I live in the world's ideal business process outsourcing (BPO) country and yes, I've had my shares of call center stories because I've hopped from one Philippine call center to another.
My romance with the BPO industry began in 2004 when I got hired as a market researcher for an outbound call center. Back then, most people didn't entirely understand the concept of the call center industry.
Back then, most people think that call center agents are the new breed of telephone operators - transferring calls from one department to another. Right now, call center agents are the new breed of high-paying white-colllared professionals. Some people think that if you're in the call center, you're probably reeking more moolah than the average local store manager.
Working as a market researcher for an outbound call center I had my share of struggles. I was not accustomed to the work schedule. For eight hours, I had this funny accent. And I was getting frustrated with the expletives thrown at me almost every hour from the people we were calling! My affair with the outbound call center lasted several months and I decided to never step foot on a call center again.
My second love affair with the call center was in in 2005. I found myself again employed in another Philippines call center but this time, I was a tech support for an inbound customer service department of an American ISP provider. Again, I didn't last long. I didn't thought that TSRs required the longest of patience that anyone could have. Patience, at that moment, was something that I didn't have.
To sum it up, I've had short-lived love affairs with several Philippine call centers. My affairs with the call centers are short and tragic. If my affairs were lovestories, they never got to the point that you could say they were exciting or lasting.
But hey, guess what? I'm in a love-hate relationship with another call center company. I guess, I'm tied to the outsourcing world. :)
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