The Philippines’ BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) market is booming.
Many recent graduates seek out call center positions due to the excellent benefits and competitive starting pay. Some professionals make it their second career, switching from one.
Working as a call center agent is not easy, even though it may seem more financially lucrative than other entry-level positions. Every customer service position is challenging and calls for a lot of patience, and the work hours are constantly subject to change.
Are you thinking about working at a call center? See what it takes to become one by reading this guide.
There are a few things you should be aware of and consider before beginning your new career as a Philippines call center agent.
1. Wages
The location of the business, the account you’ll be working on, and how challenging the job is all factors that affect the typical compensation.
Compared to work in the provinces and the Greater Manila Area, call center positions in Manila often pay more.
Without prior experience, call center agents for organizations based in Manila begin earning $22,500 per month. On the other hand, all call center agents make an average income of $26,500, including those with experience.
2. Various Call Center Representatives
Call center representatives come in two varieties:
Calls are answered by an inbound agent.
Calls are placed to clients or customers by an outbound agent.
Performing both inbound and outgoing calls is a blended agent.
However, these are some examples of the various specializations:
1. Representatives for Chat/Email Support (Non-Voice) – These representatives will respond to the many questions and issues of clients via email or chat.
2. Representatives for collections – These employees are responsible for obtaining payments or unpaid balances from people who have used the company’s goods or services.
3. Customer service representatives – These agents take calls from clients or consumers and respond to their various questions or issues.
4. Sales Representatives – These agents oversee calling prospective consumers and clients to sell or promote goods and services.
5. Technical Support Representatives – These employees respond to customers’ and clients’ inquiries and worries regarding the technical side of a good or service.
3. The Process of Training
a. Basic/Initial Training
Recruits will begin receiving classroom instruction as soon as they are hired. Through courses on how to offer customer service and the other duties that come with being a call center agent, you’ll learn the fundamentals of the profession here.
b. Settling Period
The settling time will provide recruits the opportunity to practice answering calls and putting what they have learned thus far into practice. Since it can be daunting, especially for individuals without any prior expertise in contact centers, this is the point at which most recruits give up.
It’s the transitional period when you can initially hear live calls before taking the calls yourself. The greatest moment to ask all inquiries is right now. Take advantage of this time to observe and pick up as much knowledge as you can so you’ll be ready for your first day of work in no time.
4. Setup for Work
a. Setup on-site
You must visit the company’s physical locations to do traditional business.
b. Remote Work from Home (WFH) and Home-based Business Setup
The WFH setup may be the right choice for you if you’re seeking for a working environment that encourages work-life balance. If you’re fortunate, the BPO business that recruited you may give you the tools you need for the work. But most of the time, you’ll need to bring your own gear that meets the necessary requirements (such as noise-canceling headphones, a microphone, a desktop or laptop with the right RAM and internal storage, and an internet connection with a minimum 5 Mbps bandwidth, for example).
You must work a certain number of hours each day under both the on-site and WFH configurations (usually 8 hours).
5. Benefits
A BPO business may offer you additional advantages in addition to the monthly pay you’ll receive as a call center representative. These perks are one of the strategies the organization uses to attract potential call center candidates and maintain the loyalty of their call center staff.
Make careful to double verify call center positions you’re applying for to ensure you won’t miss these benefits as not all BPO businesses offer them:
a. Benefits from Health Management Organizations (HMO) Insurance – These pay for hospital bills for you and your dependents.
b. Financial Incentives – Are extra payments you receive on top of your monthly wage. Outstanding performance, hiring references, short-selling, and full attendance are all rewarded.
c. Free Shuttle Service – At specific pick-up locations, some businesses provide this perk.
d. Paid Call Center Training – After being hired, you’ll start a week-long call center training to get you acclimated to the position. If you’re lucky, the company that recruited you will pay you for the training hours you put in.
e. Free Sleeping Accommodations – These give staff members a quiet area to rest or snooze during their break.
How to Work in a Call Center in the Philippines?
Test Your Communication Skills and Make Improvements
The first and most crucial thing you should do is work on your English-speaking abilities since being a good English speaker is a prerequisite for working as a call center representative.
Call centers, however, employ a variety of languages. Language experts who speak Mandarin, Nihongo, and other languages are also employed by several BPO firms. You have a wide range of possibilities when picking a company to apply to if you are fluent in one of those languages.
Regardless of the language you select, concentrate on honing your skills by watching instructional videos, reading grammar manuals, and learning the right pronunciation of terms from online dictionaries. When you’re prepared to give it a shot and apply to work as a call center agent, you can test your progress by taking a variety of online quizzes and tests.
Create a Resume
Make sure your résumé is strong before you apply, especially if you lack any prior work experience. Here are some pointers for writing each of the essential components of a resume:
Title and Personal Information
It’s crucial to keep your headline, which is the initial section of the resume, brief and straightforward. Only the following information is required.
entire name
Inbox address
dwelling address
Current telephone number
Ensure that it is easily readable and has adequate spacing.
Education
Your history from elementary school to high school are not necessary. You only need to list the college(s) or university(ies), the address(es), the precise amount of time you spent at the school(s), and the course(s) you took.
If you don’t yet have any professional experience, you can use this section to highlight important academic honors and prizes, as well as previous employment at organizations to which you belong.
Experience at Work
Make sure to include any pertinent information about your prior employment in this part, including the name of the employer, its address, your position, and the precise duration of time you held the position in question.
Additionally, you ought to list the obligations from your prior employment that you were competent to handle. Emphasize your prior successes and achievements that are relevant to the position you’re going for.
If there is long-term unemployment between two jobs, be careful to briefly describe the reason you were unable to work at that time.
Look for Job Openings at Call Centers
You can inquire with your acquaintances who work for BPO firms about any openings that may exist. You might also use the opportunity to inquire about their employment and the treatment they are receiving there. If it sounds like a fit for you, submit an application.
Since most businesses now hire new employees by posting online job advertising on websites like Jobstreet, Indeed, LinkedIn, and Kalibrr, you can also search for employment openings online.
Await your Interview and Get Ready
Wait for them to call and let you know the date and time of your interview once you’ve submitted your application, either in person or online. Prepare for the interview while you wait by going through example interview questions and learning how to effectively respond to them.
Additionally, you can use this time to sharpen your typing, computer, and communication abilities. Don’t forget to research the firm for which you are applying as well, as they may have inquiries about them.
Win Your Interviews as Well as other Assessments
Be certain and collected when responding to varied inquiries on the day of your interview. It’s critical to be authentic so that you and the interviewer can determine whether you’re the ideal candidate for the position you’re applying for. Be mindful of your body language, avoid making unnecessary hand gestures, and keep your eyes open.
Courteously and truthfully reply. Your knowledge of grammar and vocabulary may be checked in an online exam that you must take.
You might also be required to take a typing exam to gauge your degree of accuracy and speed depending on the firm you’re applying to. Even while it’s possible to be hired at a call center with ordinary or below-average typing abilities, being able to type quickly can be quite helpful once you’re really working.
Being a call center agent requires multitasking, thus having a quick typing speed is quite helpful if you want to be productive.
Await the Outcome
Within a week or two following the interview, companies often get in touch with applicants to let them know the outcome of their application. It still depends on the business, though, as some candidates hear from recruiters after a month.
After being employed, you will be required to provide a variety of paperwork, including the following:
- Medical exam results
- SSS number
- Pag-IBIG number
- PhilHealth number/ ID card
- TIN number
- NBI Clearance/Police Clearance
- Employment certificates
- Training certificates
- High School/College Diploma
The paperwork you must submit after being employed varies depending on the company you will be operating for.