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| Working as a Corporate Vampire |
Blog Postings
When people me ask what I do for a living I always tell them that I am a "Corporate Vampire". Normally I get a confused and somehow amused reaction, followed by the satisfaction of explaining what I meant and marks the start of interesting conversations. I do work in a corporate setting being the Program Manager of an International Airline Account for one of the call centers here in Makati. Why do I call myself a vampire? It's not for the love of blood but mainly for the nocturnal nature of my job. I work on the overnight shift. Thus, I sleep during the day and wide awake all night. Other than the permanent eye bags and having to limit my day activities I have been working the night shift for over five years and loving it. And why I do I like it?
Working the overnight shift beats having to endure traffic every single day in a city that traffic is top most on our daily vocabulary. Working later at night means the regular eight to five people have gone home and less cars are on the street. With the kind of weather that we have humidity is more tolerable at night. Thus, hours of prepping for work so that you look and feel good about yourself will not go to waste as sweating is less likely. And of course one cannot deny the number one selling point of most call centers paying a lot more than regular companies even on an entry level position. These are very minor reasons why I would encourage people to work in the call center and merely the beginning.
On a more important note, the call center has provided so many equal opportunities for a lot of people. It has minimized discrimination in the workplace as anyone can be hired regardless of age, educational background and even gender preference. All you need is excellent communication skills and the stamina to be able to shift adjust depending on the need of the account that you are working for. Working on the overnight is ideal for students who are trying to finish school during the day and in need of a source of income at night. As times are hard, people who are a little bit older but still have the need and capability to work are given the chance to, when traditional companies would not offer anything to anyone over 40 years old. People foster friendships and close personal relationships with the people they worked with as Teamwork is one of the biggest word in the call center industry. Most call centers encourage group oriented activities outside of work to create a work environment where morale is kept on check and maintained as high as possible. And there of course is the popular fact of salary with traditional companies not paying as much as call centers do. Starting salary for agents whether you are 18 or 50 ranges from Php 15,000.00 to Php 20,000.00 dependent on the skills needed. As most call centers operate on the 24x7 shift, night differentials are mandatory. Transportation allowances, meal allowances are given as well on top of the mandatory benefits. One of the things that makes call centers known for are non taxable Performance Incentives that employees can get based on their performance on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Agents who are doing well can get as much Php 1,000.00 to Php 3,000.00 minimum depending on the account and the company which could mean more. Agents can also win electronic gadgets such as cell phones, iPODs, digital cameras, home appliances, various gift certificates as rewards for their performance on top of their basic salary. Training opportunities are provided as well within the company to enhance career growth if one would be interested to be a part of the management team.
One of the things that made me stay in the industry is the ability to fast track my career depending on how hard I work. I have only been with my current company for less than 3 years and I have already been promoted 3 times. A very important difference of a call center environment over traditional companies is that everything is performance based. Promotion is based on merit and not on tenure. In my few years in the call center I was able to control my career path as well as how fast my promotion can be. Call centers value your real time contribution to the company second to tenure.
It does not stop there. As most companies' accounts are international, I have been recently given the chance to travel outside of the country. It's a privilege and honor being able to represent your company to big corporations in the United States and makes you proud of being a Filipino as well.
Working for a call center is not for the faint of heart. You need to have passion in what you do. Contrary to popular belief that being in the call center is a no brainer job you may want to reconsider if that is what you believe. Working with people every single day who speak different languages is not an easy feat. The training that you have to undergo before you can actually be on the phone can be as short as two weeks or as rigid as two months. If it such a simple thing to do, imagine being able to locate airline seats when you have never even been in an airplane. Driving directions in the United States when you have never been outside of the country.
The call center is a very dynamic industry to work in. It has taught me so much about people and made a more mature individual. I look at myself and count my accomplishments with the opportunity given by the industry in a very short period of time. My only regret is that I wished I had known about the industry a lot earlier than I have. For if I did I cannot imagine where I would be right now. If you are still trying to find out what you want to do with your life why not try the call center? You'll never know but it might be the path you are looking for. See you soon.
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