Philippine Call Center 101
by Paul Catiang

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) has rapidly become a source of employment for many over the past few years. More popularly known as call centers, BPO also extends to other outsourced services, such as medical transcription, payroll, accounting, and other operations that are not part of a company’s core functions.

I. Recruitment and Training

The average call center trainee undergoes several weeks of communication skills training, accent neutralization, and customer handling, followed by a probationary period where the trainee goes live, dealing directly with callers. Most call centers accept graduates from virtually any course, and some do not even require a degree; essentially, good communication skills and the ability to learn fast are all the necessary qualifications one needs.

Medical transcription training takes a little longer. People with medical and medical-related degrees, such as nursing, physical therapy, or even dentistry, undergo around three months’ training, while non-medical degree holders train for up to six months in medical terminology and transcription styles. Accounts and payroll operations generally require graduates of accounting courses and other business-related degrees.

While BPOs are less stringent in its hiring requirements, there are always those who do not have the necessary aptitudes to pass the training course, whether it be linguistic difficulties, a lack of communication confidence, or an inability to handle difficult customers.

II. Working Hours

It’s common knowledge that call center agents work at night. Given that the bulk of call center operations in the Philippines serves American callers, it goes without saying that their peak hours are during the American daytime. Call center employees are well versed in Western time zones as part of their training, and these are considered when determining their shift assignments. To accommodate all callers, however, most call centers operate on a 24-hour basis.

While most call centers are generally comfortable, fully air-conditioned and equipped with cable television, well-stocked pantries and even sleeping areas, the fact remains that most of the work is done at night. Shift rotations aside, call center work isn’t the ideal job for people who cannot cope with erratic sleep cycles.

III. Compensation

One of the main reasons people have been flocking to call centers is the pay: the average call-center agent is believed to receive more than rank-and-file employees in other profession. Team leaders and supervisors also get a proportionally higher pay, and given the high ratio of managers to agents, most agents are motivated to raise their performance level in hopes of a promotion.

IV. Economic Impact

On an individual level, call center salaries help in consumer spending and increase tax revenue from the average taxpayer. The impact is greater than that, however: real estate investments have become more attractive, following the success of Eastwood City, a cyberpark that houses a fourth of all the outsourcing companies in the Philippines. Naturally, all other industries go where the profits are. Fast-food chains near call centers have started operating on a 24-hour basis to accommodate their nocturnal employees. Residential places are also being built to house them.

Still, as promising as the call center industry is right now, economic studies have concluded that any significant profits it will yield can only be seen in the long term. Others still object to the Philippines’ reliance on foreign investments rather than local industries.

V. Cultural Impact

Culturally, the Philippines has few problems adapting to American culture, given the fact that English has recently been reinstated as the medium of instruction, and the prevalence of American television shows over local and cable channels. This cultural familiarity also helps relate to callers easily. English-language training centers also abound; where once they trained overseas contract workers, now call center training can be subcontracted with them. Moreover, training centers for other English-speaking cultures are also available to train call-center employees who serve the needs of other English-speaking cultures, like the British or the Australians.

Of course this raises eyebrows among the people who believe in the preservation and development of Filipino culture, which includes language, songs, and behavioral norms.

Working at a call center promises a lot of benefits, but it is no bed of roses; anyone who is considering working for one must take the above information into account and apply this knowledge with respect to their own needs and preferences.