Call Center in the Philippines

Being a call center agent in the Philippines is not an easy task. Thousands of nightbirds flock the after dark, while the rest of us lay on our beds during "normal" bedtime hours.

Towards the end of the 1990's, the call center industry's globalization reached Philippine shores and became an instant hit among job seekers. With its better-than-average pay, attractive meal and transportation allowances, extensive health and insurance benefits- to many, it's the next best thing to working overseas.

So how is it really like to be a call center agent/representative in the Philippines? A large majority of those who have ventured in the industry have a unanimous response: the job is STRESSFUL.

Since many companies are U.S. based, the time disparity alone would be a telling factor. Although different offices have different shifts or schedules, a large portion will have to deal with graveyard shifts. If you have not experienced it, imagine working from 11pm to 8am. Some are required to do overtime (usually an hour or more) and must follow adherence. Otherwise it is a violation of company policies (if not unethical) not to adhere and sanctions may be implemented. I will never forget what a friend once told me: "I was taught to sleep on time for the most part of my life. Now I'll have to unlearn it and try to keep my eyes open the whole time while I work."

Agents are assessed based on performance. The basic and common metrics are Average Handling Time (AHT), Quality Assessment (QA), and Attendance (adherence).

AHT and QA:
Let's summarize how the target AHT and QA must be achieved altogether. Let's say an account requires an AHT of 5 minutes and an average QA of at least 90%. While some calls may last
a minute, others may last for about an hour or so. In theory, the sum of all the minutes divided by the number of calls taken multiplied by 60 seconds is the AHT. The question is how can an agent achieve an average of 5 minutes per phone call if phone calls tend to get lengthy? And how can a conversation be cut short while the rep makes certain all things are done as per company guidelines (QA)? In short, a quick call must coincide with a quality call to perform well. Select call centers do have Customer Satisfaction Surveys (CSAT) as well which would add to the AHT/QA equation. CSAT makes it a little bit more difficult as it is subjective and based on the customer's impression on how a call is handled.

Attendance or adherence:
Adherence is not as simple as showing up at the office. I've learned how precious every second is in the call center setting. Usually, there are two 15 minute breaks, and an hour of lunch break. The mini breaks are often used as a breather. With all the pressure, who wouldn't want a quick snack or coffee, a time to smoke, or perhaps a time to walk and talk with colleagues and vent out frustrations? Smokers manage to go from any building floor to the smoking premises, which is commonly the ground floor. One stick of cigarette, go back up, make sure you auto-in on or before the fifteen minute break is over. A timer is helpful to avoid going over break. I know a very good company where personal or bathroom breaks is limited to 4 minutes a day. A rep has to learn how to wisely manage adherence. Time is money in the call center business.

Multitasking:
Agents must also learn how to multitask. A mortgage account for instance generally requires one to document the conversation, run balance calculations, check imaged documents, send emails to
initiate/follow up requests, all that and more while engaged in a phone call.


The agent's ability to multitask is a crucial component.
Image by brettneilson


The Wee hours:
Call center reps love the fact that there is not much traffic on the way to work. However, it may not always be the case. After shift, some do get off at around 8am onwards. Traffic jams caused by day timers give the nightbirds a real headache especially the commuters who work far from home. The sun only adds to the discomfort and those sensitive to it find a pair of sunglasses very useful. Coming off a weekend is also a challenge. Some are tempted to sleep at night and will need to reconfigure their body clock when the weekday starts. I don't know how many of you spend Monday mornings. Everyone is asleep, the malls are closed, there is nothing much to do and not much place to go to. But when everyone wakes up, a call center agent knows it's time to sleep and be ready for the night.

Money:
The sweet reward of a payday is a marked calendar event. Agents reward themselves of a job well done by going to the movies, buying stuffs, dining out, and the likes. Of course there are bills to pay as well. Wallets quickly dry out as a lot of reps wait for the next big check just a day or two after the payday.

At first, being a call center rep sounds easy but for the most part, it really proves to be a demanding job. The job itself is a constant test of skill and patience. The call center industry expects consistency and performance nothing short of outstanding. Call center agents deserve a big applause.