Moving from India to the Philippines: Asian Call Center

Our company was one of the first of those who first ventured into the call center industry. At first we set up one of the first call centers in India way back in 1997. Indian call centers were very busy. I did however never get used to the bad smell. It was everywhere, the body odor was overpowering. And the streets also smelled because they had a lot of cows and animals using the streets. Then our company noticed a change in the scene. Several large companies were closing down their Indian operations and were moving to the Philippines. Then all major companies started moving half or more than half of their operations to the Philippines for some reason.

This exodus was followed by our company. We then set up our own contact center operations in the newest fastest growing Asian call center location in the business. The Philippines was a very good choice. For one thing, the horrible body odor-like smell that permeated the whole of India including its cuisine was gone. In fact it’s quite the opposite. Filipinos it seems love to take baths. They take two baths a day in fact. And everyone was very courteous and friendly as opposed to India where you can’t walk in the streets without getting pissed of at some rude passerby giving you the look. It is a cultural thing. Filipinos are known internationally for their warmth and hospitality. I definitely prefer setting up shop there. Eventually we erected two buildings in a couple of the business parks in Manila.

The best part in having a contact center in the Philippines is that the agents were all so easy to train. They teach English there from kindergarten to college. No Filipino graduates without having an intimate knowledge of the English language. This is the edge of the country. Also, they have such a close cultural affinity with the U.S.

Philippine Call Center - English Only Policy

Working in the call center in the Philippines is extraordinary because of their strict English only policy replicated in the entire working force of the company. The company imposed this policy to further enhance the English communication skill of their people.

Call center agents are required to speak the international language while inside the premises of the company. The employees are prohibited to speak their native dialect especially if they're on call and staying inside the company. The English only policy is created not to demerit the Philippines national language. The call center workers should understand that they are working in a highly regulated management in response to the high demand in the booming business process outsourcing industry. Any agent who caught speaking in Tagalog is subject for verbal and written warning. The English only policy is often misunderstood in per say that it is a violation.

Call center employees are trained efficiently in handling their customers. The policy will give them adept understanding in applying the American culture in a unique working environment. Whether you like it or not, the agents are willfully advised to speak English all the time because speaking English does not mean replacing or degrading your native language. The success of the company also depends on how effective the agents in handling customers support inquiries. Oftentimes, the customers are complaining because of the language barrier and the accent of the agents. If the agent failed to satisfy their customers, this might affect the reputation of the company. American consumers like to criticize the quality and the productivity of the products, which also include criticizing the customer support service of the company. If the support center isn't effective, the output of the customers' satisfaction is also a failure.

If you try to analyze, the source of the problem is due to the very simple language barrier which was not given immediate solution. This will not happen if the agents were trained properly of what's the product information. Product knowledge will serve as guidance and window of opportunity to allow the agents to help their valued customers all the time. Accurate details and advises are needed by the clients to help them understand before and after buying the products. Making the customers happy is an achievement not only by the agents but also with the company.

Undoubtedly, Filipino customer service has strong communication skills because of their culture and recognizing English as one of their primary language. There customers will understand them better because of their capability to blend with the American way. The success of the call center industry in the Philippines is attributed with the magnificent workers. Filipino customer service representatives are trained to be efficient in understanding their customers. The English only policy is very helpful in improving their accent, their intonation, and speaking like in an American music. No wonder that any call center in the Philippines is improving and gives outstanding service with their clients worldwide. Potential locators who want to invest in the Philippines continue to believe that there's future on their business if they partnered with the Filipinos. Meanwhile, any school institutions in the Philippines implement the English policy in order to boost the international language and help the students overcome problem in communicating with their friends in English. This is inline with the success of the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry in the world today, which fuel the country's economy.

To date, you notice how really good are these people from communicating in English because of their training background and their school institution they came from. In the next following years, the outsourcing industry will provide millions of job to every Filipino eliminating poverty and other economic crisis.