Career Overview

The IT outsourcing business is perhaps the brightest spots on the employment horizon today. And of all the activities being outsourced to the Philippines, including medical transcription and software development, none looks more promising than the call center service. Call centers, or contact centers, are communications- based service centers used by large companies to handle anything from customer complaints and inquiries to providing technical support. They offer a range of services that include five online chat, e-mail management, customer intelligence procurement and analysis, e-customer relationship management, interactive self-help, customer care service as well as voice communications.

These centers gained attention of businesses after major foreign companies started to establishing call centers in the Philippines to handle voluminous customer-related transactions. The outsourcing move is one way  conglomerates in developed countries, such as the United States, cut down on the operational costs- by sub-contracting peripheral services to allow them to function as tighter units and focus on their core competencies.

What makes official extremely optimistic is the potential of call centers to bail the country out of its present troubles and reduce the unemployment rate. With the Filipinos' proficiency in English, warmth and customer orientation, as well as the ability to learn skills fast, the Philippines has a huge opportunity to capture a significant market share of the global multibillion-dollar call center industry.

Jog categories

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Customer service representatives are also known as call center agents, customer service associates, call center associates or customer care specialists. They compromise a large bulk of openings at call centers. Their main task is to field calls from local and foreign customers, handle complaints and inquiries as well as provide general information on products and services.

Customer service supervisors and managers come with such other titles as customer care supervisors and managers, call center supervisors and managers, team leaders, and shift supervisors and managers. They oversee and direct the work of customer representatives, ensuring the overall productivity and efficiency of their teams.

OPERATIONS

Operations managers manage the operations of large customer service or telemarketing teams to improve service processes.

Responsibilities

• Supervise team leaders and raise the team's performance in terms of service, productivity and quality levels.
• Work with team management ( team managers and supervisors ) to determine factors behind service failure, and develop and implement action plans addressing these
• Evaluate internal service processes and systems, and develop strategies to continuously improve service delivery.
• Provide leadership, guidance and support to create a positive and productive work atmosphere.

TRAINING

Training officers prepare call center agents to perform their function well. They hold training sessions on English language proficiency, proper speech and diction, call center technology, skills management and problem-solving techniques, customer service, and American culture and geography.

OTHER CAREERS

IT and technical support staff

• System programmers
• System analysts
• Computer technician
• Engineers (network, electrical, structural, test, etc.)
• Applications developers
• IT helpdesk officers

Administration and management service

• HR officers
• Accounting specialists
• General transcriptionists
• Secretariats and admin assistants
• Bookkeepers and general clerks

Entry Requirements

Customer service representatives:

Graduate of any four-year course, excellent oral and written English communications skills; at least one year experience in customer service with US customers or in a customer-oriented job an advantage; computer literate with typing speed of at least 25 words per minute; willing to work in shifts, particularly night shift.

Customer service heads: Preferably with degree in business, communication or psychology; one to two years of supervisory/management experience preferably in call center; excellent problem solving, organization and time management skills; flexible and able to move with change while managing a high-caliber workforce; excellent coach, mentor and role model; willing to work shifts, weekends and holidays.

Operations managers: Three to five years operations management experience in a call center environment; client or account management experience; contact center and service expert; familiar with technology and data processing