Here's a list of things that I have learned while working in call center Industry.  I hope you enjoy it. 

1.    ACW – we know that ACW means After Call Work but for married guys ACW means ATM Captured by Wife.

                                                                          source
2.    EOP – English Only Policy? Hell no, it’s English O Pinoy, English or Pabulong. I think this is the most ridiculous policy ever still, according to our company EOP can enhance our communication skills. I don’t know why I’m having a hard time to follow the EOP rule but as soon as you give me a headset and an issue I could do EOP all day long. And the funny thing is most of the time if you speak in other language like French or Spanish it could go unnoticed or they won’t care at all but, once you say something in the native language a warning is given.

{source}

3.    No carpet No English Policy – we could only speak in Tagalog if there’s no carpet.
4.    I have learned that the mute button is my best friend.

5.    I have learned that putting the customer on hold is a time to relax.
6.    I have learned that the longer I stay, the more I care less.

{source}

7.    I have learned that if you tell a physician that you work in a call center, the checkup would only take 2 minutes and the diagnosis is stress.
8.    Some call center employees are afraid of applying for a higher position because
“With great salary comes great responsibility”

 

 {source}

  9. I have learned that if you are working in a call center some people will look down on you. It just 

  proves that credentials on the wall does not make a person a decent human being.

10. I learned that a simple pat on the back can go a long way. 

11. I learned that I have a lot of things that I need to learn.

Did we missed out something? Please share the things that you have learned while working in the call center industry on the comments section so that we can add it to the list. 

Sitel Philippines is in need of Customer Service Representatives and Technical Support Representatives. Join us today and help us deliver world-class experiences.

*Project bonus applies to agent hires of a selected project account only.

*Open House schedule is from 12PM-6PM.

See the powerful message that this all women band from Texas has created. Some BPO employees can learn from the video specially if you are coaching someone.
Here's the description from their Youtube Channel.

We recently asked women how they felt when they looked in the mirror. As you can see, we didn't like the answer, so we decided to help change it. "ENOUGH" looking in the mirror with such a critical eye. "ENOUGH" of that negative voice we hear in our heads. "ENOUGH" letting the world tell us who we should be.

How's your last coaching session was it uplifting did your manager focused on your faults rather than your strength?Share your experience remember sharing is caring.

Listening skills is one of the most important talent that you need to have if you want to be a successful call center employee. Having the said skill has a lot of benefits because your customer would feel that they are being heard and they don’t have to repeat the same information twice.

What if you have fully understand the caller's need but can’t understand what he wants? If that's the case the it's time that you use probing questions and put yourself in your customer’s “shoes”.

Listen how the DJ from Dominican Republic figured out the caller’s need.

GMA's 24 Oras reporterd a 27-year-old call center agent named Norlan Cielo Mercado died from 18 stab wounds in the head, back and chest.

According to reports the victim added a man in his Facebook account before his death. No signs of forced of entry was seen on the room where the victim's body was found.

See the Youtube video below with reports from GMA News's Steve Dailisan;

source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/380707/news/metromanila/call-center-agent-stabbed-18-times-in-caloocan 

From the frontline employee to site director each one of us has stats that we need to keep up. The photo below that was shared trough Facebook caught our attention because it has a very good sense of humor.  Out of the 23,000 members of the Facebook group it only registered 13 likes and 2 comments.  We think that the photo just needs additional information for it to gain much attention. We decided to spoof the plot of the movie so that we can at least relate to it.

source

Jane, a 23-year-old call center employee under Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) hesitantly attends the re-training for employees under PIP at her TL's request. During the re-training, Jane meets a 24-year-old call center employee named Robert who's working from a different account, his hobby of reading manga online while on a call caused him a PIP. The two bond immediately after the training and Robert invites Jane to his house where the two bond over a movie and their experiences with PIP. 

Before departing, the two agree to read each other's favorite novels. Robert gives Jane “By the Book” a story about a manager who makes a decision by the book, and Jane recommends Terminator, a novel about a manager that loves to terminate employees. After Robert finishes reading her book, he is frustrated upon learning that the novel ends abruptly without a conclusion. Jane explains the novel's mysterious author, named Anthony, had resigned from the BPO sector following the novel's publication and has not been heard from since.  They are wondering if Anthony is now staying in the home for the agent (A place for old call center employees).

Robert and Jane were able to visit Golden Headset a foundation for old agents. The old agents were able to give both of them best practices on how the achieve the stats. Following the advice of the old agents, Robert and Jane was able to make a sale; it was then followed by applause from the other members of the team. The next day, their manager announced that they were removed from PIP. They kiss and started to whisper to each other. Avail??? Avail…

In your stay in the BPO industry, have you encountered those managers mentioned in the story?

Kudos to : Jose Fullon III for sharing. 

The 4-day work week option is receiving news attention lately because the government wants to implement the said work schedule. Under the arrangement the work week will be reduced to four days from Monday to Thursday or from Tuesday to Friday however, the working hours will be increased to 10 hours. 

Imagine if this will be implemented in the call center industry will it work? I think it would be awesome since, it would mean more time for us to sleep and we will have additional time for friends and family. Would it have some drawbacks? 

Luckily two of our members had a first-hand experience with the said type of work arrangement which could answer the question above. See their stories below.

Company 1: Dell Consumer Technical Support  

Details: Our team was chosen as a pilot for the 4 day workweek schedule. To cover the 40 hours per week requirement; we were required to work 4 x 11 with 1 hour lunch and three 15 minute breaks. To prevent stress and fatigue the plotted scheduled days were Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday Off, Thursday Friday, Sat-Sun Off. 

Outcome: It appears that eleven hours of shift per day for taking in calls would be tiring, but come to think of it once you report for your first day, the next will be your last day of work that is if you have the same plotted schedule as above. The Wednesday shift served as a breather because taking in calls for 9 hours and 15 minutes was exhausting. The four day workweek schedule project did not materialize because our team's stats was down. AHT was high specially during the last hour of the shift, it's possible that some employees were dragging the call longer to relax due to a tiring shift.

Company 2: Thomson Reuters

Details: The role of the team is to monitor servers; to strategically distribute manpower two types of schedule were provided first 3x12 and second is 4x11. The 3x12 schedule has four days off and the plotted days are Sat, Sun, Mon. For the 4x11 shift it’s Tuesday to Friday.

Outcome: Both teams were happy with the schedule because it’s always like a long weekend. Some members of the team who were college undergraduates were able to finish their studies however; due to some reasons it appears that the said schedule is no longer available.

We tried to search for other companies that offers a 4 Day workweek schedule and we came across with this job posting from Jobstreet for Planwell Technologies.

Willingness to participate in the provision of 12-hour 4-on and 4- off 24x7 shifting for support services.

{source}

The success of the 4 day workweek rule in the BPO Industry might  depend on the account that you are currently in. If the system would be fully implemented in the BPO sector it would mean better work life balance for the employees and a chance to continue studies. The other benefits of having the said work rule is that, it could increase job satisfaction, productivity and the most important thing is, it would make the employee's happy. 

Do you think that 4 day work week rule would be beneficial if fully implemented in the BPO sector? Please share your experience if your company has applied the same work rule so that other employees would have an option in case they are looking for companies that offer the said policy. 

photo credit: Josh Angehr via photopin cc

While we are still waiting for media to release the latest results of top grossing BPO firms in the Philippines. We have created an excel sheet to compare the previous and recent BPO revenue reports.

Comparison of Recent and Previous BPO Earnings

sources:

Recent Revenue as Reported by ABS-CBN

Previous Revenue as Reported by Interaksyon

As we can see Accenture ranked 1^st twice in a row while Convergys ranked 2^nd.  The highest climber in terms of position and revenue was 24/7 which climbed from number 18 to 4 and a revenue increase of Php5.33 billion. We won’t go on to details about the position since the most important thing to look at is the revenue.

If we check on the revenue of Aegis it was down, from the looks of it this could be the reason why they sold the business to Teleperformance. We can also see that Stream was down in terms of revenue it was swallowed by Convergys this year.  We will update the excel sheet above once new reports come in. Checking the company’s year on year revenue is important because it could be a deciding factor on the company’s direction. If performance bonus and yearly salary increase has been put off chances are the revenue target was missed.

We tried searching for articles about Convergys and Teleperformance on news if both companies will be acquiring new businesses. What we found out is that back in 2010 Convergys explored a possible sale and Teleperformance could be one of the top bidders.

You can check the link below for the said report about Convergys possible sale from Nearshoremamericas.com.

http://www.nearshoreamericas.com/convergys-sale/

Accenture emerged as one of the Top 5 Most Preferred Employers in the Country. To answer the question “Which companies do most Filipinos dream of working for and why?”  Jobstreet conducted an online survey and it shows that San Miguel Corporation (SMC) the only local company in the list emerged as the Most Preferred Employer. Multinational corporations like Nestle Philippines, Procter and Gamble Philippines, Coca-Cola FEMSA Philippines then Accenture, the only company that offers technology services and outsourcing company that's included in the list. 

See the additional info below based on Jobstreet's Website:

Why were these companies picked?

It’s about the money… According to the survey, salary is the foremost reason why candidates want to work for these companies. This is across all position levels, from fresh graduates to managers. The more experienced candidates chose benefits as their second preference when selecting an organization to work for.

In an interview with a former recruitment marketing manager from Accenture, she said that the company offers better benefits with regard to insurance or medical coverage which can be extended to dependents. She also pointed out that for certain positions, they offer car or housing loan assistance as well. On the other hand, those new to the workforce had companies that provide support and training/ learning and development as their number two consideration. They view training and development opportunities as ways to enhance their work skills and increase their job market value in the long run. Meanwhile, company reputation came in third as a workplace consideration across all position levels. The same former Accenture manager shared that what made her love the company most was “the pride of being part of one of the top companies worldwide.”

{source }

The survey was responded by more than 5600 Jobstreet members from different position levels and specialization. What do you think of the list?

A friend speaking on condition of anonymity stated that  Bank of America Continuum Inc, (BACPI) a non-bank subsidiary of Bank of America that provides back-office support will close its Taguig site this October. Employees are paid till November however, the calculation for redundancy or separation package was not revealed.

The job cuts have been announced since April 9, 2014 still, it was not announced that closure will happen this October. According to source  the company wants to simplify its global operations.
source


Last year, Reuters reported that Thomson Reuters decided to cut 3,000 jobs in order to reduce costs, the number of employees in the Philippines affected by the job cuts was not revealed.
source

February this year, Inquirer reported that JPMorgan will cut 8,000 jobs to keep expenses down. Based on the guest comment “The mortgage LOB of JPMC in Taguig already rolled out the job cuts intended for 2014 last Dec 2013. Total number of jobs to be cut = 2000. Seven VPs were already called by HR for the retrenchment package."
source

source

Working in a KPO/In-house site is rewarding because it provides above the industry standard salary packages, aside from the huge pay some company offer retirement plans. Health care benefits through health cards could go as high 200,000 pesos with addition of two (2) dependents. We are hoping for the best that the affected employees would find work as soon as possible so that they could save a portion of the separation plan.

With reports like these, do you still want to hunt jobs in Financial in-house sites or you would prefer BPO's instead? Let's head on to the comments section to discuss.

After badmouthing the Philippines in their marketing video that states that Malaysia is way better than our country. Aegis Malaysia has apologized via their Facebook Page.

Here's the text version of the post:

“Aegis says – Since the acquisition of People Support in 2008, Philippines has been a catalyst for Aegis’ growth. We would like to articulate that Aegis has had a wonderful experience in the Philippines – great clients, a great leadership team and above all great employees.

    We regret the upload of the recent video in Malaysia. The video was developed locally by an agency and uploaded in error and the contents were NOT approved by Aegis Corporate. We are a global company and strongly care about the broader communities in which we operate and are fully committed to both diversity and inclusion. We would like to reiterate that Aegis has had a great experience in the Philippines and this has been one of the the keys to our success.

    We apologize and regret any communication that may have inadvertently hurt any sentiments.”

 Aegis Malaysia FB Page

What do you think about Aegis Malaysia's apology is it enough or should they donate to the victims of the typhoon as suggested by the British national named Malcolm Conlan?

See his statements below via his Facebook post:

    "To the management of Aegis

    My attention has just been drawn to an advert by your company which seems to show why you believe the Philippines in not a good place to invest. I have a number of issues with your advert.
    Firstly, you highlight the number of typhoons which have hit the country. These natural calamaties have tragically led to a vast number of deaths. How dare you use these terrible circumstances in some kind of powerpoint presentation as to why you would want to leave the country.
    If you have made the decision to leave the Philippines, by all means leave, how dare you however highlight what you perceive as reasons why others should not invest? You mentioned security. Well, in my 33 visits to the country, not once have I ever been troubled. In fact, in my opinion the Filipino people are one of the most caring, hospitable and hard working people on the planet.
    I am very sure that you probably have many highly skilled Filipino’s in your workforce, so why insult their country?
    Yes the Philippines does have its own issues, but doesn’t every country? Why should a foreign investor have any right to find fault with a nation and people it has chosen to invest in?
    The Philippines its 7,107 islands and diverse people offer so much to the world. It is a country and people of natural beauty.
    I am therefore disgusted with your current advertising campaign and am calling on people worldwide to boycott your company. I am also demanding an apology, combined with a donation to a suitable charity which would benefit those victims of the recent natural calamities you chose to use in your disgusting advert.

    Malcolm Conlan
    A concerned British Citizen who loves the Philippines and Filipino people "

In case you missed the video we have embedded it below;

Most people want to work in a call center because of the assumption that employees who are working in the BPO industry earns a lot. This may be true for some companies however; the salary would be based on the years of experience and the complexity of work. If you have not been employed in a BPO industry we envy you since you have been living a "normal life" and you have not encountered being shouted at by angry customers on a daily basis.

For us who's already inside the industry the videos below are source of good laughs. If you still want to pursue working in a call center we suggest seeing it to learn more on what we deal with every day.

1.  First, if you want to get  in you need to prevent interview boo-boos  watch the video entitled "Funny Call Center Job Interview Questions and Answers".
2. So you have prepared for the interview and were able to get in. It's time for your first call if you are assigned as an outbound specialist there's a high chance that you will encounter this type of customers.
3. If you are a techy person then a Tech Support role is good for you. Check how a tech support call is done.  4. Still want to get in? The 4 minute video below would provide you a bird's eye view on how it really looks like working in a call center.   5. After watching the four videos above you might have come to a point of  giving up your dreams of working in a call center. Don't lose hope there are companies that offer local accounts. Yes, no EOP (English Only Policy) only TTT(Talking Tagalog Time). Listen for the sample call below. Note: This is not a scandal that you think of okay, the video uploader named it that way. Now that you have an idea on the type of calls and work scenario that you will encounter in a call center environment think twice or even thrice if you still want to pursue a BPO career then we salute you. The one million BPO Filipino employees are willing to welcome you on board.  In case you have questions proceed to the comments section and we will be more than happy to assist you (LOL closing spiel)!

This is posted under our Aux Avail section, it's a category of the site where we post things that we can enjoy while taking a break. See what happens after a series of fail videos and WWE stars were put together.
 1. Randy Orton vs Model .
2. Randy Orton vs Soccer Player. 3. Randy Orton vs Biker. 4. Never let Randy Orton visit your Wedding.
5. Randy Orton vs Random Woman. 6. Randy Orton vs a Guy Trying to Back Flip.  7. On a boat.  8. RKO vs. Skateboarder.

Here's a list of BPO companies that we know of that enables  Business Continuity Plan (BCP) or providing hotel accommodations during emergency situation or extreme weather conditions.

• DELL Philippines Inc - Proactively sends a communication to employees asking of their status and advising to contact their respective manager for update.

• ADP - BCP is done by asking the employees if they would like to stay in return a hotel accommodation is prepared and a whole day free meal. 

• Thomson Reuters - Also sends a proactive communication to employees, BCP is enabled by routing calls to other centers located in different parts of the world. The company also provides hotel accommodation. 

• ACS Xerox - Provides hotel accommodation in MIDAS, Heritage and Tunes Hotel for stranded employees with meals.

• Citibank ROHQ - Sends SMS informing employees about work suspension.

• VXI - Informing trainees that class has been cancelled. Also gives weather updats, free shuttle and free food. Bedding prepared in the office for those who cannot leave the premises. (Sent from email)

• Bank of America Continuum Philippines (BACP) - Enforces ENACT (Emergency Notification and Associate Tool) a system that calls, text/sms and email that ensure all employees are accounted for during unsafe conditions. (From the comments section)
• IBM - As part of our BCP hotel accommodations were offered. Text messages were sent to inform of work from home options. Centers were closed and people were contacted to make sure they are safe. (Received trough email from Carlo Roberto de Veas)

• GENPACT - has an active BCP too. Not only text messaging, but continuous alerts, free meals in office, shuttle deployments or Buses when water gets a little higher. Sections of the office are turned to more sleeping quarters so employees can stay if they can't go home yet.(Received trough email from Mae Ruth)
• C3 - also implements the same process see the email that we have received below from Alvin Delos Santos Laggui.
• Acquire BPO - implements Business Continuity Plan as well. One of which is for Weather Disturbance. Info is posted on Facebook and they also have communications released to all employees via SMS and other social media.

• IBM-Concentrix has activated its Communication Tree during the nonstop rain last week. Training has been suspended, free food was provided for those who opted to stay at the office.(Sent from Email)
• SPI - has highly coordinated BCP during typhoons and unsafe conditions. Received trough email from Juan-Paolo M. Suarez

•  WNS - provides free shuttle service..free meals at work, sleeping quarters or the guest house where the agents can stay for the night, comfort  room converted  so agents can freshen up during storms.
• RingCentral - an account with Acquire BPO  also has BCP.  Activating it depends on different weather conditions/situations with corresponding levels. We provide shuttle service/transportation, food allowance, double pay, and hotel accommodation. (Received trough email)

• E-Trade - Shuttle, unli food & starbucks are provided whenever there is a typhoon. Stranded employees are billeted in hotels like Somerset, New World and Citadine. Sent by Dale.

• ANZ GSO - also provides hotel accommodation to employees. Sent trough email, we are following up for photos as additional info.
• P3ople4u -  provides double pay for employee who came in to work, if there is a typhoon and also transportation service and free meal.(From the comments section)
• Altisource - Double pay incentive for employees to come to work. (From the comments section)

• QBE Insurance Group (BGC) - They send out sms to inform employees. They also shoulder transportation costs to and from the office as well as provide sleeping quarters in extreme cases. (From the comments section)
• CONVERGYS - once BCP is activated, workforce, managers or TLs will contact all agents to make sure they are safe. If it's too dangerous to go home, agents will be encouraged to stay in the office. Lounge, shower rooms, and free food will be provided. (From the comments section)
• TELUS Internatonal Philippines - deploys Noah's Arc, it's a shuttle service made available at different locations. We also have text blast to inform team members situations around the metro. In checking our direct report's statuses, we call them. We also have snooze box where team members can sleep comfortably within the premises (always available not just during calamities). There were also food distributed to those who were stranded in the office. And last Ondoy, those who were greatly affected was given free accommodation at Discovery Suites in Ortigas, including team member's entire family.(From the comments section)
• Maersk Global Service Centre - provides free food, tshirt, slippers, additiomal 300 pesos and hotel accomodation at Discovery and Oakwood hotels. (From the comments section)
• DSM Manila LLC (but we fall under KPO). BCP includes free food and drinks the entire day, unused meeting rooms being converted into resting areas, company vans that take employees home and/or hotel accomodations. Our emergency messaging system is available, but supervisors/managers normally act ahead of this by proactively asking their team members' status and no one's head gets chopped off for missing work during days when the weather was extreme.(From the comments section)
• Shell Business Operations Manila (formerly known as Shell Shared Services Manila) - have a SNS notification system that immediate informs the employees whether BCP has been lifted or invoked. They can contact us through mobile phone, viber, email... If it happened that employees are stuck at the office, free meals are also given. We also have interim transportation that brings employees right at their respective door steps every 12:15 am, 1:15 am, 3:15 am and 5:15 am. In case of typhoon and the driver thinks your place is in a flooded area, they will not allow you to proceed going home and risk your safety. They would, instead, bring you back to the office where they know you are going to be safe. We also have employee lounges for men and women and shower areas. Most of the teams strictly follow that BCP clothes must remain in our cabinets. Shell is the has the most exaggerated HSSE (health, safety, security and environment) rules. From making sure that employees only ride cabs with seatbelts, and implementation of life-saving rules. (from comments)
• HINDUJA GLOBAL SOLUTIONS (HGS) - Received trough email. 
• Shore Solutions. FB and text updates, shuttle services, food provided free and premium paid. 
• EXL - provide Shuttle service ni different pick up and drop off points, Hotel accommodation / sleeping mats,  toiletries and of course free méal. (From Email)

• HSBC GSC PHIL - has BCP call tree or sms for their employees also meals/snacks were provided, shower rooms are available, sleeping quarters are always available for their employees and we also have internet kiosk and some wifi areas. (from comments)
• Sitel Philippines -  Provides shuttle services for stranded employees and food to those who are in our offices. They also have a partnership with metro dorm in home depot should employees would like to stay. During last years habagat, they also have provided toiletries to stranded employees and company shirts also. 
• AtoS Information Technology, Inc - also have the Stay On Site or S.O.S program that employees can avail in situations like heavy rains, typhoons or flooding. It provides employees who are going to report on that day free meal stubs. And for those employees who are stuck in the office and cannot go home, they are offered with a choice of enlisting in the S.O.S list and they provide mattresses, pillows, blanket, towel and toiletries. Employees will stay on site and in case that the volume of calls gets high enough due to some being absent we will be contacted and asked to login to handle the queue but we can ask to log out if the queue has been cleared. O.T pay and  Php1,000 as an incentive on top of our O.T is provided just by signing up regardless if you are gonna be asked to login or not. Double meal stubs are provided. (Sent via email from Jake Evangelista ) 
• Ingram Micro - has a text brigade to all employees informing weather update, what to prepare and what to expect. They also provided 150 pesos meal allowance for the day and 500 pesos additional transportation allowance for those who bravely went to our office. (Sent via email by Conrad Presbiterio)
• Henkel Asia Pacific Shared Centre - ensures safety of its employees during calamities. Most of the employees are advised to work from home. Those who couldn't go home are given free food and a safe place to stay such as hotel accomodation. Attached is a screenshot of text messages we receive. (Sent via email by Michael Jay Rabanez)

• Minacs - encourage safety of employees by enforcing BCP. Transportation is provided located in different strategic locations. (Sent via email from Francis Valdellon)
  
• FIS Global - has the following preparedness plans: (Via comments section)
• Emails sent out every hour about the typhoon or any disaster, traffic, possibility of flooding, difficulty to commute to and from work
• Free meal
• Stay back arrangements
• Shuttle services to and from key transportation locations
• Email / text advisory to prioritize safety.
• JPMorgan Chase and Co. - also has  BCP in place. They sent out SMS alerts and a call tree will be activated to alert employees to stay at their homes or to not leave the site if it's dangerous for them to go home. Calls will be routed to other service centers and these centers will inform them of our situation as well. They provide free food, premium pay, and Net Plaza has spacious rooms that are being converted into sleep areas. (Via comments section)
• Capital One Philippines Support Services Corp - sends proactive sms as well. Even a personalize facebook message from an HR employee asking about current situation of employees. HR tells employees not to go to work if its that risky. Absenteeism will not be taken against the employees. (Sent trough email from Mark Fonacier)
• Wells Fargo - has BCP in place too. Provides free meals, toiletries, clothing, blankets for those team members who stayed in the office. They're even recognizing each team members who decided going to work despite of bad weather trough GC's and certificates. (Via comments section) 
• Startek - already sent an email that they have the same process in place. We are awaiting confirmation on how they implement the company BCP.
• Chevron Holding - work is suspened early and employees who were stranded get free meals and booked to hotel. Employees were booked in Raffles when they got stranded in the office after working on a night shift last Friday, Sept 19, 2014. In addition, Cvx also do contact tracing every 4 hours via  automated Notify system so that employees may update the company with current status. Safety is a priority of Chevron not just during storms but in every day work.
• iQor - Clark, Philippines employees are given hotel room accommodations, free meal and double pay during typhoon calamity. (Via contact form)
• Accenture -  provides hotel accomodation and to my knowledge an extra pay for those still opt to go to work, email blasts and sms (if employee registers their number in the system). (Via the comments section)
• Brady Philippines - updates their Facebook page and posts updates, leaders text agents of updates/instructions per BCP PhoneTree, Free Meals via GCs are given to employees and in case office sleeping area is unable to accommodate all, conference rooms become contingency makeshift sleeping areas and are prepared accordingly for those stranded/unable to go home.(Sent via Facebook Message)
• Harte Hanks Philippines - also provides shuttle service, weather updates (email and SMS blast), free food, and lodging to those stranded in the office.  Recently, there is also a buy-back program where you can buy back missed hours for the overtime you will render assisting operations during extreme weather. (sent from email)
• Talent2 Shared Service Center (SSC) - Communication tree has been activated early morning last Sept 19. This communication has been sent out to our key stakeholders and leaders within Talent2.
  
  
  "Tropical Storm Fung-Wong (local name: Mario) has intensified and has brought torrential rain overnight with the Southwest monsoon. Classes at all levels have been suspended today as many of the city streets are flooded and are impassable to vehicles. 
  
  
  Given the situation, we have declared BCP mode for the SSC. Transport arrangements are being arranged for the mission critical resources that need to report to the office. The rest have been advised to stay home and safe and report back on their safety, and carry out the BCP steps as required by the respective domain processes."
  
  
  Safety is priority during such incidents. Employees are encouraged to work at home instead. We provide assistance to those who reported to work (to and from the office) by providing a transport service at strategic points. For those who are not able to avail of the service will have their transport reimbursed. Their meals during the BCP incident are reimbursed as well. Employees who are unable to go home due to flooding in their area are provided with hotel accommodations.  (Sent from Email by Desi Bumatay) 
• Stellar BPO -  The company have a BCP committee who identifies if a condition warrants a call for the team to be activated. A  proactive text blasts is sent to employees, activate dress-down policy, and provide free meals, shuttle services, change of clothes, and extra sleeping areas in the office. In extreme circumstances, we even provide monetary assistance to affected employees and/or their relatives (Ondoy and Yolanda). Before a typhoon event hit the country, Stellar BPO periodically send updates so our employees are prepared beforehand. (Sent trough Email by Charlie Maigne C. Castro)
• Expert Global Solutions (EGS) - Unlike before EGS has now implemented BCP check out the sms blast that was sent to us by Emerson Sidayen. 

 

• 24/7 - has a Facebook page Twentyfourseven Sos that updates employees about the weather situation. (sent from email)
• 
• Transcom - sent us an email on how BCP is enforced. They have an excel sheet to account the number of employees, status of UPS and transportation. See email below. 
• Bayer Business Services Philippines Inc - Call Tree has been activated to prioritize the safety of the staff see the full details below sent by Sir Reynaldo of Bayer Philippines. 
  
• United Health Group - sends email and proactive notifications trough email. (Sent from email)
  

These are the current BPO / In-House companies that we know of so far that can ensure safety of its employees. The list does not come in any particular order.

If your center has the same process implemented please send us an email at thecallcenterfocus@gmail.com so that we can update the list please include if you want your name revealed or not alternatively, you can leave a comment. The inputs are very important since it could help other employees as well. Together let us build a community created by Call Center Employees for Call Center Employees.

During extreme weather conditions Facebook and Twitter will be flooded by flood related memes which call center employees can relate to. See what we have collected so far below from the #immortal

1. This All of Me message to the supervisor.

2. This Frozen related message to the supervisor.

3. This thumbs up sign while submerged in flood.

4. This meme informing the manager that he's on the way.

5. The Impossible reference.

6. This guy crossing flood waters.

7. This guy trying to call his supervisor or workforce so as not  to be tagged as NoCallNoShow (NCNS).

source

8. This scuba diving outfit.

source