats is the one source destination you can rely on for all of your data collection needs. We offer a variety of comprehensive solutions and work closely with our client partners to determine which services are best for each research project. Over the years, we've successfully conducted every type of survey under the sun including: - Customer behavior & attitude tracking- Ad / concept testing- Customer satisfaction & loyalty measurement - Employee satisfaction- New product development & positioning- Package design & testing- Market segmentation & positioningWestern Wats Philippines Inc., an American outsourcing company conducting market research located at Mactan Economic Zone II.

ePLDT Ventus (Ortigas Center)

2006-08-17T02:23:00.000-07:00

Address:
ePLDT VentusPLDT Garnet Bldg. Emerald Ave., Ortigas Business Center, Pasig CityPhilippines

Description:
ePLDT Ventus - the Call Center Company of PLDT. ePLDT Ventus provides offshore, cost-effective outsourcing solutions specializing in inbound customer care. A 100% subsidiary of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company, the dominant telco solutions provider in the Philippines, ePLDT Ventus is your most viable option for outsourcing customer service solutions in the Philippines.

iCatchIT, Inc. (Cebu)

2006-08-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

Address:
iCatchIT, Inc.
Suite 5, Park Terrace Bldg.
Nasipit Talamban
Cebu City, 6000 Philippines
Tel Nos:
Phone : (6332) 345-0567
Fax : (6332) 346-9038

Description:
iCatchIT, Inc. - Business Process Outsourcing and Optimization. iCatchIT, Inc. goal is to be the global leader in outsourcing business operation services. iCatchIT, Inc. will earn this position by providing unsurpassed quality information technology, accounting and sales services with creativity and commitment. iCatchIT passion for excellence and world-class skills will help organizations meet their strategic business objectives faster and cheaper. iCatchIT, Inc. will add additional value through superior customer service and communication.

www.icatchit.com

Avaya Inc. (Makati)

2006-08-08T23:07:00.000-07:00

Address:
Avaya Philippines
17th Floor Tower II
The Enterprise Center
6766 Ayala Avenue corner
Makati City , 1226 Philippines

Description:
Avaya is a global leader in communication systems, applications and services. We design, build, deploy and manage networks for enterprises. Customers range from small businesses and nonprofit agencies up to more than 90% of the companies in the FORTUNE 500, and the U.S. government. They all rely on Avaya for reliable, secure networks that facilitate customer relationships, enhance productivity and maximize profitability.

Avaya is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Commitment to equal opportunity is an investment in our people and our future growth.

www.avaya-apac.com

Sutherland Global Services (Pampanga)

2006-08-08T00:38:00.000-07:00

Address:
Sutherland Global Services
3rd Floor Nepo Mall
Angeles City Pampanga
Philippines

Description:
Sutherland Global Services is a leading Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) company with nearly twenty years of experience in the customer management space. Since 1986, some of the world’s most respected companies have depended on Sutherland to manage various aspects of their customer operations. By taking advantage of Sutherland’s domain knowledge, quality processes and global delivery options, clients are able to dramatically improve their sales, marketing and customer support results while remaining focused on their core competencies.

Sutherland offers an end-to-end set of contact center and back-office outsourcing services that clients can choose to implement in either an integrated or stand-alone manner. Currently, Sutherland owns and operates multiple delivery centers across the United States, Canada, India and the Philippines.

Sutherland Global Services is a privately-held company with headquarters in the United States.

www.suth.com

Cyber City Teleservices, Limited (Pampanga)

2006-08-07T23:52:00.000-07:00

Contact Information

2528 Corporate Office, Cyber City IT Park,
Apo Court along Sergio Osmena Rd, CSEZ
Clarkfield 2009 Pampanga, Philippines

Telephone: (6345) 599 5353/54
Fax: (6345) 599 5353

We are a premier global leader in "CRM Solutions & Services", utilizing highly Educated English speaking offshore personnel in conjunction with leading Edge technologies, resulting in superior management, labor and technological resources, outstanding customer service while sharply reducing our customers operating costs & improving their business results.

Interview Quick Tips

2006-08-05T03:40:00.000-07:00

Thank-You Salutations

When writing an interview thank-you note, do you find yourself stuck on whether to use a formal ("Dear Ms. Jones:") or informal ("Dear Lisa:") salutation? If the work environment is ultra-corporate or the hiring manager is in a high position of authority, use a formal salutation. If the environment is casual and/or the hiring manager would be more of a peer, use an informal salutation. Follow any stated preferences, such as if the hiring manager suggests using her first name. When in doubt, use a formal salutation.

Check in During Interviews

Some of your best stories probably take time to detail, but your initial interview answers should be brief. Check in with the interviewer after two minutes and prompt an invitation to go on. Say something like, "Now that I've described the outcome of my work on that project, would you like to hear about my role in detail?"

Answer Briefly

When it comes to talking during an interview, sometimes less is more. As a general rule, you should speak one-third of the time and definitely no more than half of the time. The best interviews have a give-and-take atmosphere. To do this, you need to ask questions and try to draw out your interviewer rather than talking about yourself nonstop. When it's your turn to speak, don't hesitate to tout yourself -- just remember to stop talking after you do.

It's OK to Be Nervous

Not only is it OK to be nervous about an interview, but it is essential for you to accept how you feel. Telling yourself you should feel differently than you do is unrealistic and just makes you feel bad about yourself. What's the worst that can happen at an interview? For many, it would be not getting an offer. Did you ever think that maybe the job wasn't right for you? Try to look at the process as a learning experience.

Emotional Prep

Preparing emotionally for the interview is as important as researching the company. The right mood helps you perform at your best. Try these suggestions for preparing emotionally: get moving -- go for a walk, run, exercise, meditate, do yoga, stretch, dance, something -- activity gets blood flowing to your brain; sing your favorite song while driving to the interview; repeat an inspirational phrase aloud that's meaningful for you; or simply remember a time when you felt terrific.

Explain Why You Left

Follow these guidelines when interviewers ask, "Why did you leave (or are you seeking to leave) your company?" Succinctly describe the reason for your departure, and don't go into details unless asked. Provide references to support your reasons for leaving and job performance. Stay with the facts of what happened, what you did, how you felt and what you learned. Then describe how you will handle things differently in the future.

Precision Response Corporation (PRC) (Laguna)

2006-08-04T23:22:00.000-07:00

Address:
PRC Philippines
Building 1 LSL Compound,
Diode St.
Cabuyao, Laguna, Philippines

Description:
PRC delivers a comprehensive solution to meet the high demands of our clients. And while our clients are outsourcing their customer care needs, the process is invisible, so customers feel as if they are dealing directly with our clients and not through a third-party.

PRC Inbound Teleservices has the technology, facilities, and highly trained Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) to handle virtually any inbound program. Whether your customers are responding to direct mail, placing an order, or calling to complain, our CSRs are skilled at delivering a customer service experience that will help to build customer loyalty, increase sales, and boost customer retention. We do it every day for leading brands across the country and have recently been named the #1 Largest Inbound Teleservices Provider and #2 Global Performer in the country.

Our proactive approach to program deployment and management is the cornerstone of our operations philosophy. We approach our clients as partners, and work each day to help make their customers more loyal and their businesses more profitable.

PRC's award-winning quality procedures are stringent and results oriented. With a focus on skill enhancement and program enrichment, our quality procedures are directly aligned with our training to ensure a continuous cycle of improvement.

www.prcnet.com

Link2Support, Inc. (Cagayan de Oro)

2006-08-03T00:06:00.000-07:00

Link2Support, Inc.

Block 2 Lot 3 Trade Street, Pueblo de Oro IT Park, Pueblo de Oro,
Cagayan de Oro City

Description:
Link2Support is a privately held company incorporated in September 2001 with the Offshore Incorporations Limited at Tortola, British Virgin Islands and registered as an Ecozone IT Enterprise with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.

Link2Support currently maintains a 500-seat contact center in one of the more prestigious IT zones in Manila, Philippines.

Link2support is the only company in the Philippine call center industry that provides 100% technical support services through multi-channel voice, email and tech chat solutions. Link2Support Network Operations Center has been built to provide mission-critical customer support to clients in US, Canada, Europe, APac and anywhere in the world.

Cutting across different time zones, Link2Support is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and has a management team with over 12 years of combined call center experience and a workforce of 800+ university-graduate and highly-skilled professionals

Pilipinas Data Contracts Corporation (PDCC) (Baguio)

2006-08-02T23:24:00.000-07:00

Address:

Pilipinas Data Contracts Corporation (PDCC)
26 Lourdes Subdivision Road,
Baguio City 2600, Benguet
Philippines

Description:
Pilipinas Data Contracts Corporation is a newly established offshore business processing company specializing in the provision of medical transcription services. From its pool of 15 senior editors, PDCC is implementing an in-house training program that is expected to produce 240 production transcriptionists within the next 8 months to meet the projected job volume. PDCC aims to be a fully employee-owned company within the next 2 years and is open to establishing joint ventures, or equity-swap partnerships with its prospective clientele.

In a business where quality and timeliness are a must, Pilipinas Data Contracts Corporation simply state our commitment "… to comply and be relied upon

Sterling Global Call Center (Pasig City)

2006-08-02T22:57:00.000-07:00

15th Floor Raffles Corporate Center

Emerald Avenue., Ortigas Center
Pasig City 1600
Philippines
Tel. No. - (632) 9168888
Fax. No. - (632) 9161085

Description:
Sterling Global Call Center was established in 2003 as an international telemarketing and customer service organization capable of serving the global business community from its Manila, Philippines base.

Sterling Global Call Center has complete inbound, outbound and blended call center capabilities. It uses predictive dialers, digital recording and customer management software to manage campaigns.

Sterling Global currently has seating capacity over three shifts daily for 250 personnel and operates in support of clients located in the United States, Europe and the Philippines. Projects range from inbound customer service and the third party verification to outbound appointment setting and sales. Combining financial stability, state-of-the-art technology and call center management expertise allows us to deliver result on time.

eTelecare Global Solutions (Cebu)

2006-08-01T23:59:00.000-07:00

Address:

5th & 6th Floor PIPC
Engineering Sciences Building
Asiatown IT Park, Brgy. Apas, Lahug
Cebu City 6000
Cebu, Philippines
Tel: 63 (32) 411-9010

Description:
eTelecare Global Solutions has become a leading contact center outsourcer as a direct result of core competencies that meet our client's business needs for today and tomorrow.
eTelecare Global Solutions addresses your challenges with: • Unique strategic insights that streamline operations;
• Strong, data-driven connections to your customers; and
• Powerful continuous improvement strategies.

eTelecare Global Solutions staff is dedicated to your program and its success, backed by extensive training, rigorous oversight and a fully-redundant network. eTelecare Global Solutions handles millions of calls each year and our experience will help ensure your program’s success.

Outsourcing with eTelecare Global Solutions will introduce your company and your customers to a new world of quality, value and exceptional customer care.

eTelecare Global Solutions was named as one of the Offshore 100's Top 10 Leaders in Human Capital Development by NeoIT, the leading offshore advisory and management firm and CMP's Managing Offshore, the monthly newsletter for global sourcing managers.

eTelecare was named the Outstanding Employer of the Year, a very prestigious award from the Personnel Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP), the country's leading association of over 1000 companies engaged in human resource management.

Outsourceit2Philippines.com (Davao)

2006-08-01T02:13:00.000-07:00

Address:

Outsourceit2Philippines.com
HUBPORT CENTER - DAVAO CITY
2nd Floor, Annex 2 - Technotrade Bldg.,
R. Castillo, Davao City, 8000
Philippines

Description:
Outsourceit2Philippines.com is a brand service of Hubport Interactive Inc., an I.T solution provider that expanded its expertise in helping and setting Philippines in the global IT hub in terms of Information Technology, manpower and development.

Outsourceit2Philippines.com is run by a collaborations of IT experts in all fields headed by HUBPORT INTERACTIVE INC., a Leader of IT solutions in the Philippines, serving a vast portfolio of S.M.E and Multi national corporations throughout the Philippines. Its expertise in Website development, Web applications, System Development, Auto CAD, Animations, Graphics development, Video editing, Music and audio voice development, GSM sms service, Wifi mobile solutions, IT managerial and IT marketing development. Markets HUBPORT INTERACTIVE INC., a one stop IT solution provider. With the creation of a new subsidiary company Outsourceit2philippines.com, it opens outsource development to different countries all over the world. Make IT more affordable and create savings for companies.

www.outsourceit2philippines.com

Synergia Cybercare Inc (Philippines)

2006-07-31T07:19:00.000-07:00

Contact Information:

Phone: +1 415.9463630

+632.9329397 & 4362899

Fax: +632.9513525

Email: info@synergiacybercare.com

Address:

2nd Level Celebrity Sports Plaza Capitol Hills Dr. Diliman Quezon City,

Philippines 1100

Since its inception in early 2004, Synergia Cybercare has blossomed into a major player in the Customer Care and Business Process Outsourcing industries. Managed and directed by Philippine Nationals and guided by foreign partners, Synergia now leads the market in providing off-shore customer relationship management and business process management services to the global business community.

Focused in serving the Small-to-Medium Enterprise (SME) markets, Synergia currently maintains operations for several businesses in the United States, Canada, and the Philippines spanning the financial, technology and communications sectors.

Synergia also provides consultancy services to various off-shore contact centers in terms of technology, people management, and client assessment and acquisition.

The Synergia Cybercare Value:

Experienced Professionals
Best-of-Breed Methodologies and Processes
State-of-the-Art Technologies
Significant Cost Savings and Maximized Profitability

Outbound Call Center Agent

2006-07-31T07:05:00.000-07:00

Requirements:

Graduate of 4-year degree course
With 1-3 Years experience in Sales and Marketing
Call center experience a huge plus
Experience in financing and credit companies an advantage
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English with American accent
Ability to sell products hit and maintains sales quotas.
Proven track sales record.
Has desire to earn additional income
Must be competitive and goal-oriented person
Willingness to learn and undergo training
Willing to work in the City and in shifts, including graveyard

Description:

We are looking for outgoing, enthusiastic and success-driven individuals to join our dynamic team.

You are tasks to explain opportunities and applications for capital cash advance program, with the chance for possible sales and order processing. Utilizes and inputs contact information and develops and maintains close relationship with accounts.

A comprehensive training will be provided by the company to enhance more of your potentials.

The company offers a competitive compensation package and benefits to successful candidates.

Accenture Healthcare Processing Inc. (Makati)

2006-07-30T05:38:00.000-07:00

Address:
Accenture Healthcare Processing, Inc.
27/F GT Tower International
HV Dela Costa St., corner Ayala Avenue
Makati City Philippines

Description:
Accenture Healthcare Processing, Inc. is a leading provider of outsourcing services and is wholly owned by Accenture.

Our vision is to become one of Accenture's leading BPO units, setting the standard for client service, employee satisfaction and business performance.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES

One Company, One Team
Client Focus
Clear Accountability & Responsibility
Strive For Operational Excellence
Positive Attitude
Integrity
Fact-Based Decisions
Respect For The Individual
Spread Facts, Not Rumors
Quality and Productivity
Meritocracy
Drive By Looking Ahead, Not By Looking In The Rear-View Mirror
Continuous Improvement

www.accenture.com

Pacifica Solutions (Manila)

2006-07-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

Address:
Pacifica Solutions
Manila, Philippines

USA Toll-Free 1-888-677-4276
(1-88-TOPS4BPO)

Description:
Pacifica Solutions is a business process outsourcing (BPO) provider with facilities strategically located in the Philippines. Their mission is to be an integral partner of your organization in striving to deliver unparalleled value to the total customer experience. In so doing, Pacifica Solutions help you leverage your assets in building growth and sustaining competitiveness. Pacifica Solutions carries out this mission guided by principles of INNOVATION, EXCELLENCE and RESULTS.

With Pacifica Solutions, you get a valuable partner. Their value proposition to you goes beyond cost savings. They justify their existence by their effectiveness in facilitating customer loyalty and by their strategic impact on your company's ability to compete and succeed. Their service is about people helping people; and the most important result for Pacifica will always be the number of happy, satisfied customers they have helped create.

Pacifica Solutions BPO services are as follows:
- Medical Transciption
- Contact Center
- Web Development
- Software Development

Medical Transcription
They can transcribe doctor's dictations into electronic files in 24 hours or less while maintaining a minimum 98% accuracy rate and exceeding all HIPAA regulations in maintaining data security and confidentiality. We can accomodate the following dictation methods:

- Toll-Free Dication
- Digital Recorder Dictation
- VOIP Dictation

Contact Center
With their excellent english-speaking, courteous and intelligent customer representatives, they can supplement your company's contact center needs.
Their various Inbound and Outbound Services include:

- Order Processing/Tracking
- Product Support
- Hotel Reservations
- Customer Service
- Telemarketing
- Surveys

Web Development
From conceptualization to implementation, to marketing and support, they can help your company optimize the use of the Web and integrate this into your business strategy. Some of their Web Solutions include:

- Marketing Websites
- Knowledge Portals
- eCommerce Sites
- Web-based Applications
- Online Surveys
- Web Reporting and Data Analysis

Software Development
Pacifica Solutions build integrated system solutions from the ground-up, customized to your company's needs. Some of their competencies include:

- Accounting
- Inventory
- Point of Sale
- Retail
- Sales Forecasting
- Payroll
- Business Intelligence

www.onepacifica.com

Convergys Corporation (Manila)

2006-07-29T07:12:00.000-07:00

Address:
Convergys Corporation
U Belt Office
Level 1, St. Thomas Square
1150 Espana Boulevard cor. Padre
Campa St.Sampaloc, Manila
Philippines

Description:
Convergys Corp (Convergys Philippines), a member of the S&P 500 and the Forbes' Platinum 400, is the global leader in integrated billing, employee care, and customer care services provided through outsourcing/licensing. Convergys Call Center Philippines brings together world-class resources, software, and expertise to help create valuable relationships between our clients, their customers, and their employees. This commitment is validated by the more than 1.5 M individual bills Convergys Call Center Philippines software produces each day to support more than 120 M subscribers, and by the more than 1.7 M separate customer and employee contacts Convergys Call Center Philippines manage each day, both live and via electronic interaction. Convergys Call Center Philippines employs more than 50,000 people in 50 customer contact centers and in our data centers and other offices in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, and Philippines. Convergys has world headquarters in Cincinnati.

Convergys Call Center Philippines employs more than 63,000 people in 64 customer contact centers and in our data centers and other offices in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

www.convergys.com

AOL Member Services Philippines, Inc. (Pampanga)

2006-07-29T07:03:00.000-07:00

Address:
AOL Member Services Philippines, Inc.
Bldg. 2112 7 2113, C.P. Garcia cor L. Tañada Sts.
Clark Special Economic Zone
Pampanga, Philippines

Description:
AOL Member Services Philippines, Inc.

AOL offers proof of how quickly offshore service operations can be built. The giant U.S. online service provider set up just 20 workstations last year in the Clark Special Economic Zone in Angeles City at the former U.S. air base about 80 kilometers northwest of Manila. It now has 1100 Filipino customer-service employees who answer 15,000-20,000 technical and billing enquiries a day, mostly for the US, or about 80% of AOL's customer e-mail. The facility operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

AOL Member Services Philippines, the local subsidiary, pays its college-educated workers about $6.50 a day, at least 40% more than the legal minimum wage in Pampanga province, where Clark is located (P212/day=$4.11). That daily rate is about what an unskilled U.S. worker earns per hour. Most of AOL's Philippine employees are four-year graduates in computer science, business and accounting. Wage costs for white-collar employees are 10%-20% of U.S. wage costs. Additional benefits include free meal, free transportation inside Clark, yearly increase and medical benefits.

Pool Hiring

Call Center Agents Job Qualification

2006-07-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

Job Description
Must be a true extrovert (i.e. assertive, gregarious, congenial, and confident).
Must have the ability to persuade, motivate, convince, and influence people.
Must be resilient, persevering, and patient.
Must have high tolerance for rejection, frustration, and stress.
Must be motivated, goal- or result-oriented, and ambitious.
Must be resourceful, creative, and savvy
Willing to work at night (graveyard shift) if required
Must be expressive, fluent, and articulate in both English and Filipino
Must be able to deal with diverse personalities and situations
Must be computer literate and internet savvy (must pass a skill test)

Skills Required
Telemarketing (local or international) experience
Previous selling (retail, multi-level, networking, door-to-door, or field) experience Attended training (formal or informal) in Selling, Sales, Selling Skills, Handling Objections, Cross-selling, Consultative Selling, etc. Customer Care Support experience is a plus but not required.

Education level required
College or Undergraduate are free to apply

Language Requirements
English-Very Good
Other: FIlipino

Customer Service Representative /Call Center Agent Job Description

2006-07-28T06:51:00.000-07:00

Responsibilities:
Receive inbound calls from participants with regards to 401(K) or other Retirement Plans
Answer participant questions, as well as question participants to obtain full understanding of what information is being requested.
Document all calls with regards to participant inquires accurately using Call Tracking System.
Monitor Call Tracking for responses from administrative team so call returns are done in a timely fashion.
Follow-up with participants within a 24-hour period in regards to the initial phone call. Even if it is to just touch base and let participant know inquiry is still be researched.
Knowledge of products
Provide quality customer service on every call.
Communicate clearly and effectively with participants.
Promote good listening skills.
Manage length of calls.
Recognizing and managing assertive customer calls.
Promote teamwork and call center success.
Review monthly publication of Effective Telephone Techniques.
Listen to and critique recorded conversations for purposes of improving customer skills. Organize and prioritizes duties.

Core Competencies:

Excellent Typing Skills
10-Key Adding Machine
Moderate computer skills, PC & Internet
Knowledge of Microsoft Windows
Knowledge of Microsoft Word
Excellent Customer Service Skills
Professional Phone Manner
Excellent written communication and documentations skills
Maintain basic knowledge of Employee Benefits
Commitment to Call Center Success

Expectations:
Attend all in-house training.
Attend out side training classes when appropriate to improve customer service skills.
Complete CBT program within 6 months of hire date.
Promote reliability and dependability.
Complete Call Tracking tickets on each call.

What Makes a Good Call Center Agent?

2006-07-27T04:44:00.000-07:00

For everyone in call center management who regularly has the opportunity to walk the floor and scan the rows of faces, you’ve no doubt pondered the questions at the heart of employee retention: Why do certain call center agents excel in this environment while others fail? Why are some happy and others dissatisfied? How can some people thrive when others can’t keep pace?

Perhaps a bigger question is: How can you identify an individual’s potential before extending the offer?

We all know about the timeless personality models on the market, such as “Colors,” based on the DISC model. Do “Blue” people (those who are analytical) perform better than “Green” people (those who are engaging with high affiliation needs)? Or do the “Yellows” thrive (those who are fun, upbeat and spontaneous)?

Personality models can typically describe an individual’s dominant personality traits, which is helpful when you’re trying to improve collaboration among a group of people. However, current research confirms that no single personality type dictates success among call center agents.

So what makes a good call center agent? There are many complex explanations and models to address this question. In this article, Select International presents the answers compiled from many years of primary research and profiling agents in hundreds of call centers to collect over 2 million data points to date. It is from this data that the unique model for identifying Success Profiles of effective agents was created.

The Model

Four main factors influence whether individuals will become great call center agents. The more of these factors that are aligned and in play, the more likely the agent will be successful:

(1) Competencies

(2) Motivational Fit

(3) Personality

(4) External Factors

These factors and all of the issues they cover are like a Rubik’s cube, interrelated in numerous ways. But with the proper perspective and a framework for evaluating prospective employees, the puzzle becomes much easier to solve.

Select International’s research indicates that, while these are all important, the degree to which they affect an individual’s likelihood of success varies, as shown in the diagram.

Graph 1.

Call Center Agent Success Profile Categories by Weighting

(1) Competencies

The most obvious of the four, the Competencies factor has the greatest impact on overall job performance. It indicates whether an agent has the skills, knowledge and ability required for the job. This includes technical knowledge of the product or services the company offers as well as knowledge of various call center systems, such as computers, telephony systems and CRM databases – all of which can be easily taught and tested for.

Competencies also reflect a person’s ability to speak clearly and articulate a passion to meet and exceed customer expectations, along with the ability to develop rapport with every caller. It involves solving problems and managing difficult situations to end every call positively – even turning complaints into additional sales. And finally, but not least of all, Competencies includes navigating multiple software applications.

(2) Motivational Fit

As the label suggests, this factor indicates how well the job characteristics match with the personal motivators of call center agents. This factor consists of three elements:

Job Fit: Does the job motivate the person? Is the nature of the challenging call center work fitting (constant monitoring, demands for promptness, endless pressure to perform, confinements to space, etc.)? Environmental factors, such as seating arrangements, also come into play – as do ergonomic characteristics of the center, like lighting and general noise levels.

Culture Fit: Does the culture of the company and call center match the individual’s priorities and interests? This includes the type of people who work there, how call center management leads, company values and company commitment to employee development and training.

Personal Interest: Does the company offer what the person wants? For example, if a person has loved working in a fast-paced, high-energy retail environment, it’s not likely he or she will enjoy working in a sedentary call center job.

(3) Personality

Personality type impacts many aspects of fit and success potential, and how call center agents will respond to the other factors. However, as discussed earlier, there is no single personality type that will be more successful than another in a call center.

(4) External Factors

External Factors are those beyond the control of the agents and call center management. They include competitive compensation, location and transportation available. All of these factors can strongly impact a person’s willingness and ability to do the job, as well as quality and productivity levels.

How to Identify Success

This article is intended to help you create the framework for your own Agent Success Profile. Knowing how to identify success for your call center agents is the first step to building an effective, efficient selection system.

Call Center Management and Technical Positions

2006-07-27T02:16:00.000-07:00

In addition to the front-line employees that work with customers, the call center offers many other jobs in both management and technical areas. Examples of employment opportunities include:

supervisor or team leader
training development and delivery
workforce scheduling
quality monitoring or quality assurance
business analyst (reporting and financials)
process specialists
human resources
information technology
facility design and maintenance

All of these areas are needed for the call center to work effectively and efficiently, and offer a strong and diverse career path for customer service representatives working in the call center.

Telemarketing and outbound call centers

Not all call centers receive calls. Many call centers make calls. These call centers are called outbound call centers and include telemarketing companies, debt collection agencies, fund raising organizations and other companies that need proactive contact with customers.

In some cases a call center will handle inbound calls from customers during one period of the day and then switch to outbound calling for the remainder of the day. Other call centers have the ability to blend inbound and outbound at the same time. In other words, if you are not needed for an inbound customer call, then the system can prompt you to place an outbound call. This capability minimizes the time agents sit idle waiting for a call to come in.

Call Center Team

2006-07-27T02:06:00.000-07:00

Call centers are typically organized in groups. Each team has a defined role in the call center to support a particular type of customer request. For example, in a call center for ordering clothing, one team may support mens' apparel while another team may support teens' or womens' clothing. Each call center is organized differently depending on the types of products or services they support.

Call center agents have a complete support team to assist them in their work. When difficult questions arise, most call centers have a help desk for their agents to use, or the call center provides support from the supervisors in each area. In some cases it is necessary to escalate the call to experts. If all these options fail, it may be necessary to call the customer back with the information they need.

Other types of teams within the call center may include the training group (for training new hires and ongoing training of agents), the quality monitoring team (for monitoring calls for customer service and quality), human resources (for recruiting and hiring call center agents) and the work force management (for scheduling employees to match the work load).

Role of Technology

2006-07-27T02:03:00.000-07:00

Technology plays a major role in the call center. Most call centers will have a computer terminal for each customer service agent to use while taking calls from customers. These computers are used to access customer records, product information, ordering status, transaction history and many other types of data. For medical or technical call centers, these computers will help the customer service agents access medical records or technical data.

For call centers that accept email from customers, computers are the primary tool for the call center agent. A customer service agent will read the email from the customer, access data, conduct research and reply to the customer all from the computer terminal. In state-of-the-art centers, the call center management team has the choice to blend email with phone calls and other customer contact work such as mail, fax and text chat. In this environment, a customer service agent may answer an email one moment and be on the phone for the next customer contact. This is why some call centers use the term "contact center" instead of call center because it is more than just phone calls.

What is a Call Center

2006-07-27T00:41:00.000-07:00

You have most likely called a call center many times in your life. You may have made an airline reservation, called for directory assistance, ordered a product or called for technical support on a recent purchase. The call center is the place where your telephone call is answered.

Depending on how many phone calls are received, call centers may be very small or extremely large. Some companies need thousands of employees to handle the large volume of calls they receive from customers.

A call center is like any other office environment where you will find many people talking on the phone and working with computers. The key difference is that in a call center the employees' primary job is to take calls and help customers. When they finish with one customer, they move on to the next customer that is waiting in line.

On a busy day, employees in a call center (called customer service representatives or customer service agents) may take more than 100 phone calls. The number of calls that a customer service agent takes depends on the length of each call and their work schedule. On average call times last from three to four minutes, with about one minute of "after call wrap-up" to complete any unfinished work related to the call.

If you work in a call center, you will need to be good with people and comfortable talking on the phone, but there is more to it than just the phone call.

Call Center

2006-07-26T23:25:00.000-07:00

A call centre or call center (see spelling differences) is a centralized office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone.

A call centre is operated by a company to administer incoming product support or information inquiries from consumers. Outgoing calls for telemarketing, clientele, and debt collection are also made. In addition to a call centre, collective handling of letters, faxes, and e-mails at one location is known as a contact centre.

A call centre is often operated through an extensive open workspace, with work stations that include a computer, a telephone set/headset connected to a telecom switch, and one or more supervisor stations. It can be independently operated or networked with additional centres, often linked to a corporate computer network, including mainframes, microcomputers and LANs. Increasingly, the voice and data pathways into the centre are linked through a set of new technologies called computer telephony integration (CTI).

Most major businesses use call centres to interact with their customers. Examples include utility companies, mail order catalogue firms, and customer support for computer hardware and software. Some businesses even service internal functions through call centres. Examples of this include help desks and sales support.