Call Center Boy Enters the Operations Floor

Call Center Newbie in the Operations Floor

I must admit that being a newbie in the call center industry had an immediate impact in my life. I may even categorize my experience as a culture shock.

What a vast difference between the my previous work in the government and a job in the call center. In terms of pace of change, levels of expectations, performance evaluation and compensation and incentives, among other relevant parameters - my one month in the call center is roughly equivalent to about one year in the municipal government.

The first time I entered the operations floor, I looked for my supervisor then find a workstation I can use. You don't have any permanent workstation in the account where I was deployed.

Call Center Boy Gears

My loyal companions are my Plantronics headset, spill-proof mug, ID with access card and of course a good black jacket. Throw in a cap I bought from the mall too.

In my workstation, you will find a Hewlett-Packard PC installed and an Avaya phone set up. I heard the veteran agents call it the CallMaster.

I also memorized first of all the auxiliary buttons for personal break, 1-hour break called lunch in the call center lingo, 15-minute break, meeting, training and all the rest of the auxes. Never ever make the mistake of pressing the release button if your on a call or your fried. Got it?

CMS Watcher

And the CMS (Call Management System) watcher could be your friend or otherwise. Queueing time they would love to call you and say "GO ON AVAIL PLEASE" if your spending more than what is permitted for your ACW (after call work), which in our case is 30 seconds. Careful also with your AHT (average handling time). Let go of the customers if they are not qualified, okay? Ahh! What time is my break? Not yet. I need to go on a personal break then. I need a leak and get tea or coffee to drink.

Favorite Places

I found out that there are three places call center agents get to spend their time more than any other places, within their shift and other than their workstations. I may be wrong but these are my observations:

• The Smoking Area
• The Pantry
• The Rest Room

Once or twice every two months, you may be invited to attend a team meeting for issues that need to be addressed or for any updates from the client account of [the company].

Cold Feet

After the client-specifics training, call barging, nesting with live calls and all, the first time I walked in the operations floor, I still got cold feet initially. But adapt he did to the new environment this call center boy.

Call Center Boy Attends New Hires Orientation

New Hires Orientation and Sunset at Manila Bay

My job offer was the topic of the previous post. Here I will give a short description of the New Hires Orientation (NHO) I attended the first time in my life in the private sector and as a call center boy at that.

I was fortunate to be attending the NHO in the training room with a access to a view of the famed sunset over Manila Bay. What a way to start my day in my first job after 12 years working as a government employee.

I would say overall, my whole day was quite eventful but structured because I'm now employed again and working after nearly 4 months without job. My journal entry shows

"It's now 11:25 A.M. I've just submitted my B.I.R. Form No. 1902 to the officer of the day. I'm now waiting here sitting in the waiting area for the Bureau of Internal Revenue clients at the Atrium Building in Makati Avenue.

"By 12:55 noon, I've already logged-in for training at [the company].

"At 2:35 P.M., after the usual signing of the attendance sheet, our NHO begun. I met totally new friends today. Some were already employed in the call center before. But there were many first-timers as well. From here on it's standard company handbook matter."

Logged-out and Home

Our training wrapped up a few minutes after 10:00 P.M. I'm already home at about half-past midnight, grabbed some food, then slept.

Coming up: my first day in the call center operations floor.

Call Center Boy Gets a Job Offer

Job Offer from a Call Center in Ayala Makati

My previous post tells the time when I applied for a job in a call center. Three weeks later, I received a call from [the company] to report for a job offer. My journal entry dated 13 January 2006 reads:

"Good morning people. It's a great day today because I'll be going to [the company] for my job offer.

"But before I went for the job offer, I sent my daughter to school during the morning. They have a program there and she was wearing a nature-themed costume. They also have a parade.

"I'll just be waiting for the start of the parade and then I'll be off to Makati. The parade started at about 8:00 A.M. After waiting for the last of the group joining the parade, I left for Makati.

"It's now 9:00 A.M. I'm here at the bus terminal aboard a bus for Buendia LRT-Lawton route. It's already 10:30 A.M. when I arrived at Dela Rosa Street corner South Super Hi-Way Makati, the unloading point for provincial buses coming from the south of Metro Manila.

"It's now 12:00 noon and I'm in the Briefing Room for the job offer with other new hires as well. We're finished with the briefing by 12:30 noon and the job offer conference ended at about 1:10 P.M. after we have accepted the job offer, signed all the necessary documents and were given the list of requirements to be submitted for employment.

"We were given free medical examination by [the company]. I went straight to a medical clinic accredited by it's health management organization (HMO) in Alabang, Muntinlupa. By 5:30 P.M. today, my medical examination requirement was in the bag."

New Hires Orientation Next

The job offer and my medical examination finished, next post will be about my first day attending the New Hires Orientation.

This Boy Looks for a Call Center Job

call center somewhere in ayala makati

My journal entry dated 21 December 2005 excerpts:

" Then I went to my destination of applying for a job. By 2:00 p.m. I'm at the bus stop. By 4:50 p.m. I'm already at the call center somewhere in Ayala Makati.

" By 5:30 p.m. I'm finished with my online application form and the preliminary phone interview.

" -- Do I want full time job? Answer: yes

" -- Am I willing to go on shifting schedule? Answer: yes

" -- When could I start? Answer: tomorrow

" -- Then bring resume with 3 character references and valid I.D. cards."

applying for a call center job

This will be my first job in the private sector after over 12 years in the municipal government. I also wrote that "I will do my best and give my extra mile to excel in this job."

Basically, there are 5 steps for a walk-in applicant to apply in this call center company:

• Get priority number (Mine was 64)
• Go to the designated PC when your priority number is called
• Fill up online application form
• Wait for the preliminary phone interview
• Be back for the written examination the following day (December 22 at 9:30 a.m.)

full of blessings

Continuing with my journal entry of the same day:

" Now I'm thinking of how I will adjust my schedule when I'm already working in
the call center. I strongly feel that I am qualified and that I will be
hire tomorrow.

" If that's the case then God willing, before Christmas I will have made my goal a reality: to find a job before Christmas of 2005....

" Today I feel some power. Today I feel a certain joy. Today I feel so happy. Today I feel so accomplished. Today I am so full of blessings.

" God Almighty thank you for your blessings. I am humbled.

" I wonder how much will be my salary. God will provide. If they will ask I would say just give me what they think is fair. I want [ specific amount ]. I will do my best to have it."

looking back

Thus ended my journal entry for that day. Looking back I could still feel the excitement I felt that day. It is no different than the feeling of a new college graduate applying for a job the first time and with no previous work experience at all to speak of. This is me before I became a call center boy.

Make Money Online From Home

After shift, what? Call center jobs are now considered a boon to the Philippine economy. I've been in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry for over two years now doing inbound sales. I like the nickname "Call Center Boy" and used the term for several of my other blogs.

Home Business. Surfing the Internet to find ways to make money after shift and earn money from home has become my habit over these past few months. Traditional home business I found out doesn't fit my lifestyle. Who would mind the store when I'm out?

Ways to Make Money Online . Then in an instant the following ideas came to my attention one day. Electronic commerce or e-commerce, online store, online business, online payment systems, affiliate marketing, blogging, niche websites, referral programs, Adsense, PayPal and more.

Earn from your Blog or Website. Being open minded like I am, immediately I applied what I found out online. The easiest way is to earn income from your blog or website. You can create your website using Google Page Creator or like this blog with Blogger. These services are free. And you can place pay per click ads, referral banners, among other ways to earn money from your website. Let's see if this can make money online after shift from home.