If I’m planning to stay in this industry I’m wondering “where will the call center industry be in the long-run?”
July 14, 2006
The Calling
I was researching online about call centers and I stumbled upon this http://www.yugatech.com/blog/?p=829. I did not hesitate to leave my comment and give my insight on the call center industry. I know that I still know very little and still have much to learn, but it would help by telling people how it really happens inside the corners of the offices. I’m glad there are sites like these that discuss parts of the call center industry. I really want to know more.
Here’s my take on the topic of the writer who asked why none of those he referred to a call center ever made it (it might mean that nobody got accepted or nobody made it to finishing the training):
I think the reason as to why “many are called but few are qualified” lies in the underestimation of many people in the call center industry. I applied for three call centers in Ortigas and Makati. I was accepted in two, but failed the exam in the third company. I noticed in all three that during the initial interview, the companies immediately eliminate applicants who: lack communication skills, who are not able to communicate their thoughts effectively in the English language, do not have concern for the company (you’ll be hearing answers to “why did you join our company?” like “because I want to learn how to speak good English,” “I have nothing to do during my free time,” “the pay is good,” “my friend referred me to this company,” etc.), cannot contribute to a customer-service-oriented industry, do not have the patience and determination to work in the industry, are just in it for the pay and experience. On an average, I noticed that only two out of about 8 pass the initial screening/interview. The examination is also another level of understanding for the applicants. Even those who are well-versed in English fail because it is a test of analysis, comprehension, customer and company concern, as well as a test in ethics. In some companies there are more than one exam so the more exams the slimmer the chance of getting in. On an average, only half of those who passed the initial interview pass the exam/s. So that leaves only a small percentage of applicants to actually qualify for the final interview and even more for the job offer. Call centers do not only accept persons who speak in “straight English,” they are also looking for intelligent individuals who are patient and have substance and personality. But then again when you try going to a call center on a normal day you’ll see the long lines of applicants waiting outside the offices just to find out that “he or she isn’t what the company is looking for.”
Have a good day.
Multiple Frowns Upon the Call Center Industry
Do people who bash call centers actually know how difficult it is to get accepted in a call center company?
It’s very sad that a lot of people look down on the call center industry. Why? I don’t see anything wrong with working in a call center. After all, it’s a decent job. You don’t hurt anyone or step down on anyone. But there are still persons who continuously bash call center agents. Is it because they think that the job (where the agents deal with irate callers and clients or the the agents answer technical questions from foreign callers) seems degrading? I don’t really see anything degrading about the job in a call center. It’s actually something to be proud of. Customer service is not an easy job and dealing with customers and clients with technical (etc) problems require mature persons.
There seems to be a lot of discrimination for the industry. We (because I have already been hired by a call center company) seem to be a frowned-upon minority group. Just because it requires persons who have good communication skills, good grasp of the English (or other foreign languages such as Mandarin and Spanish), good comprehension, and patience to deal with irate calls doesn’t mean it doesn’t require values and intelligence. In fact, the initial screening in call center companies require that you are intelligent and a fast-learner. I guess if you haven’t tried applying or working for a call center or if you never even bother to research on how difficult it is to lead a call center agent’s life you’ll never really know. It just seems unfair for those in the call center industry (unless you own a call center, then you’re probably big-time) to be frowned upon for choosing the industry. It also shows narrow-mindedness and immaturity. Consider this, call center jobs are given high salaries not just because of the work (whether inbound or outbound or technical); Call centers also consider the night shift, it’s health risks and consequences, the safety of the agents, as well as how the night shift changes the body clock of the persons and how the agents only get to frequently lead their normal life because they can rarely socialize with their circle who work during the day time.
Anyway, that’s just my two cents for now. I’ll give more updates when I start working already.
