FUNNY VIDEO!

PLEASE WATCH THIS AND HIT LIKE IN YOUTUBE!

Since 2007...

by: Silver

When I graduated from College being a call center agent was never the path that I imagined. I was still in the seminary when me and a classmate was able to get our hands on a classified ad from a Sunday newspaper. We saw the jobs that were available for us. Unfortunately for us no one was looking for a Philosophy graduate. I got scared considering that our graduation was a couple of months away from that time. It seemed that the only option after the College Seminary was Theology and later become a priest. It seemed but somehow I was able to manage to go out of this path.

I was able to land a job. My first was with a British owned company dealing with insurance liabilities of ship owners to its Filipino seafarers. The job was exciting. However, considering the salary and the average age of the veteran employees I got discouraged. I could not imagine myself stuck at the four walls of Pandiman and listen to seamen from all over the Philippines deal with their illnesses, injuries and sometimes death. It seemed all too boring for me with a low pay. I was ready to steam out of that company on my sixth month. I did and I am glad.


I dreamed big. I entered the call center industry. I was a customer service representative for Amazon.com. It was December. So the whole production floor was hyped up with an enormous volume of call that. Our fourteen days of training was cut to seven. We we're suppose to discuss how to resolve fradulent account on the eight day. And guess what, my first call was a customer who's account was tagged as fraud. So imagine me freaking out because I can't open the customer's account. Basically, I didn't know what to do or worst how to resolve her concern. But there's always that Sup call. I learned to love. Transfer the call and then everything is fine (for me at least).

2007 to 2013, the journey was long but looking at it I would gasp for air. In this span of time I lost two women. One, my mother the other my grandmother's sister who has always been very generous to me. I've been to six jobs. I met a lot of people and learned lessons in a very hard manner and sometimes painful.


I am now an Operations Manager of a call center. Finally, I was able to stay in a job. It was a step up that I dreamed of. I love leading a group of people, it's  challenging. A challenge that I did not back out. I'm here now. I will always be thankful to the owners of this company who trusted me and took care of me. This center has become my home (don't ask me why). On this six year period I lost two women and found one. Though she's far I can feel her presence with me. All the more reason for me to be thankful.


So what's the deal? Why am I writing? It has been six years of suffering and few mishaps. This year it's different. I definitely know that there will be problems but it's good to know that you have a fan out there who will always say "you can do it" and "I'm proud of you!"

What a year!

Halloween 2012: A night of FUN with eBusiness BPO Inc

by: Silver Cepeda

Nov 02, 2012  at 10:00 PM (Cebu Time) I entered the office. The atmosphere was different. Agents are vigilant to the people entering the doors of the company. They were checking out the costumes of their colleagues. The comfort rooms are filled with them preparing for the event. For a moment there, I thought I was in the dressing room of a Las Vegas show that was about to run. Well, it was I think in par! The traditional Halloween run for eBusiness BPO came to life at 10:30 PM as agents on their dress up mode entered the company's doors with funny, cool, hip and scary costumes.  The company's aisle became a catwalk for its agents to walk and present their creativity. Yes, it has been the tradition of the company to have this celebration imitating the culture of our American costumers. However, at exactly eleven as laughter boils up to its momentum, we have to stop for awhile. It was time to work and dial in to answer our costumers. 

Nov 03, 2012 at 8:00 AM (Cebu Time), Agents logged out of their phones and revved up for the main event - the costume contest. The company also opened its doors to the children, nephews, nieces, etc. of the agents. It was show time. Kids on costumes. Agents on costumes and even the management with its Team leaders and Managers. This is what you call cooperation. The children went around the Team Leader , Manager and Owner's station asking for treat. I think it was an experience that they can't forget as they fill up their loot bag with candies. I never had such an experience when I was child. So, I think the company's little guests must have enjoyed receiving a dosage of sweets that would last for a week. It was a fun filled event that made one say...

"ITS MORE FUN IN EBUSINESS BPO,INC."

Marlon Llagas

CEBU Call Center Shows HER FILIPINO Origins

http://www.ebusinessbpo.com/About-Us.aspx

EBusiness BPO Inc. is a Filipino Call Center. Last August 17, 2012 - the company showed her desire to look back and live out for one night her Filipino origins. The whole center began her journey three years ago with seven agents. EBusiness BPO Inc. at that time she started out with accounts like Lead Generation, Taxi dispatch, etc . She was small. However, now she becomes a mid-size center that has three hundred plus active seats. A growth that made a mark in the industry of Outsourcing in Asia.

The center's dress up day last August 17, was a night filled with laughter and fun. Agents and the management enjoyed the event as they both live out the Filipino spirit. The men wore the famed barong normally used for weddings as one Team Lead would put it. Some agents put on National costumes seen during the Sinulog Festival. It was a moment that warmed the hearts of the people working their as they all step up to showcase being a Pinoy.

Kudos to eBusiness BPO for a job well done! May she continue to show her pride in her Filipino origin as she grows to be one of the best BPO company in the Philippines.

EBusiness BPO: Agents goes TEAM BUILDING

March 3, 2012 at 8:45am. Some of my agents were roaming around the production floor. It was as if they are waiting for a child to be born. Excitement and the boredom of waiting causes tension. I can feel it. People who were still taking calls were pressured. The rest of the team are waiting for them. An agent was announcing every minute that passed by. I was jumpy already. Our GL, was going through the calls as fast as he can but as detailed as possible. He wished, he was not doing the Q.A. for the calls that day. It was a dreadful fifteen minutes. We cannot do anything. We have to wait until nine in the morning.

I handle up to forty people. Our Team is called the Individual accounts. These are accounts with three to five agents assembled to a macro team of forty agents. I am the Supervisor, tasked to maintain, organize, discipline and make this multi-LOB productive. Nine in the morning was our departure time. Eight fifty nine, sixty seconds before we logged out. Everyone was on their toes - I was!

Team Buildings, have been a traditional yearly or biyearly events for call center agents and their respective teams. A time to bond. A time to travel as a group and get to know each other apart from the daily routine of taking calls/work. An event wherein agents and the supervisor walk on the same level. An event to open doors leading to better communication and understanding.

Twelve noon - March 3, 2012. Our team arrived at Hidden valley in Pinamungahan Cebu. We reached the place after an hour an a half on the road. Preparation for the departure took a bit longer. The reason? Ninety percent of my agents are female. Figure it out!

The place is called Hidden Valley. Well, you really have to have that intention to go there because it is hidden. Let's just say the road going there is not that admirable. It is a country side. However, once you reach the resort every inconvenience would melt away. The staff is very friendly (especially the front desk staff Ate Nin). The place being on top of the mountain gives you an unlimited view of green scenery. The air is so fresh. It is so amazing. I did not have to wait for instruction nor a guide. I immediately went to the pool and tried the water. Guess what? It's spring water - fresh and very cold. Ahhh... Heaven! At night you can only hear the sound of nature. The nasty sound of the city cannot reach this place. You would really feel privacy within the bosom of Mother Nature herself.

So enough with the place and start with the results. The activity   indeed gave the team a time to talk. An open forum was held at night wherein everybody was asked to expressed their opinion about the team. I gave the people that I was handling an opportunity to tell me who I am to them. I learned about my strong points and weak points. Also, the event gave me the time to talk to them about company expectations and demands that are necessary for the team to move forward and be more productive. Things like over breaks were given a degree of attention that agents realized they need to commit themselves in preventing it. We ended up the three hour forum with promises to fulfill our own tasks so that the team would move and grow.

The event only lasted for twenty four hours. But the bond that the team has became better. We can now in a way understand each other. As their supervisor, I learned things that I will carry throughout my career. I am proud that I have my team. Thank you E-Business for sponsoring such an event.

if you want to see the place: Note these are not my shots

http://cebuphotolog.blogspot.com/2010/04/hidden-valley-mountain-resort-at-lamac.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/42700163@N03/3935781900/

prices:

http://lamacmpc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=46

Disclosure: the author has not been paid to endorse nor to promote the resort and the cooperative that handles it

Better English in Call Centers: The Gospel According to BO - a Solution!

picture source: http://virtualassistantsphilippines.com/

Let us start the year with something that is common yet so vital. Something that affects our life in the BPO world or the call center. I am talking about the mastery of the English Language. We know very well that someone who is well versed, has doors opened up for him or her. The language is the bridge for the customer and that person who is using the head set. The mantra that makes everything fall into the right pieces - the English Language. 

Being able to speak the language is like having common sense. It is a required skill for someone aspiring to join the illustrous world of call center agents. For an employer it is a necessity that must be imposed for all employee under the company. Fluent speakers are of hign demand especially those who can understand and speak the American accent. This factor is so vital that BPO companies would spend millions to train agents. Train them to reach a certain level wherein customer can tolerate the Filipino influence on acccent and language mannerism. However, this would still pose as a problem. At the end of the day amidst the month long language and culture training, the result is futile or it is not what was expected.

I once heard our Directress of Operations said, "Filipinos are flexible. You train them and they will learn or adapt to it." Yes we can and we have this character. We can easily change. But with the influence of the Filipino mass media changing and adapting to what is needed for your job is something that poses as a challenge. Imagine, as the trainer you are with them for an eight hour session. Then, they go home, sit down and watch the television with either Tagalog or Bisaya as the main course. At home they or we communicate with our loved ones in our own language. So the training, is deemed futile from the start or right after you just finished one. So change or being able to adapt is at minimal level. The environment itself crushes your training module.

So, solutions?

Have you heard of the gospel according to "Bo"? I am not referring to "Bo Sanchez" the famous preacher. I'm talking about BO, the Language and Communication Manager (I hope I got it right) of Convergys Cebu. I have been to many call centers, including the one that I am in right now.No one so far offered a concrete solution that is tangible and simple. He capsulized it with "the gospel according to BO".

I have to admit. If you see the man, for the first time you would feel his "aura" of authority. Well, he needs not to be introduced as the Manager. And if he is reading this write up, I would apologize because I don't know his real name. I know him as Bo. Later I realized that the reason why there is a sense of greatness around him because of his confidence. Confidence because he practices an inner discipline that enables him to be good in what he proclaims. And here is the gospel...

The gospel according to Bo, Chapter 1 Verse 1: "Be Selfish" Think of yourself! This might be so different with the Catholic Bible or gospel. From what I understand he meant for us not to think of others when you speak English. It is given that when you are on the production floor and would follow the EOP (English Only Policy) rule people around you, would glare. Thus, the person who wants to practice the language would either be concious or would wither away. The ridicule and criticism of the people around would discourage anyone. Thus, learning and practice is stifled. If you are a call center agent you would understand what I'm saying or what Bo wants to say. No matter how the center implements the EOP rule, people on the floor would still speak in their dialect. Bo continues with, "no matter how they try to let you speak in your dialect, respond in English. The best way to learn the language is the practice it! Next, thing is to avoid watching local movies or TV program. It makes your listening suffer. They key is not only to talk but to get used to listening to them (Americans)". So indeed, practice makes Perfect!

The thing that I love about the gospel's principle is that it is simple. Simply, DO NOT consider what other's might say. The most important thing is that the individual should practice regardless of the circumstance. We know very well that to be better in English is to always practice. I have followed Bo's Gospel and can proudly say that I am good at this language. Good enough, that doors opened up for me.

I was an agent of Convergys - Sprint Wave 236! 

Shan Cruz Rivera: His Action not OUR Responsibility!

picture source: http://beyond-the-norms.org

If you type the name Shan Cruz Rivera in any search engine, the name auto completes! Right then and there you will be routed to websites such as YouTube, AllVoices, etc. The man became an instant star overnight. The first time I saw his picture was on my Facebook's home page. There was someone asking everyone to track him down. There was this brand of being a SHAME for all call center agents in the Philippines. I have to admit that it did not immediately catch my attention, at that time! I let it pass until now. Obviously when I checked YouTube's hits numbering to 9, 154 I can say that it did lit some spark or even a flame since its upload last December 18. Now I discovered that there is even a Facebook Fan Page. Well, it starts with the word hate, etc!

Let me give some insights and comments about all of this. This has become a serious matter since the headline in AllVoices says that the man could endanger the BPO industry in the country. I mean, come on! Let us not conclude and reach that point of discussion. Please consider this, Wikipedia reports that in 2006 there were 160, 000 people that were employed by BPO or call centers companies here in the country. So the talk about an action done by one man affecting the whole industry is something that is shocking. I think the manpower involved here is close to a million. Shan Rivera is a drop of water in the ocean. What I am trying to say here is, he is only one and does not reflect all call center agent!

WNS is obviously the company that he works for based on his ID sling. The company is locally headquartered in Citibank center, Makati Philippines. It has 350,000 employees. That is the information that I got from a website. The center is clearly big. Well, however big they are right now. They have a thorn that's pricking them - Shan Rivera. If anyone in WNS is reading this please correct me if I have some wrong information. But the guy is wearing your ID sling and obviously he was on the production floor when he was filming his glorious moment. The first thing that did not look well was Shan's cellphone. I think that's what he used. I have been with a lot of call centers and it is always the POLICY for people not to bring a cellphone on the production floor. I mean, who knows what they will do with the information. Now, we know what happens! It gets uploaded in YouTube. If security was tight or if WNS had this policy then there no way that people like Shan could've filmed the whole fiasco. So what happened WNS? Do you have such policies of no cellphones on the production floor? If you do have and this person eluded you then you certainly have a problem. I suggest you contact our company and hire our security guard. Man, they are tight! I can't even bring my phone inside even if I am a supervisor!

To call center agents like me. Stop the witch hunt! Shan Rivera is one of us. And like us he has great ideas like filming his call. You must admit that you dreamed of such thing to happen. To videotape a conversation between you and you customer so that you can share the humor. But thankfully you did not! Because you or WE are all professionals. Let us maintain that perception! Filipino call center agents are professionals. I know I am. Shan Rivera's incident is an isolated matter. Or would I say, let us isolate it 

Call centers in the Philippines are doing their best to protect their clients. This event does not reflect the attitude nor the culture of a Filipino call center agent. As far as I am concerned we are hardworking people. This incident as I said, is very isolated. I don't blame anyone not even WNS. But they must keep their security tight. If they think its tight then tighter! The industry has fed a lot of families including mine. It has made the country's economy flourished. Realizing the role of it then, WE MUST ALWAYS BE PROFESSIONAL. 


here is the link if you want to see the video


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnX2pY67Izo