Philippines - The new Capital of Call Centers

[hitekcountry]

Philippines is now larger than India in the call center business. The fact that Filipinos speak American English better than the Indians that speak a more British English is a big plus.

A few quotes from the article:

“Over the last several years, a quiet revolution has been reshaping the call center business: the rise of the Philippines, a former United States colony that has a large population of young people who speak lightly accented English and, unlike many Indians, are steeped in American culture.”

“The Philippines, which has a population one-tenth as big as India’s, overtook India this year, according to Jojo Uligan, executive director of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines.”

“Executives say the growth was not motivated by wage considerations. Filipino call center agents typically earn more than their Indian counterparts ($300 a month, rather than $250, at the entry level), but executives say they are worth the extra cost because American customers find them easier to understand than they do Indian agents, who speak British-style English and use unfamiliar idioms. Indians, for example, might say, “I will revert on the same,” rather than, “I will follow up on that.”

“The Philippines has “a unique combination of Eastern, attentive hospitality and attitude of care and compassion mixed with what I call Americanization”.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/business/philippines-overtakes-india-as-hub-of-call-centers.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[hitekcountry]

Oops I guess that was a rather old article published in 2011 – my bad

But it’s still interesting. 

[Art, just a re(tired) Fil-Am]

http://youtu.be/rVYiWnzHORo
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http://youtu.be/VUT09DaePwo
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The problem with many call center agents are that they can mimic the
English language, but they have limitations on their comprehension of what
they hear from the caller client, hence miscommunication at times flustering
both the call center agent and the customer! 

[Steve & Myrlita]

Yes I see it everyday. The problem is Filipinos think in their dialect and then convert it to English whereas they need to learn to think in English. If they can accomplish this, their comprehension skills would increase 100 fold.

[ronnsb]

I was just on the phone the other day changing mine and my sons phone service from AT&T to StraightTalk. The woman I spoke to was in Cebu and it was about 3:30am there.

She did pretty good up until the time she tried spelling New Smyrna Beach....she said " S...as in Sheila...M...as in Mary...A...as in Alpha" ...and so on!

Yesterday I was on with a guy in Miami, but he sounded very foreign and was a little difficult to understand! Cuban-Latino-"Engritch"? hahaha

[JoeLP]

HP has most of their call centers now in the Phils also. While I was still with my ex in the US I was on the phone with them.  This is after I was here for a year for work.  I could not tell.  Whoever it was did a very good job helping me with my issue.  But my ex could tell immediately that the woman I was talking to was pinay. 

In the middle of my conversation(on speaker phone while my hands were on the 3-in-1 printer looking for numbers and all) I hear my ex softly say(she's filipina).  I give her a questioning look and she just nodded with a smile.  So next break in the the talk I ask "Pinay cuba?".  After a pause she said yes, but I cannot talk tagalog on the phone.".  Made me laugh as I told her I couldn't tell, but my pinay wife could.  That made her very happy.  Could her the smile in her voice.

I then asked her if all the phone centers were in the Phils.  She said almost.  The US daytime repair call centers were still in India(this is about 2011).  Sure enough, called about a week later and could not understand every 3rd word out of the mouth of the Indian I was talking to.  Waited till about 7pm to make the call again and back to the Manila call center.

[M.C.A.]

I've noticed that they have lowered many of their qualifications for hiring, I have 7 years call center experience and sure would like to work...lol but I've never run into anyone on these expat boards that claims or has had one of these jobs. 

Great points on comprehension, it sounds like they're speaking great English but they can't understand some of the things I'm asking them, I usually give up.  Another way you can tell if the call center agent doesn't speak hardly any English... they'll pretend that they can't hear you.       

[iamjames]

Accent rather than comprehension is the main problem. The Philippines is far more suitable than India as their accent tends to be very clear and defined.

[cvgtpc1]

I live in the Cincinnati area.  And when I call Cincinnati Bell, my internet provider, a PI call center picks up.

[brett4gam]

I have to admit I did get a laugh out of this:

The company I use in Sydney, Australia to send my money fortnightly over here to the BDO account uses an international company called RIA.  I was advised that they needed an update as to my source of income etc and to call a 1800 number.  This is a toll free number used in Australia.

Well, I called and was greeted by a familiar accent, to which I asked, are you in The Philippines...."Yes sir"

So I used my mobile phone to call an Australian number (at a cost) and the call was sent through to a Philippine based call centre (FREE)

I could of called them from here in Sta Rosa, Laguna on the bloody landline for free if I had known. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lre90NGeiPs

Attached is a youtube video sendup of Telstra relocating call centres to India, they have since relocated to Philippines also.


Cheers
Brett

[iamjames]

I was near a Dell factory in Ireland a few years back and bu coincidence needed a Dell Hard drive replacement. I decided to Call ahead to the factory and dialed the Irish number given by directory inquiries. The the phone answered I recognised the accent. "Are you in India"? I asked. "Yes sir". "Well do you know where Ireland is? " (stupid question) - "no sir". I explained I was within a mile of the Dell factory and would it be possible to connect to the factory so I could get a replacement Hard Drive. "You need Parts sir - I will put you through". I recognised the accent - England. "Hello - just wondering if I could collect a spare Hard drive directly from the factory here in Ireland as I am at the factory now"? "No sir. all parts must be ordered from here"!!

so - to get a Dell hard drive I would have to call India - who put me through to the UK - who would have the part sent from Ireland - and then they would post it back to me!

I just bought a new Toshiba instead. 

[cvgtpc1]

Many times my seatmate on the trip over or back is someone checking on a call center for their company.  I need a job like that where I get an all expenses paid trip to Makati. lol

[Sam218]

I have some Filipino friends working in BPO and they do really have a great command in English language. They speak in English accent and some uses Aussie accent, depending on the account they are handling. You'll never have a problem communicating in English with them.

[Gray Wolf]

When I call my local cable company for assistance, I now get a Filipino call center. In fact, most of my calls that end up in a call center are with a center in the PH. I love it! Not only do I get great assistance with someone I can understand, we often end our "business" with me telling them about my family and home in the PH. We always have a great time talking, laughing and spreading good will between both countries. Way better than the old call centers in India. For the life of me, I can not grasp their dialect.

[FastWalk]

Without any doubt,  for me..   call centers in the Philippines are easier to deal with than in India.  That is from my own exp.   My wife who is of course filipina just hates dealing w/ India call center but also does't care much for dealing with Philippines center either.  Usually when we call we already have researched and have ideas on what is the problem/solution.

IMO:  companies do not pay to embed level 2 and level 3 service withing the call centers when contracting a lower cost location.  This can make it so that the level 1 call center worker simply is not empowered to solve many problems.  I mean,  they do not have the authority to say yes and not the experience to make creative solution.  In contrast most US call center that is still working will have been downsized to the point that only the level 2 and or level 3 ppl are still are left,  meaning they can solve almost anything.

I believe the Filipino persons make better customer service reps then from India.  The softer <public> style of communication is easier for US persons to accept.  India person will be closer to German in direct style, US persons can have issues with the direct approach.  I recall when first using India center(s) of needing to provide culture training in addition to technical training to have any success.