TO: ALL EMPLOYEES
SUBJECT: SICK LEAVE POLICY
SICKNESS:
No excuse. We will no longer accept your doctor's
statement as proof. We believe that if you are
able to go to the doctor, you are able to come
to work.
AN OPERATION:
We are no longer allowing this practice. We wish
to discourage any thoughts that you may need an
operation. We believe that as long as you are an
employee here, you will need all of whatever you
have and should not consider having anything
removed. We hired you as you are and to have
anything removed would certainly make you less
than we bargained for.
DEATH:
Other than your own:
This is no excuse for missing work. There is
nothing you can do for them, and we are sure
that someone else can attend to the arrangements.
However, if the funeral can be held in the late
afternoon, we will be glad to allow you to work
through your lunch hour and subsequently let you
leave 1 hour early, provided your share of the
work is ahead enough to keep the job going in
your absence.
DEATH (YOUR OWN):
This will be accepted as an excuse. However, we
require at least two weeks notice as we feel it
is your duty to train your replaceme
ALSO:
Entirely too much time is being spent in the
restroom. In the future, we will follow the
practice of going in alphabetical order. For
instance, those whose names begin with "A" will
go from 8:00-8:15, and so on. If you're unable
to go at your time, it will be necessary to
wait until the next day when your time comes
again.
We appreciate your cooperation,
THE MANAGEMENT
-----Original Message-----
From: Kyrone C. Beley [mailto:kyrone.beley@dispointernational.com]
Sent: Thursday, October 06, 2005 1:44 PM
To: helen.austria@dispointernational.com
Subject: FW: SICK LEAVE POLICY - FOR STRICT COMPLIANCE
Monday, July 28, 2008
Why are you interested to work in a call center?
1. Pays well
2.No choice
3.Good communication skills
4.Like graveyard shift
5.Like to sell
6.Just wanna try
7.Change career
Please add!
2.No choice
3.Good communication skills
4.Like graveyard shift
5.Like to sell
6.Just wanna try
7.Change career
Please add!
Wanted call center agent
Qualification:
Insomiac
Likes to graveyard shift(zzzzz!)
Likes to talk with PORENGER
Likes to drink Coffee..coffee...coffeee
Can handle stress...
Accepts critisism and change
Likes politics
likes to talk and talk and talk
ummmm what else!
Common Illness for Call Center Agent
1. Laryngitis- is an inflammation of the part of the throat called the larynx or voice box. The larynx is located right above the trachea, where the lungs and throat meet. On either side of the larynx are two folds of skin called the vocal cords, which tighten or loosen to form recognizable speech and sounds. If you've ever stretched a balloon's neck to make pitched squeaks, you can understand how these vocal cords work to create human speech.
Other factors which may lead to laryngitis include first and secondhand cigarette smoke, environmental irritants and the over-consumption of caffeine. These substances tend to dry out the essential mucus coating over the vocal cords, leaving them vulnerable to inflammation. Sucking on a medicated lozenge or gargling with salt water may alleviate some of the pain, but alcohol-based mouthwashes may cause more dryness. The best solution is to avoid these irritants as much as possible to prevent a regular recurrence of laryngitis.www.wisegeek.com
2.BACK PAIN
3.BUTT PAIN...bwhahhhh
4.SORETHOAT
Ano pa!!!!!
Monday, July 7, 2008
TOP 5 REASON WHY " customer is always right"is WRONG
source:http://positivesharing.com
MY FAVORITE reason is "It results in worse customer service" WHY!
Here's why:
Put The Customer Second - Put your people first and watch’em kick butt.
Rosenbluth argues that when you put the employees first, they put the customers first. Put employees first, and they will be happy at work. Employees who are happy at work give better customer service because:
* They care more about other people, including customers
* They have more energy
* They are happy, meaning they are more fun to talk to and interact with
* They are more motivated
On the other hand, when the company and management consistently side with customers instead of with employees, it sends a clear message that:
* Employees are not valued
* That treating employees fairly is not important
* That employees have no right to respect from customers
* That employees have to put up with everything from customers
When this attitude prevails, employees stop caring about service. At that point, real good service is almost impossible - the best customers can hope for is fake good service. You know the kind I mean: corteous on the surface only.
MY FAVORITE reason is "It results in worse customer service" WHY!
Here's why:
Put The Customer Second - Put your people first and watch’em kick butt.
Rosenbluth argues that when you put the employees first, they put the customers first. Put employees first, and they will be happy at work. Employees who are happy at work give better customer service because:
* They care more about other people, including customers
* They have more energy
* They are happy, meaning they are more fun to talk to and interact with
* They are more motivated
On the other hand, when the company and management consistently side with customers instead of with employees, it sends a clear message that:
* Employees are not valued
* That treating employees fairly is not important
* That employees have no right to respect from customers
* That employees have to put up with everything from customers
When this attitude prevails, employees stop caring about service. At that point, real good service is almost impossible - the best customers can hope for is fake good service. You know the kind I mean: corteous on the surface only.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Who works in a call center?
You do. Ido.We all do. In fact, I would venture that, at some point, almost everyone has worked in a call center. They are perfect "stop over"points between "real" jobs. Everyone that takes a job in a call center believes it will only be for a short time until something better comes along. The sad reality is that "something better" takes approximately ten times longer than originally expected, turning a "good for now" job into a prison sentence. It may also be surprising the variety of people that work in call centers. I have worked alongside artists, writers, actors,and recording artists. Many of these people have received high levels of education and multiple degrees. We have bills to pay. We have children to support. We are not working in call centers because we want to be judged, although judgement is an albatross that we wear around our necks on a daily basis.
www.callcenterslave.com
CALL CENTER SCLAVUS
What is Call Center Slave? Call
Center Slave (CCS) is a tiny little corner of cyberspace, dedicated to giving a voice to everyone who spends their workday tethered to a phone. If your days are filled with misery, anxiety, or undiluted hatred for your call center job, this site is for you! Owned and operated by call center veterans, this website promises not to be patronizing or condescending OR to blow sunshine up your ass. You know your job sucks, we know your job sucks, now it's time for everyone else to know. We are telling it like it is! Put yourself in call work, sit back, and enjoy... WWW.CALLCENTERSLAVE.COM
Why do call centers suck?
Oh, where shall I start? There are so many reasons that call centers suck that it would be impossible to list them all in one short paragraph. There are more silly rules and codes of conduct in call centers than in any other workplace except for, perhaps, the Pentagon. Call centers take themselves WAY too seriously and they expect their employees to do the same. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, if I am calling 911 because I fell off a ladder and split my head open, I would be very displeased to find that the operators were having a potluck and could not dispatch the appropriate assistance.That being said, we will now systematically boil call center life down to it's base, leaving no subject matter off limits.
www.callcenterpurgatory.com
What is a call center?
Don't laugh. Some people have never actually worked in one. A call center is a building full of tiny little desks with computers and telephones. People that sit at those desks take (or make) calls on a non-stop basis for their entire workday. More often than not, those calls are back to back from sign in until sign out. No windows. No sunlight. No corner office or chats around the water cooler. If corporate America were the Titanic, we would be the ones in steerage. It is thankless, de-motivating, and sometimes demeaning. It is an environment that equates human beings to numbers and values efficiency over integrity. Call center policies often defy logic and good sense, putting their agents in the position of constantly having to choose between what is policy and what is right. Call center employees are constantly monitored. Their phones are tapped, their computer activity is recorded, and their steps are counted. Every interaction is graded and there is no room for error. Conversations are tightly scripted and sales quotas are strictly enforced. www.callcenterslave.com
Call Centers: Boon or Bane?
Got it from one of the blogs here and copied itSomething to ponder!
SOURCE:
http://bulatlat.com/news/6-45/6-45-call.htm
Here are some of the more direct concerns and problems that have arisen from the phenomenal growth of call centers.
1. Night work for women workers
The Labor Code (Article 130) prohibits women to work in night shifts, since night workers are exposed to more work-related problems than daytime workers.
Among these problems, which put women at a disadvantage, are the following: greater risks and difficulties in commuting at night or in the wee hours of dawn; adverse effects on the body of recurring changes in sleeping and meal hours; and limited interaction with the family and social circles.
The problem is that the peak need for call center agents in the Philippines are at night, which corresponds to workday hours in Western countries where most client calls originate. Thus, women call center agents have had to be exempted from the coverage of the law, just like female hospital and media workers.
Among Convergys employees, for example, 70 percent were on night shift because the company followed Eastern Standard Time. Convergys says it implemented some measures to minimize such problems.
*
For working in night shifts, employees were paid differential pay at 20 percent of the hourly rate, on top of the basic salary.
*
Shifts were changed every three months, presumably to give ample time for employees to readjust their biological clocks to their new schedules.
*
Pregnant employees were exempted from night shifts.
*
The company held a quarterly “Family Day” where employees brought their family members to the workplace “to appreciate the job.”
To ensure the commuting safety of employees, call center firms have adopted various measures, such as: being escorted by security guards up to where they can take a ride; designation of pick-up points; and taxi or shuttle service.
2. Change in lifestyles of call center agents
In another trade-off, working in a call center may be high-paying but maddeningly stressful and monotonous. Working in non-standard hours is stressful enough. Moreover, call-center tasks often require repetitive routines of answering questions and working at computers more than seven hours daily. Call center agents are obliged to mask their real emotions and Filipino accents, even in the face of unreasonable demands and insulting remarks by foreign callers.
Call center firms have adopted a few measures to help employees cope with stress. These include office parties, raffles, cheerful work station décor, and gaming rooms and lounges where employees can unwind during breaks and after work.
3. Labor-only contracting
Article 106 of the Labor Code gives employers the freedom to "out-source" (to contract out jobs and services) as a valid business strategy despite the outcry of many labor organizations.
The Code bans (as unfair labor practice) only one type of contracting – illegal “labor only” contracting (ILOC). This is the case if the labor contractor does not have enough capital (tools, equipment, machineries, work premises), and the workers supplied by the contractor are doing tasks that are directly related to the firm's principal business.
Otherwise, labor-only contracting is legal. If the contractor or subcontractor fails to pay the workers, then the law says that the principal employer shall be liable to the claims of the workers. But what about call centers which have main offices outside the country? It remains unclear who will pay the workers if the subcontractor is unable to do so.
4. Union organizing difficulties
While the Labor Code guarantees basic union rights for all workers, unions have found it difficult to organize call center agents. The common reasons given were most call center agents are "yuppies" ("young professionals") who work in graveyard shifts and easily transfer from one firm to another.
A UP SOLAIR study reports, however, that a majority of surveyed call center agents were interested in joining unions. The respondents said they wanted better negotiating positions to compensate for the negative impact of night shifts and intense work pressure on their health. They also encounter intense work pressures.
Although difficult, union organizing among call center agents can be done. One such call center agents' union is that of the Standard Chartered Bank. Call center agents appreciated their membership since their type of work required "different terms and conditions of work." Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat
Here are some of the more direct concerns and problems that have arisen from the phenomenal growth of call centers.
1. Night work for women workers
The Labor Code (Article 130) prohibits women to work in night shifts, since night workers are exposed to more work-related problems than daytime workers.
Among these problems, which put women at a disadvantage, are the following: greater risks and difficulties in commuting at night or in the wee hours of dawn; adverse effects on the body of recurring changes in sleeping and meal hours; and limited interaction with the family and social circles.
The problem is that the peak need for call center agents in the Philippines are at night, which corresponds to workday hours in Western countries where most client calls originate. Thus, women call center agents have had to be exempted from the coverage of the law, just like female hospital and media workers.
Among Convergys employees, for example, 70 percent were on night shift because the company followed Eastern Standard Time. Convergys says it implemented some measures to minimize such problems.
*
For working in night shifts, employees were paid differential pay at 20 percent of the hourly rate, on top of the basic salary.
*
Shifts were changed every three months, presumably to give ample time for employees to readjust their biological clocks to their new schedules.
*
Pregnant employees were exempted from night shifts.
*
The company held a quarterly “Family Day” where employees brought their family members to the workplace “to appreciate the job.”
To ensure the commuting safety of employees, call center firms have adopted various measures, such as: being escorted by security guards up to where they can take a ride; designation of pick-up points; and taxi or shuttle service.
2. Change in lifestyles of call center agents
In another trade-off, working in a call center may be high-paying but maddeningly stressful and monotonous. Working in non-standard hours is stressful enough. Moreover, call-center tasks often require repetitive routines of answering questions and working at computers more than seven hours daily. Call center agents are obliged to mask their real emotions and Filipino accents, even in the face of unreasonable demands and insulting remarks by foreign callers.
Call center firms have adopted a few measures to help employees cope with stress. These include office parties, raffles, cheerful work station décor, and gaming rooms and lounges where employees can unwind during breaks and after work.
3. Labor-only contracting
Article 106 of the Labor Code gives employers the freedom to "out-source" (to contract out jobs and services) as a valid business strategy despite the outcry of many labor organizations.
The Code bans (as unfair labor practice) only one type of contracting – illegal “labor only” contracting (ILOC). This is the case if the labor contractor does not have enough capital (tools, equipment, machineries, work premises), and the workers supplied by the contractor are doing tasks that are directly related to the firm's principal business.
Otherwise, labor-only contracting is legal. If the contractor or subcontractor fails to pay the workers, then the law says that the principal employer shall be liable to the claims of the workers. But what about call centers which have main offices outside the country? It remains unclear who will pay the workers if the subcontractor is unable to do so.
4. Union organizing difficulties
While the Labor Code guarantees basic union rights for all workers, unions have found it difficult to organize call center agents. The common reasons given were most call center agents are "yuppies" ("young professionals") who work in graveyard shifts and easily transfer from one firm to another.
A UP SOLAIR study reports, however, that a majority of surveyed call center agents were interested in joining unions. The respondents said they wanted better negotiating positions to compensate for the negative impact of night shifts and intense work pressure on their health. They also encounter intense work pressures.
Although difficult, union organizing among call center agents can be done. One such call center agents' union is that of the Standard Chartered Bank. Call center agents appreciated their membership since their type of work required "different terms and conditions of work." Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat
CALL CENTER AGENT BLOOPERS
Take note that they may not be funny if you’re not Filipino. Some are in Tagalog, so we might have to do some translation along the way. So, I’d like to dedicate this post to fellow colleagues in the . Here are some that I could either relate to:
TSR: “It's C as in CAT.”
Customer: “What?”
TSR: "C as in CAT. C-A-T...meow meow..."
TSR: “Ok, sir. Do you have a PEN and a PENCIL ready?”
Customer: “What?!!”
TSR: “Oh, I’m sorry, sir. Do you have a PEN and a BALLPEN ready?
(applause)
CSR: “I was hoping you can take this survey with me. Would you have the time to do that, sir?”
Customer: “How long is this gonna to take?”
CS: “Mmm.. MGA three minutes....”
*slip of the vernacular*
TSR: “Alright, we're going to perform a checkdisk. That is for us to see if your hard drive has errors in it. Please type in C-H-K-D-S-K...”
Customer: “What is that again?”
TSR: "C-H-K-D-S-K...that is... C as in Charlie...H as in Harley...K as in Karley...D as in Darley...S as in Sarley...and K as in Karly."
====================================================================
TSR : Sir may I please have a couple of minutes of your time.
Cust : "Heavy breathing", "panting", "Ahaa Ahaa" - Not now son im in the middle of doing somethin, give me 10 minutes.
TSR : sure sir i'll stay on the line.
Tsr : "oh dear" (cust did not hang up the phone, TSR listening in to cust. havin sex)...
====================================================================
Cust: Habla, Espanol?
CSR: Pardon?
Cust: Habla, Espanol?
CSR: Oh, let me transfer your call to a SPINISH SPAKING AGENT... (Spanish Speaking!)
==================================================================== csr: may i pls have your first name sir?
cu: robert
csr: ok let me verify that for you
====================================================================
Applicant: Agent ho?
Recruiter: Yes. Why do you want to work as a call center agent?
Applicant: Call center ho?
Recruiter: YES. This is a call center. My question is why are you interested?
Applicant: I am willing po.
Applicant: Because of the big bucks of money.. I want to hab a house
=============================================================================
Recruiter: Why do you want to work in a call center?
Applicant: From Manila Bulletin.
Recruiter: Ah okay, but my question is, why do you want to work here?
Applicant: Well, I graduated from CEU with a course of (blahblah…)
Applicant: I’m a work alcoholic.
Applicant: I’m the eldest and the only child in our family.
Applicant: I’m a hardworking… (end of the answer)
What do you know about the call center Industry?
Applicant: The call center industry is booming out, side by side, somewhere else.
Applicant: The call center is a booming industry for the past few days and I want to become part of that boom.
Applicant: It’s easy to be a call center, just looks arounds you, that why I want to become a call center!
==============================================================================
CSR: One last thing sir, may i have your city of birth?
CLIENT: What?
CSR: Your city of birth?
CLIENT: What? i can’t quite hear you.
CSR: (irita na) I said your city of birth, the place of your born!
(nagalit pa)
====================================================================
CSR: . . . and for our records, may i know yourchild’s bday?
CLIENT: Idon’t know her bday. .
CSR: Oh come on, it’s yourresponsibility to know your child’s bday. (tarayan ba ang customer?)
====================================================================
CS: …I’d like to speak with Billy Thompson please???
Contact: He’s not in. Would you like to leave a message in his voicemail?
CS: Sure, SIGE… (ay shyet, ulet!!!)
====================================================================
CS: Thank you for calling… this is Candy, how
may I help you?
Cust: What did you say your name was… Mandy?
CS: No, sir, it’s Candy…
Cust: Sorry, can’t hear ya… didja say Mandy?
CS: No, sir.. Candy, sir… Candy… as in Storck!!!
(oohhh… now I get it!!!)
CS: Was that a “B” as in boy or a “B” as in bravo?
Cust: Uhhmmm… how about “B” as in bravo.
( PAREHONG TANGA !!!!)
======================================================================================
SR: It’s C as in CharLie… M as in Mary… and D
as in Dog
CUST: Did y0u say B as in B0y?
TSR: No sir, it’s D as in Dog… arf arf…
(ayuz! gaLing ata sa z0o et0ng daLawang t0!)
TSR: It’s CMD… Cust0mer Must Die…
CUST: (dead air)
(naghang-up na paLa… natak0t baka mamatay… )
TSR: It’s CMD… read my Lips….
(sige nga patingin baka mabasa k0 sa phone…
hehe… )
syempre hindi pahuhuLi ang mga agents sa
SYKES!
TSR: (sLeEpy m0de din… at kakagising din muLa
sa maikLing pagkakatuL0g habang
nagt0tr0ubLesh0ot) Okay n0w g0 t0 the b0tique…
(sL0wLy niya pang sinabi yun)
(aba sister, ang aLam k0 tech dispatch Lang ang
pede…)
TSR: (sLeEpy m0de take 4!) It’s capitaL F as
Mary…
CUST: okay and then what?
(eh baka ang gust0 m0ng sabihin eh Fairy?)
TSR: ch0ong ch0ong ch0ong… ch0o ch0o
ch0ooooong…
CUST: what? (pare mag mute ka naman…
haLatang nagLaLaro habang nagt0tr0ubLesh0ot eh)
habang may caLL et0ng agent na it0 eh bigLang
may mga dumaan na
nagkwekwentuhan ng maLakas in TagaL0g…
CUST: wh0 are th0se pe0pLe? Are y0u in
India?
TSR: N0… y0u’re in
PhiLippines..
(teka naLit0 ak0… sin0 bang nasa
PhiLippines?
yung caLLer 0 yung agent?
Nasan ba ak0 ateh? )
=====================================================================================
Filipin0 CUST: darLing are y0u a fiLipin0? (tagaL0g
na tagaL0g yung accent)
TSR: n0 ma’am I’m an american.(with c0nvicti0n
per0 tagaL0g na tagaL0g din yung accent!)
FiLipino CUST: are y0u sure ih0?
TSR: yes ma’am.
FiLipin0 CUST: sigurad0 ka?
TSR: yes ma’am.
(eh kaLa k0 ba kan0 ka?… )
=====================================================================================
Source:
www.callcenterscript.com
http://bloopers.bloghost.ro/category/call-center/
Source:www.superscription's.com.
TSR: “It's C as in CAT.”
Customer: “What?”
TSR: "C as in CAT. C-A-T...meow meow..."
TSR: “Ok, sir. Do you have a PEN and a PENCIL ready?”
Customer: “What?!!”
TSR: “Oh, I’m sorry, sir. Do you have a PEN and a BALLPEN ready?
(applause)
CSR: “I was hoping you can take this survey with me. Would you have the time to do that, sir?”
Customer: “How long is this gonna to take?”
CS: “Mmm.. MGA three minutes....”
*slip of the vernacular*
TSR: “Alright, we're going to perform a checkdisk. That is for us to see if your hard drive has errors in it. Please type in C-H-K-D-S-K...”
Customer: “What is that again?”
TSR: "C-H-K-D-S-K...that is... C as in Charlie...H as in Harley...K as in Karley...D as in Darley...S as in Sarley...and K as in Karly."
====================================================================
TSR : Sir may I please have a couple of minutes of your time.
Cust : "Heavy breathing", "panting", "Ahaa Ahaa" - Not now son im in the middle of doing somethin, give me 10 minutes.
TSR : sure sir i'll stay on the line.
Tsr : "oh dear" (cust did not hang up the phone, TSR listening in to cust. havin sex)...
====================================================================
Cust: Habla, Espanol?
CSR: Pardon?
Cust: Habla, Espanol?
CSR: Oh, let me transfer your call to a SPINISH SPAKING AGENT... (Spanish Speaking!)
==================================================================== csr: may i pls have your first name sir?
cu: robert
csr: ok let me verify that for you
====================================================================
Applicant: Agent ho?
Recruiter: Yes. Why do you want to work as a call center agent?
Applicant: Call center ho?
Recruiter: YES. This is a call center. My question is why are you interested?
Applicant: I am willing po.
Applicant: Because of the big bucks of money.. I want to hab a house
=============================================================================
Recruiter: Why do you want to work in a call center?
Applicant: From Manila Bulletin.
Recruiter: Ah okay, but my question is, why do you want to work here?
Applicant: Well, I graduated from CEU with a course of (blahblah…)
Applicant: I’m a work alcoholic.
Applicant: I’m the eldest and the only child in our family.
Applicant: I’m a hardworking… (end of the answer)
What do you know about the call center Industry?
Applicant: The call center industry is booming out, side by side, somewhere else.
Applicant: The call center is a booming industry for the past few days and I want to become part of that boom.
Applicant: It’s easy to be a call center, just looks arounds you, that why I want to become a call center!
==============================================================================
CSR: One last thing sir, may i have your city of birth?
CLIENT: What?
CSR: Your city of birth?
CLIENT: What? i can’t quite hear you.
CSR: (irita na) I said your city of birth, the place of your born!
(nagalit pa)
====================================================================
CSR: . . . and for our records, may i know yourchild’s bday?
CLIENT: Idon’t know her bday. .
CSR: Oh come on, it’s yourresponsibility to know your child’s bday. (tarayan ba ang customer?)
====================================================================
CS: …I’d like to speak with Billy Thompson please???
Contact: He’s not in. Would you like to leave a message in his voicemail?
CS: Sure, SIGE… (ay shyet, ulet!!!)
====================================================================
CS: Thank you for calling… this is Candy, how
may I help you?
Cust: What did you say your name was… Mandy?
CS: No, sir, it’s Candy…
Cust: Sorry, can’t hear ya… didja say Mandy?
CS: No, sir.. Candy, sir… Candy… as in Storck!!!
(oohhh… now I get it!!!)
CS: Was that a “B” as in boy or a “B” as in bravo?
Cust: Uhhmmm… how about “B” as in bravo.
( PAREHONG TANGA !!!!)
======================================================================================
SR: It’s C as in CharLie… M as in Mary… and D
as in Dog
CUST: Did y0u say B as in B0y?
TSR: No sir, it’s D as in Dog… arf arf…
(ayuz! gaLing ata sa z0o et0ng daLawang t0!)
TSR: It’s CMD… Cust0mer Must Die…
CUST: (dead air)
(naghang-up na paLa… natak0t baka mamatay… )
TSR: It’s CMD… read my Lips….
(sige nga patingin baka mabasa k0 sa phone…
hehe… )
syempre hindi pahuhuLi ang mga agents sa
SYKES!
TSR: (sLeEpy m0de din… at kakagising din muLa
sa maikLing pagkakatuL0g habang
nagt0tr0ubLesh0ot) Okay n0w g0 t0 the b0tique…
(sL0wLy niya pang sinabi yun)
(aba sister, ang aLam k0 tech dispatch Lang ang
pede…)
TSR: (sLeEpy m0de take 4!) It’s capitaL F as
Mary…
CUST: okay and then what?
(eh baka ang gust0 m0ng sabihin eh Fairy?)
TSR: ch0ong ch0ong ch0ong… ch0o ch0o
ch0ooooong…
CUST: what? (pare mag mute ka naman…
haLatang nagLaLaro habang nagt0tr0ubLesh0ot eh)
habang may caLL et0ng agent na it0 eh bigLang
may mga dumaan na
nagkwekwentuhan ng maLakas in TagaL0g…
CUST: wh0 are th0se pe0pLe? Are y0u in
India?
TSR: N0… y0u’re in
PhiLippines..
(teka naLit0 ak0… sin0 bang nasa
PhiLippines?
yung caLLer 0 yung agent?
Nasan ba ak0 ateh? )
=====================================================================================
Filipin0 CUST: darLing are y0u a fiLipin0? (tagaL0g
na tagaL0g yung accent)
TSR: n0 ma’am I’m an american.(with c0nvicti0n
per0 tagaL0g na tagaL0g din yung accent!)
FiLipino CUST: are y0u sure ih0?
TSR: yes ma’am.
FiLipin0 CUST: sigurad0 ka?
TSR: yes ma’am.
(eh kaLa k0 ba kan0 ka?… )
=====================================================================================
Source:
www.callcenterscript.com
http://bloopers.bloghost.ro/category/call-center/
Source:www.superscription's.com.
Monday, June 23, 2008
PITY Meh!
If you only working at night is so tiring.RIGHT GUYS! -Physically most of my co-workers are getting FAT!(me too!). I can't help but close your eyes while talking to my customers.Sometime I notice that I'm head banging on my terminal.And the words in my mouth keep on repeating(hoping that my call will not be recorded).If there's no call everybody is chit chatiing,back biting,singing and laughing. Some really can't help but SLEEP (as in TOTALLY SLEEP).You just notice that their saliva is running down their cheeks and mouth open (ahhhh). Well, life must go on.
Sunday, June 22, 2008
DAWN OF THE DREAD
DAWN OF THE DREAD
une 19, 2008
Sun is starting to rise
The dread one's are coming out from the land of vampires
Vampire with no fangs but dark circles under their eyes
and dry skin that needs to be moisturize,
Heat we can no longer take
Muscles need to be stretch,while sitting more than eight hours a day
Our bellies are improving but Our brain is dying
We've done our part
We tried our best
But Our time is up and we're done.
GOODBYE "thank you for calling "
Til we meet again
MORNING is HERE!
Oh I hate to go
hate to go but I have to
Just log-out and the sun is up
Envy to see people who just woke up
With their eyes full of morning beam, that keeps them blinking
Ready to face the new morning.
Some are in a rush now with their cross eyebrows
Waiting for a ride to stop by
While heavy traffic give me a headache
I can feel the sun rays touches my face
That gives me energy to be awake.
INSIDE THE CALL CENTER
By:A.C.L
FYI: copied from another file.words are not edited and grammars.Some are deleted.
Perhaps many people have already written about the wonders and benefits of the call center industry.How it has been providing generous pay,perks and priviledges to the twenty something or how it has provided jobs to thousands of Filipinos.
These are known facts.But what about the unknown bits and pieces that make up a call center?Often times things "UNKNOWN" are interested to mean scary,ugly or even taboo.In the call center industry,however it does not need to have always a negative connotation.So Iam writing to share everyone some unknown facts,anectodes,procedures and other crazy stories that made an entire industry.These are basically experiences someone inside the industry encounters almost on a daily basis that may shock,disturb or simply amuse.
Here then is a chronicle pf my not so ordinary 5 year call center experience:
FACT 1 : The call center is the new church of the gay religion.Workin a call center for just one day (or night) Since most call center are on GY shift anyway and you will meet dozens of gorgeous,uhhh...men! They can be divide into two groups:
1.Homophobic straight- these guys who would pulverize over agreesive gay men in public reest rooms
2.The curious straight- their primary preference are women but when entice or seduce by gay men, they give in
3.The certified gays and categorize in two groups
a. the peppermint a.k.a "Pa-Mhin-ta" 0discreet,still hiding in the closet gay men
b. The falmboouyants who either cross-ldress are just too loud and proud of their homosexuality.
FACT 2: The call center industry is breeding ground for "College Bosses".Gone are the days when a typical boss was an old, fat,balding guy who ordered everyone around and asked anyone to fix him a cup of coffee. In the call center industry, you got to meet every young bosses ages 22-25 years old. They are definitely NOT the classic '" The Devil Wears Prada" bosses, instead they are your carefree, fresh from college bosses who love to party and drink Starbucks coffee as if its water.Often times these bosses get to where they are not because "TALENT" to smother their own bosses with PRAISES and COMPLIMENTS and their ability to KISS BUTTS.
FACT 3:The call center industry is slowly turning into haven of "PLASTICS".The movie "mean girls" glorified the "PLASTICS" as portrayed by Linsay LOhan and Rachel Mc Adam. They are basically persons who do not show their TRUE COLORS and most of the time they engage in backbiting.
Working in a call center exposes you to the world of "PLASTICS". BEWARE of those who treat you extraordinarily nice,those who appear too friendly, beacuse they often times the same person who say UNKINDEST things about you behind your back.
FACT 4: Call center industry is a modernday GARDEN OF EDEN. Remember it was in that garden where Adam and Eve feel in love and now the call center is a paradise of lovers.It is where single men and women meet,work together and fall in love and leave their wives and husbands.MORALITY and social obligations are often overlooked if not, deliberately forgotten and last truimph completely..
FYI: copied from another file.words are not edited and grammars.Some are deleted.
Perhaps many people have already written about the wonders and benefits of the call center industry.How it has been providing generous pay,perks and priviledges to the twenty something or how it has provided jobs to thousands of Filipinos.
These are known facts.But what about the unknown bits and pieces that make up a call center?Often times things "UNKNOWN" are interested to mean scary,ugly or even taboo.In the call center industry,however it does not need to have always a negative connotation.So Iam writing to share everyone some unknown facts,anectodes,procedures and other crazy stories that made an entire industry.These are basically experiences someone inside the industry encounters almost on a daily basis that may shock,disturb or simply amuse.
Here then is a chronicle pf my not so ordinary 5 year call center experience:
FACT 1 : The call center is the new church of the gay religion.Workin a call center for just one day (or night) Since most call center are on GY shift anyway and you will meet dozens of gorgeous,uhhh...men! They can be divide into two groups:
1.Homophobic straight- these guys who would pulverize over agreesive gay men in public reest rooms
2.The curious straight- their primary preference are women but when entice or seduce by gay men, they give in
3.The certified gays and categorize in two groups
a. the peppermint a.k.a "Pa-Mhin-ta" 0discreet,still hiding in the closet gay men
b. The falmboouyants who either cross-ldress are just too loud and proud of their homosexuality.
FACT 2: The call center industry is breeding ground for "College Bosses".Gone are the days when a typical boss was an old, fat,balding guy who ordered everyone around and asked anyone to fix him a cup of coffee. In the call center industry, you got to meet every young bosses ages 22-25 years old. They are definitely NOT the classic '" The Devil Wears Prada" bosses, instead they are your carefree, fresh from college bosses who love to party and drink Starbucks coffee as if its water.Often times these bosses get to where they are not because "TALENT" to smother their own bosses with PRAISES and COMPLIMENTS and their ability to KISS BUTTS.
FACT 3:The call center industry is slowly turning into haven of "PLASTICS".The movie "mean girls" glorified the "PLASTICS" as portrayed by Linsay LOhan and Rachel Mc Adam. They are basically persons who do not show their TRUE COLORS and most of the time they engage in backbiting.
Working in a call center exposes you to the world of "PLASTICS". BEWARE of those who treat you extraordinarily nice,those who appear too friendly, beacuse they often times the same person who say UNKINDEST things about you behind your back.
FACT 4: Call center industry is a modernday GARDEN OF EDEN. Remember it was in that garden where Adam and Eve feel in love and now the call center is a paradise of lovers.It is where single men and women meet,work together and fall in love and leave their wives and husbands.MORALITY and social obligations are often overlooked if not, deliberately forgotten and last truimph completely..
Monday, June 9, 2008
GRAVEYARD WAR STORY
GRAVEYARD WAR STORY
Since I have nothing to do.I copied a story from UNKNOWN agent who had nothing to do as well.
FYI:Grammars are not edited.
I'm still trying to stay asleep at 10:30.Closing my eyes at one attempt for a power nap before closing my eyes before my battle begins.
KRINNNG!!!!!! A las 10:45 but there's no need to hurry...work is just eight minutes away (from this cozy bed) anyway..
At the entrance, the smell of the coffee stinks!It's everywhere like oxygen.The air that I breathe,the blood pumped from and to my heart,freely flowing in my nerves and the buzzing sound from upstairs annoyed my ears...deafening it's so loud agains the peaceful night.
THIS IS OUR WORLD.MY WORLD.We live when light dies completely.Eleven strikes and I'm on the roll once more.
HELLO!How may I help you today?At the end of the world a half dead is trying to to purchase herself a pair of pants and a raspberry blouse.In the middle of the call,in between heavy breathing and coughing the OLD lady is raising hell over a FREE gift which doesn't go along with the order.You're STUPID! You don't know what you are doing DUMB! In my mind I strangled the old lady with the cord of her telephone until she shouted "no more and breathe no more.I wish I can do that. HOWEVER, my job call is for wuality customer service.So in between "bullshit" and F@ck you and with all my unuttered defense.I smile and say "I understand ma'am".
While the world is sleeping, I and my colleagues are kicking some ass trying to pacify irate customers or attending the needs of busy people who can't afford to waste time to go to department stores or aren't just capable of doing.
The principle is like PIZZA DELIVERY. You call to place an order and then have your order delivered to you.One way of making life easy.And its the trend mostly is US and some countries as well.A very essential trend to go with,That's why their milk and honey overflow to other parts in ASIA.
YES,You've got that right.OLD I said.NO agent limit to work in this business.For as long as one can take calls with efficient communication skills,patience to the end of the call with smile and the energy to stay wide awake for 10 hrs or 8 hrs on GRAVEYARD SHIFTS.
What more to call center that mostly egocentric people calling for assistance,technicians lost on their way to installation,couch potatoes growling about poor TV reception and threatening charges against the service provider just find out unplugged cable afterwards and a whole lot of banging your PC for your own release!
These scenarios that eats up my life and saps my energy.If you'll observe TV ads of energizer and anti-stress booze,you will see a call center setting or at least a call center revived to life by those boosters.I must say advertisers choose the right subject to hit the right market.Further, some time after explosion of the call center trend, health issues bombarded the industry and didn't escape media scoop.One can read about it and hear about it.The CALL CENTER JOB is a tough job.A MIX of physical and emotional torture.
I've seen many comrade stumbled along the way.The others raised the white flag and retreated , others were proven misfits,while others fought to their last bullet only to aim the gun at their heads in the end. YES, a torture.
NERVE wracking to hear? YET why is HIRING still NON-stop in call center industry?
At the same entrance that smells like coffee, an innocent aspirants are flooding in for acceptance almost everyday.The promised compensation perhaps VERY TEMPTING amidst high rate of unemployment or is it the facade,the passion for customer service?
The latter seems too good to be true but it's the truth nevertheless ( for some at least) It makes one useful and fullfilled to be of HELP to be commended for being polite and enthusiastic and especially to be easily undertood without shouting or exaggerating too much.At the lighter side,sitting here on my terminal for nearly 10 hours now,has made my patience GROW to it's FULLEST.PATIENCE a virtue that feeds the soul as well. And I admire those people who stayed long in the call center industry as AGENTS.
The enemies are slowly ceasing now.(at the end of the world) as darkness of the night succumbs to the light.My eyes!PUFFY EYES! with dark circles are battling at one more power attempt to stay awake.
KRINNNG!!!! alas it's 9am.I need to hurry up !
***END****
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Are You Teaching The Basics of Call Center Operations?
Are You Teaching The Basics of Call Center Operations?
by Penny Reynolds, The Call Center School
http://www.callcentertimes.com
Rachel has just finished your agent orientation program and is ready to hit the phones. She's passed the product knowledge test with flying colors and seems to have better than average communications skills. She's actively using the new soft-skills she learned in the final phase of orientation and you're sure she's going to be one of your stars.
But you have this nagging feeling that you've forgotten to teach her something. And you ask yourself, "Is there anything else Rachel should know before she begins her "tour of duty?" Is there any other training she needs that will make her more effective in handling customer contacts, as well as be a more satisfied call center employee?
The answer is "yes". There's one more piece. The missing link here is to equip Rachel with knowledge about the unique call center environment and how it operates. Let's face it - she's had to learn a lot in the last few weeks. And part of that training should have been an operational overview so Rachel can better understand the context in which she plays such an important role.
So what exactly do new employees need to learn about the call center? We asked agents and supervisors alike what the missing pieces were and below is their "Top 5" list. How many of these areas are you covering in your own training program?
1. The Profession and the Industry
How many of your staff understand the world of call centers? It's important for them to understand the vital role your own call center plays in the organization, as well as the bigger picture of call centers everywhere. Rachel should understand that this is more than "just answering the phones", but a mission-critical part of businesses everywhere - a bona fide profession, not just an in-between stop on the way to a "real" job.
Include information about industry demographics (types and sizes of centers, as well as the numbers of folks that work in the profession). And make them aware of the career opportunities and professional development options available to them in this industry. This type of awareness will help your retention efforts in the long run, as well as increase job satisfaction in the short term.
2. Performance Measurement
Do your staff understand what you're measuring every day in terms of the call center's overall performance as well as individual performance? It's useful for them to understand what the call center's performance goals are in terms of service and efficiency (and perhaps revenue) in support of the company's overall objectives. Perhaps the center gathers marketing data and focuses on customer input for future product and service offerings. Rachel should understand how these call center operational goals then translate down into measures of her own performance.
Include training on performance measures, with particular emphasis on all the items an agent will be measured on and why. Every person should understand how his/her performance will be evaluated and understand what they can do to affect those numbers and scores.
3. Workforce Management
Do your staff understand why management is so obsessed with everyone being in their seat and adhering to their work schedule? It's critical for them to understand the basics of the workforce management process and the impact on service and cost of getting the "just right" number of people in place to handle the calls. Rachel should understand the effect on service she has if she's not available when scheduled and what that also means in terms of how busy her co-workers will be.
Include training on how the forecasting and scheduling process works in your center. Every person should understand how workforce schedules are created, and the impact that just one person can make on service and cost.
4. Call Center Technology
Do your staff understand how the calls they're taking right now arrived at their desktop and what the customer has experienced to the point at which live conversation begins? It's helpful for them to understand the overall concept of how a call or contact arrives at their workstation, as well as what technologies enable them to handle calls more effectively once they arrive. Rachel should understand what her customer has experienced in terms of IVR self-service or sitting in the ACD queue before she picked up the call. She should also fully understand the capabilities of all the technology at her disposal in terms of terms of handling each call (such as CTI or contact management systems).
Include training on how a contact gets from the customer to the desktop, and what the communications process is like for customers. Every person should understand what technologies are available to them in handling the call more efficiently, as well as have a basic understanding of the other technologies at work "behind the scenes" in the call center in terms of workforce management system, quality monitoring, workflow management, and more.
5. Customer Relationships
Do your staff understand the value of each and every customer call? While we're not suggesting they whip out a calculator on every call, it is important for front-line staff to understand the concept of lifetime customer value so the proper emphasis on service is placed. Rachel should understand that while one single call might not seem that important, when the average value is multiplied over a "lifetime" of calls, every interaction can be significant in customer retention.
Include training on lifetime customer value and the critical role that each agent plays in customer retention and the bottom line. And if you have a CRM strategy and CRM technologies in place, it's important to help the front line staff understand how that strategy affects them in handling contacts. Will they follow different scripts for a "high value" customer, or will performance measures change as more focus is placed on the quality of the call handling process versus traditional efficiency measures such as speed of answer and average handle time.
Including these five components in your frontline staff's orientation program will go a long way in equipping them with the knowledge to better understand the context in which their role is performed. Without this background, staff like Rachel may never perform up to their potential.
Return on Investment
Call Center haiku part 1
Coffee doesnt taste bad, get use to it
Take a break
To keep you awake
Dont me mad
Were on queue
Calls now overflowing
Please call back
I must pee , NOW!
Please call back
I'm almost on AUX
Please call back for a better line!
Thank GOD he hang-up.
Just a day, just a ordinary night
Trying not to be irate!
1st hr...2nd hr...3rd hr.... prrt hr...ahhhh almost LOG-OUT!!!!
by:agent a.k.a SAM
Buhay sa Call Center
Source: I don't know.Someone just email this to me.
Eto ang mga side effects ng pagtatrabaho sa mga call
centers...
>
> 1. dahil halos di na kayo nagkikita ng nanay at
tatay mo, an tawag na nila
> sayo
> ay "boarder" at sinisingil ka na nila sa upa mo! (uy
magbayad ka!)
>
> 2. pag sa sagot ka ng telepono, lagi na lang may
opening spiel...exampol :
> ring
> ! ring ! ....tenk u for calling (the company) this
is (your name) how may i
> help
> you?
>
> 3. eksperto ka na sa power nap, yung mga 15min break
nyo, itinutulog mo na
> lang...para fresh pagka kolls uli, mya na yung 1
hour nap...
>
> 4. di mo na alam bumiyahe pag may araw, nalilito ka
bakit andaming tao, at
> bakit
> di na dumadaan ang dyip dun sa mga kalsada na 1
way....
>
> 5. mas sanay ka ng matulog ng nakabussiness
attire...na mimiss mo yung matigas
> na sahig ng opisina nyo...tsaka yung malamig na
aircon.
>
> 6. sanay kang maglaka-lakad ng nakamedyas.
>
> 7. an tawag mo sa mga friends mo...dude, bro, coach,
tl, sup.
>
> 8. di na dugo ang dumadaloy sayo, kape na. nung
nagpaospital ka ang nilagay
> sayo
> dextrose na my instant coffee.
>
> 9. sanay kang makipagusap kahit tulog...pagtinanong
ka ng kahit ano, tama ang
> sagot mo...ummmm naghihilik ka pa hayup ka!
>
> 10. tadaaaaa! nag sasalita ka sa pagtulog mo, pati
kols mo napapanaginipan mo,
> at minsan, sinampal ka ng kapatid mo dahil
nagsisigaw kang sup call! sup
> call!
> sup call!
>
> 11. pumuputi ka na dahil di ka na naaarawan.
>
> 12. sanay ka nang matulog kahit maingay sa loob at
labas ng bahay nyo.
>
> 13. kinalimutan ka na ng mga kaibigan mo dahil
existing ka lang pag tulog na
> sila.
>
> 14. sanay ka na sa mga prank callers at mga death
treats na nakasulat lang..
> sa
> dami ba naman ng ma-encounter mong ganito gabi-gabi
sa trabaho eh.
>
> 15. di ka na sanay sa traffic. papasok at pauwi sa
trabaho walang traffic.
>
> 16. di na tama ang oras ng pagkain mo. breakfast mo
ay hapunan na lunch mo sa
> madaling araw. dinner mo pag uwi mo sa umaga. pag
Rest Day mo naman at natulog
> ka sa gabi, magigising ka pa din pag madaling araw
na. iba na ang body clock
> mo.
>
> 17. lahat ng kasabay mo sa jeep pag papasok ka,
pagod na. ikaw lang ang bagong
> ligo at bagong gel.
>
> 18. maski sa bahay, mabilis kang kumain.
>
> 19. nde ka na kilala ng aso nyo
>
> 20. tawag sa auto mo ay taxi, kasi palaging gabi
bumabyahe..
>
> 21. wala ka nang pakialam sa buhay
>
> 22. nahihiya kang magpunta sa mga reunion lalo na't
alam mong successful lahat
> ng ka-batch mo.
>
> 23. sasabihin mo field ng trabaho mo IT, di call
center.
>
> 24. nasusuka ka na pag nakita mo ang pc sa bahay
nyo..
>
> 25. sasabihin mong tech support engineer ka, pero
rep ka lang..
>
> 26. pag payday... olats lahat sweldo ng mga kaklase
mong board passer (8k per
> month lang sila) isang kinsenas mo na yun..
>
> 27. pag day off mo n lang ikaw nkakapaanood ng Eat
bulaga at MTB
CALL CENTER SCLAVUS
What is Call Center Slave? Call Center Slave (CCS) is a tiny little corner of cyberspace, dedicated to giving a voice to everyone who spends their workday tethered to a phone. If your days are filled with misery, anxiety, or undiluted hatred for your call center job, this site is for you! Owned and operated by call center veterans, this website promises not to be patronizing or condescending OR to blow sunshine up your ass. You know your job sucks, we know your job sucks, now it's time for everyone else to know. We are telling it like it is! Put yourself in call work, sit back, and enjoy... WWW.CALLCENTERSLAVE.COM
Why do call centers suck? Oh, where shall I start? There are so many reasons that call centers suck that it would be impossible to list them all in one short paragraph. There are more silly rules and codes of conduct in call centers than in any other workplace except for, perhaps, the Pentagon. Call centers take themselves WAY too seriously and they expect their employees to do the same. Of course, there are exceptions. For example, if I am calling 911 because I fell off a ladder and split my head open, I would be very displeased to find that the operators were having a potluck and could not dispatch the appropriate assistance. That being said, we will now systematically boil call center life down to it's base, leaving no subject matter off limits.
www.callcenterpurgatory.com
What is a call center?
Don't laugh. Some people have never actually worked in one. A call center is a building full of tiny little desks with computers and telephones. People that sit at those desks take (or make) calls on a non-stop basis for their entire workday. More often than not, those calls are back to back from sign in until sign out. No windows. No sunlight. No corner office or chats around the water cooler. If corporate America were the Titanic, we would be the ones in steerage. It is thankless, de-motivating, and sometimes demeaning. It is an environment that equates human beings to numbers and values efficiency over integrity. Call center policies often defy logic and good sense, putting their agents in the position of constantly having to choose between what is policy and what is right. Call center employees are constantly monitored. Their phones are tapped, their computer activity is recorded, and their steps are counted. Every interaction is graded and there is no room for error. Conversations are tightly scripted and sales quotas are strictly enforced. www.callcenterslave.com
shmolitics
I know that office politics are present in every workplace. It is a universal constant. The office politics in a call center are fueled, exclusively, by the desire to get off of and stay off of the phones. If you are seen as a threat to anyone in a coveted position, you will become a target. I have been subjected to many brutal attacks of unfair judgment, and it has made me realize that the only person truly concerned about my welfare is me. If you are overheard saying anything that may, even remotely, be considered as "unbecoming someone in a leadership position", you will be labeled for the remainder of your employment within that company. You will consistently not be considered for promotions, and you will eventually be strong-armed out of your position and, quite possibly, out of your job completely.
My advice is this: Know who your opponents are and watch them like a hawk. Don't try to befriend them. Keep your eyes open, your mouth shut, and write everything down. Someone is always listening. They make it their job to limit your career. Don't play their game and don't give them any ammunition. They have convinced themselves and everyone else that they are acting solely in yours and the company's best interests. They are vicious and self serving and the sooner we can expose them for the backstabbing predators they are, the better off we will all be.
If you have trouble recognizing these people, here are some tips that may be helpful:
- Be wary of anyone that is perpetually cheerful and friendly. Nobody is in a good mood all of the time and anyone that pretends to be is a liar.
- Be wary of anyone that uses phrases like "perception is reality" and "fake it til you make it". Both of these phrases encourage being a fraud. Anyone that actually believes the logic behind these phrases has built their careers around presenting themselves as something they are not, for the sake of their own self preservation within the company.
- Be suspicious of anyone that pulls you aside to give you a "coaching conversation" regarding the way that you present yourself. If they are criticizing your expressive nature when you speak or the way that you laugh out loud when something strikes you as funny, it is because they are afraid of how YOU will make THEM look.
- Finally, be wary of anyone in a position of authority that will freely discuss the shortcomings of other associates. If they are willing to talk about them to you, they are certainly willing to discuss your faults with anyone who will listeWho works in a call center?
You do. I do. We all do. In fact, I would venture that, at some point, almost everyone has worked in a call center. They are perfect "stop over" points between "real" jobs. Everyone that takes a job in a call center believes it will only be for a short time until something better comes along. The sad reality is that "something better" takes approximately ten times longer than originally expected, turning a "good for now" job into a prison sentence. It may also be surprising the variety of people that work in call centers. I have worked alongside artists, writers, actors, and recording artists. Many of these people have received high levels of education and multiple degrees. We have bills to pay. We have children to support. We are not working in call centers because we want to be judged, although judgement is an albatross that we wear around our necks on a daily basis.
SOURCE:
www.callcenterslave.com
TOP REASON WHY " customer is always right" IS WRONG
source:http://positivesharing.com
MY FAVORITE reason is "It results in worse customer service" WHY!
Here's why: Put The Customer Second - Put your people first and watch’em kick butt. Rosenbluth argues that when you put the employees first, they put the customers first. Put employees first, and they will be happy at work. Employees who are happy at work give better customer service because: They care more about other people, including customers They have more energy They are happy, meaning they are more fun to talk to and interact with They are more motivated On the other hand, when the company and management consistently side with customers instead of with employees, it sends a clear message that: Employees are not valued That treating employees fairly is not important That employees have no right to respect from customers That employees have to put up with everything from customers When this attitude prevails, employees stop caring about service. At that point, real good service is almost impossible - the best customers can hope for is fake good service. You know the kind I mean: corteous on the surface only.
CALL CENTER BOON OR BANE?
SOURCE:
http://bulatlat.com/news/6-45/6-45-call.htm
Here are some of the more direct concerns and problems that have arisen from the phenomenal growth of call centers.
1. Night work for women workers
The Labor Code (Article 130) prohibits women to work in night shifts, since night workers are exposed to more work-related problems than daytime workers.
Among these problems, which put women at a disadvantage, are the following: greater risks and difficulties in commuting at night or in the wee hours of dawn; adverse effects on the body of recurring changes in sleeping and meal hours; and limited interaction with the family and social circles.
The problem is that the peak need for call center agents in the Philippines are at night, which corresponds to workday hours in Western countries where most client calls originate. Thus, women call center agents have had to be exempted from the coverage of the law, just like female hospital and media workers.
Among Convergys employees, for example, 70 percent were on night shift because the company followed Eastern Standard Time. Convergys says it implemented some measures to minimize such problems.
-
For working in night shifts, employees were paid differential pay at 20 percent of the hourly rate, on top of the basic salary.
-
Shifts were changed every three months, presumably to give ample time for employees to readjust their biological clocks to their new schedules.
-
Pregnant employees were exempted from night shifts.
-
The company held a quarterly “Family Day” where employees brought their family members to the workplace “to appreciate the job.”
To ensure the commuting safety of employees, call center firms have adopted various measures, such as: being escorted by security guards up to where they can take a ride; designation of pick-up points; and taxi or shuttle service.
2. Change in lifestyles of call center agents
In another trade-off, working in a call center may be high-paying but maddeningly stressful and monotonous. Working in non-standard hours is stressful enough. Moreover, call-center tasks often require repetitive routines of answering questions and working at computers more than seven hours daily. Call center agents are obliged to mask their real emotions and Filipino accents, even in the face of unreasonable demands and insulting remarks by foreign callers.
Call center firms have adopted a few measures to help employees cope with stress. These include office parties, raffles, cheerful work station décor, and gaming rooms and lounges where employees can unwind during breaks and after work.
3. Labor-only contracting
Article 106 of the Labor Code gives employers the freedom to "out-source" (to contract out jobs and services) as a valid business strategy despite the outcry of many labor organizations.
The Code bans (as unfair labor practice) only one type of contracting – illegal “labor only” contracting (ILOC). This is the case if the labor contractor does not have enough capital (tools, equipment, machineries, work premises), and the workers supplied by the contractor are doing tasks that are directly related to the firm's principal business.
Otherwise, labor-only contracting is legal. If the contractor or subcontractor fails to pay the workers, then the law says that the principal employer shall be liable to the claims of the workers. But what about call centers which have main offices outside the country? It remains unclear who will pay the workers if the subcontractor is unable to do so.
4. Union organizing difficulties
While the Labor Code guarantees basic union rights for all workers, unions have found it difficult to organize call center agents. The common reasons given were most call center agents are "yuppies" ("young professionals") who work in graveyard shifts and easily transfer from one firm to another.
A UP SOLAIR study reports, however, that a majority of surveyed call center agents were interested in joining unions. The respondents said they wanted better negotiating positions to compensate for the negative impact of night shifts and intense work pressure on their health. They also encounter intense work pressures.
Although difficult, union organizing among call center agents can be done. One such call center agents' union is that of the Standard Chartered Bank. Call center agents appreciated their membership since their type of work required "different terms and conditions of work." Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat
Here are some of the more direct concerns and problems that have arisen from the phenomenal growth of call centers.
1. Night work for women workers
The Labor Code (Article 130) prohibits women to work in night shifts, since night workers are exposed to more work-related problems than daytime workers.
Among these problems, which put women at a disadvantage, are the following: greater risks and difficulties in commuting at night or in the wee hours of dawn; adverse effects on the body of recurring changes in sleeping and meal hours; and limited interaction with the family and social circles.
The problem is that the peak need for call center agents in the Philippines are at night, which corresponds to workday hours in Western countries where most client calls originate. Thus, women call center agents have had to be exempted from the coverage of the law, just like female hospital and media workers.
Among Convergys employees, for example, 70 percent were on night shift because the company followed Eastern Standard Time. Convergys says it implemented some measures to minimize such problems.
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For working in night shifts, employees were paid differential pay at 20 percent of the hourly rate, on top of the basic salary.
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Shifts were changed every three months, presumably to give ample time for employees to readjust their biological clocks to their new schedules.
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Pregnant employees were exempted from night shifts.
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The company held a quarterly “Family Day” where employees brought their family members to the workplace “to appreciate the job.”
To ensure the commuting safety of employees, call center firms have adopted various measures, such as: being escorted by security guards up to where they can take a ride; designation of pick-up points; and taxi or shuttle service.
2. Change in lifestyles of call center agents
In another trade-off, working in a call center may be high-paying but maddeningly stressful and monotonous. Working in non-standard hours is stressful enough. Moreover, call-center tasks often require repetitive routines of answering questions and working at computers more than seven hours daily. Call center agents are obliged to mask their real emotions and Filipino accents, even in the face of unreasonable demands and insulting remarks by foreign callers.
Call center firms have adopted a few measures to help employees cope with stress. These include office parties, raffles, cheerful work station décor, and gaming rooms and lounges where employees can unwind during breaks and after work.
3. Labor-only contracting
Article 106 of the Labor Code gives employers the freedom to "out-source" (to contract out jobs and services) as a valid business strategy despite the outcry of many labor organizations.
The Code bans (as unfair labor practice) only one type of contracting – illegal “labor only” contracting (ILOC). This is the case if the labor contractor does not have enough capital (tools, equipment, machineries, work premises), and the workers supplied by the contractor are doing tasks that are directly related to the firm's principal business.
Otherwise, labor-only contracting is legal. If the contractor or subcontractor fails to pay the workers, then the law says that the principal employer shall be liable to the claims of the workers. But what about call centers which have main offices outside the country? It remains unclear who will pay the workers if the subcontractor is unable to do so.
4. Union organizing difficulties
While the Labor Code guarantees basic union rights for all workers, unions have found it difficult to organize call center agents. The common reasons given were most call center agents are "yuppies" ("young professionals") who work in graveyard shifts and easily transfer from one firm to another.
A UP SOLAIR study reports, however, that a majority of surveyed call center agents were interested in joining unions. The respondents said they wanted better negotiating positions to compensate for the negative impact of night shifts and intense work pressure on their health. They also encounter intense work pressures.
Although difficult, union organizing among call center agents can be done. One such call center agents' union is that of the Standard Chartered Bank. Call center agents appreciated their membership since their type of work required "different terms and conditions of work." Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat
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