Employee Referral Program

There are too many call centers cropping up in Metro Manila and even in provinces around the country. However, they are in short of CSRs and TSRs or shall we say they're having a hard time looking for good English speakers. That's why the HR Dep't of most call center companies are offering an incentive for employees who refer successful applicants.

And believe me, the referral bonuses you'll receive are sometimes equivalent to a month's salary.


XY Call Center Agent: Pare, paresign na ako dito samin. Hiring ba dyan sa inyo? (I'm resigning from my post here. Is your company looking for new hires?)
AZ Call Center Agent: Oo p're. Ramp up kami ngayon. (Yup. They're in need of a lot of agents.)
XY Call Center Agent: Sige, refer mo ako dyan tapos hati tayo sa referral incentive bonus mo. (Alright then, refer me to your company but let's split your referral incentive.)

Again, this is Yallit and thank you for visiting. Have a Nice Day!  

VGH, VTO and Furlough

VGH - Voluntary Go Home
VTO - Voluntary Time Off
Furlough


Don't confuse yourself what those are since all three means the same (at least in the call center world). It means, there's a high number of available agents over number of callers and that your center is now allowing agents to go home. Of course you won't be paid for the hours/minutes that you log out from the AVAYA or phone.

I was able to go home an hour earlier today. Haha!

Again, this is Yallit and thank you for visiting. Have a Nice Day!  

Night Shift Differential

Definition:

It's the corresponding % increase of basic salary on hours worked between 10PM - 6AM. 

Hurray for these companies that give out 20% Night Shift Differential:

• 24/7
• Accenture
• Convergys
• HSBC
• JP Morgan and Chase
• Teletech

15%? Not bad!

• Sitel
• Stream Global
• Telus

Now, the % Night Differential shown above are given mostly to TSRs. It may be different for those who work as Customer Care Representatives or those who are in the Non-Voice Departments.

Agent 1: Ayoko ng Morning Shift! (I don't like morning shift schedule!)

Agent 2: Ba't naman p're? (Why?)

Agent 1: Walang night diff! (There's no Night Shift Differential.)

Again, this is Yallit and thank you for visiting. Have a Nice Day!  

WEP or WPA?

Tech Corner


WPA should always be the preferred choice for security reasons because:

• A WPA passphrase can be anywhere between 8 to 63 characters while a WEP key would either be 10 (for a 64-bit encryption) or 26 characters (for a 128-bit encryption) long.
• You can use alpha-numeric characters PLUS special characters while you can only use 0-9 and a-f with a WEP key

So, why debate as to whether to use WEP key at all?

Computers using Windows XP and Vista may not be able to connect to a WPA-encryted network, hence, the use of WEP key. There are times that it will show it's connected but you will get a status saying "connected with limited access" or "limited or no connectivity".

What about Ipads?

Ipad uses WPA type of encryption and in the case of Ipad2, it may only use a WPA2 encryption even. 

Again, this is Yallit and thank you for visiting. Have a Nice Day!  

Call Center Myths

If you join the Call Center Industry, you'll:

1. Gain weight and eventually turn obese
2. Become a chain smoker
3. Drink booze all the time
4. Curse a lot
5. Get VERY BIG eye bags
6. Be pockmarked with pimples
7. Be promiscuous

... and gain a lot more nasty habits.

DEAD WRONG!!!

It's not the job nor the surroundings that will turn you into something else. Of course, there's the thing called peer pressure but that doesn't mean you don't have control of your own life. You can still be in the call center industry and have a healthy and active lifestyle. Here are some of the benefits that the Top Call Center Companies provide:

• Health card
• Discounts to Fitness Centers. Some companies even have their own gyms.
• Sleeping Quarters
• Educational Assistance
• Recreational events such as sports, fun and games

Again, this is Yallit and thank you for visiting. Have a Nice Day!

Tech Support Perceptions

Note: I don't own the above picture. Credits go to whoever uploaded it.

I saw that pic being shared over at Facebook few days ago. I believe this one came from 9gag.com. The photo has some merits however especially on the part where it says, "What I actually do". Lol! Don't you know that we rely on Google that much when resolving technical issues that we haven't encountered before? Give me that error code from an e-mail client and I will be able to address or at least pinpoint the cause of that error by performing a Google search.

We aren't all nerds you know? We're mostly professional researchers. Hmm.. I like that title. Haha!

Closing Spiel: Again, this is Yallit and thank you for visiting. Have a Nice Day!

The Racist Customer

Customer:  Where am I calling?
Agent: This center is located in the (insert your country here).
Customer: I want to speak to a/an (insert the citizenship of the country your supporting here) agent! You don't know what you're doing and I CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU!!!


I'm sure your ears will turn red whenever you hear such bashing. Well, my example is a bit gentler than most that you hear from racist customers. Don't get affected though. Whenever you get a racist caller, here's what you should do:

• Just place the call on mute. Let the person scream all obscenities.
• Think of happy thoughts.
• Remind yourself that the reason why he/she is angry is because that racist customer can't find a job while you have a sustainable job. Lol!
• If the racist caller mentions swear words, then, read the spiel for abusive customers and end the call.

Closing Spiel: Again, this is Yallit and thank you for visiting. Have a Nice Day!

Fillers

Ahm - Amen?
Mmm - Mcdo?
Ohm - Omelette?
Aaah - Say "aaah". Dentista lang? (Are you a dentist?)

Let's admit it. We sometimes use the above fillers, right? And unknowingly, the following are also considered fillers if they're not used in their proper context:

Actually
Honestly
Frankly
...and the other "lys".


The frequent use of fillers is an indication that you're not confident of your answers. As a call center agent, if you don't sound confident, why will the caller believe you or follow your instructions? Golden rule: minimize if not eliminate the use of fillers.


Best Practices to avoid fillers:

• Think before you speak.
• Stay silent for at least 3 seconds to allow yourself to compose your response.
• If you're unsure on how to respond, paraphrase what the other person mentioned.

Fun Fact: 
Do you know that the use of fillers in Japanese conversation is encouraged instead of you staying mum while thinking of your next response? It is believed that the use of fillers makes the conversation more natural.

Person1: Ray-san, doko he ikimasu ka? (Ray, where are you going?)
Ray: Ah.. eto... Daigaku he ikimasu. (Hmm.. let's see... I'm going to the University.)

Closing Spiel: Again, this is Yallit and thank you for visiting. Have a Nice Day!

The Ethernet Loop Test

Tech Corner

Problem: Your computer says "Network Cable Unplugged" but you have checked that the ethernet cable is connected properly from your computer to your router or gateway. The ethernet light for your connection is off. And you only have one computer and one ethernet cable.

The scenario above indicates either a computer-related issue, a modem trouble or a broken ethernet cable. Now, how will you determine the actual root cause of your connectivity problem?

Simple: perform a loop test.

Here's what you need to do:

1. Disconnect the ethernet cable from your computer.
2. Plug the end of that cord to another ethernet port at the back of the router/gateway. Let's say you plug one end to Ethernet Port 1 and the other end to Ethernet Port 2.
3. Check for the light indicators for Ethernet Port 1 and 2. If they're on, then the problem is with the computer.
4. If the light indicators for Ethernet Port 1 and 2 didn't lit up, try the other Ethernet ports at the back. You can try 1&3 or 3&4 and other possible combinations. If the lights still didn't turn on, probable root cause is a broken ethernet cable. If some of the combinations lit up, then, you're facing an Ethernet failure on some of the ports of your gateway/router.

Closing Spiel: Again, this is Yallit and thank you for visiting. Have a Nice Day!

The Voice

If there's one thing that can stop you from being a call center agent or taking in calls is hoarseness or the lack of voice. I was just given a 'go home' signal today because my voice is hoarse. Customers can't simply understand what I'm telling them.

So, be sure to take care of your voice.

Take time to rest.

Avoid drinking too much of cold drinks.

Go for fruit juices.


However, what affected my ability to speak is my colds. Darn!


Agent: Are the lights on the modem OFF or ON?
**customer replied but agent failed to decipher what the customer said**
Agent: Are you saying that the lights are OFF like  O-F-F or On like O-F-F?

Closing Spiel: Again, this is Yallit and thank you for visiting. Have a Nice Day!