The Call Center Industry:
The Next Frontier for Female Executives
By Vina Sy-Santos

Nothing is more fascinating than a woman who makes a difference. History has brought about an interesting number of female leaders, and the opportunity to develop and recruit them has always been a challenge for search firms like John Clements. The rise of the call center industry in the Philippines has brought about the need for women who are dynamic, process-oriented, results-oriented, charismatic, yet customer-oriented.

The Women of AmCham, a group of female executives of American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines member companies, get together to share business ideas, management techniques, and experiences. They would also like to foster awareness of Women Issues, Development (educational programs) and Empowerment (cultural activities, leadership concepts, networking). Last June 4, 2007, they invited Terry Vannoy, Human Resources Director of Dell International Services, to give a talk regarding Opportunities for Women In the Call Center Industry.

Ms. Vannoy talked about the results of the Dell Global Research Study in 2005 (Harris Interactive). This was a survey, which included women leaders in thirty-five countries. Three items were of special significance:

• Only one-third of respondents believe that there is equal opportunity in the workplace
• Basic global challenges for attraction, retention and advancement of women are relatively consistent across the globe
• The top five resources companies can use to help women advance and stay in the workplace are consistent across the globe:

1. Supportive managers 
2. Support networks outside work to meet personal obligations
3. Flexible hours, part time, and job sharing options
4. A commitment to diversity and culture
5. Access to challenging assignments 

Ms. Vannoy also mentioned that the support network in the Philippines is very strong. She added that people who network well are usually advanced in their career.

Among the questions women can ask when they are considering employers are:

• Is this company living their values?
• How open and flexible is the environment?
• Can I achieve work/life balance?
• How challenging and significant are the opportunities and rewards?
• How will my performance be measured?
• What resources are available so I can continue to develop my knowledge and skills?
• How is technology being used?
• How employee-oriented is the work environment?

According to Ms. Vannoy, the rewards of working in the call center are the opportunity to join the fastest-growing global industry, to stretch and strengthen entrepreneurial and leadership skills (speed, thinking out of the box, and leading large, complex organizations).

The call center industry is one that draws talented women of all ages. To date this is responsible for hiring those who are beyond “a certain age,” with disabilities, and have been unable to graduate from degree programs due to financial or other reasons.  And the key to its success lies in the caring hands of the female executive. The same person who rises early to prepare the needs of her family, making sure that each person is attended to before she goes to work. She is the one who ensures that metrics are met, that the team is engaged and focused, and that the clients are delighted.

In the global war for female leadership talent, the Philippines is the next frontier.