Call center industry is getting its fame in the Philippines
right now. It seems like everyone knows someone who works in a call center. You
also might’ve heard that majority of call center agents are getting paid well
and you find them posh too. Having heard these and other good things about the
call center industry, you got attracted and wanted to apply to one.
Well, as fellow gay man who cares, I will be telling you
things that you have to know before you send that résumé over. I am no
supervisor or any champion achiever but I have passion about this career. Don’t
worry I am not a so-so agent either. I have my share of my team’s success so
don’t lose your faith on me yet. Haha!
Okay, first thing
that you have to know is, what call center is. Call center is the most
known BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) job. Huge companies hire outsourcing companies
to help them with some of their tasks; it could be replying to emails, managing
databases, payroll, etc. The most common
among these tasks is talking to their people (customer, clients, employees,
etc.) and that is that job of a “voice” call center. You’re probably asking why
I included “voice” on that previous statement. It is because BPO has two types
of jobs. These are non-voice and voice jobs. Non-voice, as the name indicates,
are jobs that don’t require you to speak. Examples of these are chatting,
emailing, researching, etc. On the other hand, voice jobs mostly are customer
service, technical support, directory assistance, etc., which requires - -
well, you’ve guessed it right! Your voice!
In this blog, I will be discussing more about the voice
account because I am more familiar with it.
Second thing that you
have to know is the environment. Unlike the typical office jobs, call
center could be too hectic. Depending on what business you are supporting, you
could get calls every time, non-stop. It is a fact that you should prepare
yourself on. Stress cannot be evaded. Imagine calming a frustrated customer
while looking for a solution to their issue while keeping your handling time in
average. It is something a representative could need to live by every day.
The rumors are true. Agents are discriminated and cursed
upon at times but the good thing about it is that good agents have ways to
pacify and turn the situation around. This is challenging, yes, but the feeling
when the situation has been turned to something positive, would make anyone
feel gallant. It makes me feel powerful in some way personally, to be able to
change someone’s view of the situation with just talking. It’s very near to having the power of persuasion.
Bosses in call centers are addressed using their first name
which made me felt uneasy at first because I am used to calling my bosses
before as “Sir” or “Ma’am”. Supervisors or Managers don’t have this God-like
aura that most of the local jobs have. An agent can actually voice out his
suggestions or comments at ease.
Another good thing about call center are the the people.
Call center industry has a vast number of types of people and age group so one
should be adaptive. It’s not that someone who is not flexible won’t survive, it
is just that it is one of the key characteristics that one needs in order to
enjoy and grow in this industry.
That’s it! I hope you learned something about the industry. I will be writing another blog regarding the same topic. If you have questions, suggestions, or comments. Just feel free to put that in the comments section. It’s going to help me improve my blog and the way I write too. Thanks in advance!
0 comments: