Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Dining at Bigby's, Coffee at Bo's, Milkshake at EastWest and a stroll at Fort San Pedro...Whew!

BIGBY's







food is great at Bigby's. a bit expensive but well worth each cent i paid for. Sigrid and I went for a late lunch at Bigby's at SM after accompanying her for something I now entirely forget. it was good talking over baby-back ribs and cold bottomless iced-tea. Sigrid got a cake for herself and it looked so yummy would've bought one for myself if i wasn't full already. i should do more fine dining next time. too bad Sigrid had resigned already and went off a few days ago to New Zealand for vacation.


BO's COFFEE





branding itself as the soul of coffee, Jun and i went to Bo's to test his newly bought laptop. Why Bo's? well, surely it looks cool surfing the web with your laptop over a cup of coffee....hahaha...seriously, Bo's has free wi-fi and it's the first place we thought of (well, second after EastWest bombed our idea of surfing over milkshake). I didn't order anything. I thought the price of coffee is silly and besides i'm not really a coffee fan myself. i'm still waiting for that day i will go gaga over coffee. well, if i need some there's always free coffee at the office.. tsk tsk....

EastWest





before going to Bo's, Jun and I went to EastWest at the thought that the place was less crowded. Bo's was jampacked and noisy of all the chatter and bustle inside. it sure did look nice inside but we opted first to go to eastWest. we had ordered chocolate milkshake. to our disappointment, the shop had cut-off their wi-fi. i wanted to spit aout the milkshake and return it in full glass. the wi-fi connection was the main reason we were squatting there on their comfortable sofa. too bad. EastWest should get their wi-fi back. without it, a milkshake for 90 pesos just ain't worth it...


FORT SAN PEDRO







My dad came to Cebu recently and before he left we toured Fort San pedro. I've been atthe site but it was my first time to step inside. it was a nice stroll inside. i thought the place reeks of untold stories. maybe, we could do more to make the place extra interesting. ... i love history a lot so it made my day. after the tour, we went to the pier where the boat that would take my dad back to dapitan was docked. my father can't stand cebu. he said it's too hot. he looked at me with pity as if asking what the heck am i doing here. he implied it's not worth the trade - the fresh air, the comfortabel life, the slow days, the time with family, the job i left etc....he said, if i should grow tired, i could go home anytime. it felt good knowing that if things should go bad, i have my family waiting for me with their embrace...it had a different tug in my chest and for that instant i wanted to go home...sob sob

PERSONAL ENCOUNTERS: Call Center Booboos



ME: Thank You for calling $$$$$, my name is number may I have the mobile number you are calling about please?

(what number is my name again?)



ME: Don’t’t worry ma’am the box-office will be looking into the matter. Rest assured, we will come up with a resolution to this concern within 72 hrs.

CUSTOMER: What deparment is a box office?

ME: The back office ma'am. Did i say box office?



JUN: Hello? Hello ma’am? Are you still there? Hello? Hello ma’am?
****no one answering****
JUN: Hello? Hello? Is it me you’re looking? (To the tune of the Lionel Richie song)



CUSTOMER: Where are you from? (in a Hispanic accent)

ME: I am located in the Philippines, sir! Cebu to be exact?Have you been here Mr. ****?

CUST: I can’t believe it! I'm amazed. How u doin’ down there? I hear it’s sunny all year ‘round in your country.

ME: Yes sir, we do have the sun most of the year making our country a great place for vacation. We do have a lot of beaches here sir. You might want to google and see them for yourself.

CUSTOMER: Bitches? Hmmmmm....

ME: Yes sir, like Boracay, Palawan? Heard of them? Beautiful, pristine beaches we have here in the Philippines sir.

CUSTOMER: Will definitely google it. Thank you for the tip papo!

Monday, April 14, 2008

Breaking the Myth

So this is the point when I finally felt tired. Just tired.

I still get surprised how fast people come and go in and out of call centers. In our wave alone, we started out twenty. In a span of 8 months, 12 have left and another two are on their way to leave by month end. So that would leave 6 of us remaining . Of the six, God knows who are secretly scheming to get that perfect timing to just vanish and that near-believable reason to put in that resignation letter.

So why do call center agents leave so fast? The pay is considerable. The workplace is so damn cold. They throw helluva parties every now and then . Food is served every now and then for free. Coffe is free. Movie tickets, disposable items or whatcahmacallit, and more perks come free-flowing. You get to pay a 60T-hospital bill for 500 pesos with your med insurance. Your team get funds for summer outings and you get to speak English with that mimicked American accent. So, the big question is, why leave?


The question have been haunting call centers for years. In fact, an article I read somewhere stated that the hight attrition rate is one of the foremost problems that plague the industry. Why? For one, the call center is just filler. A filler for nurses awaiting to take the NCLEX and those awaiting for the results of board exams they took. When they pass, they evaporate with happy smiles like leaving a place of misery.

If we are to change how the people inside call centers collectively perceive their work to be, I believe call centers, before anything else, have to break the myth that the jobs they offer is disposable. The belief is entirely false but it’s what most who share the profession, especially fresh grads, embed in their consciousness. I strongly think the job is stable. The work may be just all talk but it’s not too different from any customer service job. It’s not too different from my work at a bank before. I still do the same task –answering inquiries, getting things done for the customers, wrapping up a transaction, educating them of their accounts, providing information about products etc. The only difference is that aside from talking in a fake accent I imagine their faces – Americans cursing and screaming when they get upset. Nevertheless, it is a real job. A profession. In fact I am amzed by the academic backgrounds of many whom I had the chance to meet at my workplace. It's sad how underemployment have gone worse - engineers, nurses, accountants, teachers, bankers, businessmen donning headphones instead of practicing their craft.



The problem is that not enough is done to change the mindset of those who have the job. One can easily drift from one call center to the other. A year or two is too long for most that I can't help but notice though that the ones who stay the longest are those who have previous job experiences, except if you are a supervisor already who is cashing in the big bucks. I could deduce from such observation that the call center is not a good learning place for work ethics. The ones who had previous non-call center job experiences are most likely to have better working habits. They show more professionalism and are more serious doing their tasks. Many of those whose experiences are limited to call centers, I noticed, are less caring about their jobs. I would like to stress, not all but many. Lates, absences and other basic employment no-no's are not uncommon. During my probationary period in my previous job, I was never absent the whole time I was I probation. I was made to believe my job is serious, something noble and decent many would die for. I acted professional in handling my job because the people around me acted professionals and I was reminded everytime I walk in the office that I am one. I lived up to it and diligently and went to work on time. I was never absent for silly reasons like not able to wake up on time. It was always a consideration that my load will be passed on to my workmates when I don’t report to work. The job was more stressful than the callcenter job but it taught me so much about working habits. I am not saying call centers suck in work ethics. Apparrently though, people in it fare way below than other jobs. Looking around, it amazes me how call center agents can afford to be absent 3 months on probation for reasons that couldn’t pass for an emergency. It may be tough but the mind must be shaped to think this is not just a lip-service job – you dress for it, be serious about it and get paid for it like any other normal job. In short, it is a feasible livelihood. I have not heard of that being said yet.

There are times when I wish call centers could overhaul itself altogether and begin a paradigm shift. Certainly, it’s a comfortable place for unsettled professionals awaiting for their lucky strike somewhere else like me. Somewhere they can find peace of mind. Yeah, maybe that’s what call centers failed to realize, they have not tried to brand themselves as a place where with the sums of money they invest on their agents, they are also providing a stable job. Mind you, a stable job is something near having peace of mind in a time when a kilo of rice is nearing the peso value of the greenback. Instead, the industry fuel the flaming myth – call center jobs are disposable. There’s got to be something wrong. I can name more but it will be long. …

Just spilling out thoughts. I hate the thought of leaving. Or maybe I'm just tired.