It is already way past midnight. The shoppers had gone home from their shopping spree at the malls in the area, and only a handful of people can be seen walking along Shaw Boulevard heading to Edsa. Many of them are probably heading home, while some others, in all of ironies, had just begun their day.
The air is bitterly cold. The annual winter spell has the city well secured within its frozen grip. Thinly-veiled mists surround the upper-half portion of the massive Starmall Annex, where E-Telecare calls the partially constructed building its home. The bleak and featureless ground floor, where the main lobby and the food kiosks are located is flooded with lights. It seems that the center of activity around Crossing revolves in that brightly lit space, where people wearing thick sweaters and rugged get-up come and go like drones from an automated assembly line.
I went inside the building to visit a friend who works in the said call-center. The place had drastically changed since the last time I went there. Back then, a portion of the building was a run-down watering hole, where Miss SexyTL celebrated her Nth birthday. Outside the watering hole, at the ground level were a couple of Basketball Courts that were rented to corporate people from Ortigas and Mandaluyong. We used to have a friendly game there between shifts-mates - that was only put to an end when all the shift-players resigned or terminated and were replaced with "guys" who prefer playing Volleyball or having inuman sessions instead of engaging in Basketball.
Last night, I found out that the courts and the watering hole had been dismantled. Even the escalators that were yet to be seen during my last visit is already operational. I proceeded to the reception area on the second floor to ask the receptionist about my friend. I asked her to inform him of my arrival. You see, he wasn't aware that I would drop by his office last night. As a force of habit, I usually show up unannounced. My visit was meant to be a surprise.
"Good afternoon maam, I'm looking for Mister XP. Is he around?"
"For a while sir, I'd look for his name in the database." The receptionist answered.
I found it strange that E-tel forgot to remind the receptionist that "for a while" is a Filipino response for "please hold on." Of all the things I remembered in my English Seminar back when I was applying at Convergys, it is to be aware of some English phrases and slangs that only Americans speak. Even in my work today, such high-level of acculturation that I learned from that training works for me effectively.
Unfortunately, XP's name did not appear on the database. To reach him, I was forced to use my phone in order to tell him of my presence. While waiting for XP to come out, I amused myself by observing the people arriving and leaving the reception area. As the rushed agents passed in front of me, I noticed that some things have changed, while many old call-center agent habits remain.
More than three years ago, I was part of the call center scene too. It was a dream that had a bad ending. I worked for an outbound call center in Ortigas where our objective was to sell low-grade ink printers to American companies. It was hell. The entire floor was like a disorganized marketplace where team leaders and managers would shout and scream at agents to force them to make more sale. Everyone was standing, walking, running or writing their sales figures on the white board. The pressure was so intense that I wasn't able to stay long enough to complete my training.
After that, I had several other engagements with different call centers. This time, the farthest I was able to reach was the final interview - where I always failed as an applicant. The last time I had a major run-in with a call center was shortly before I was hired by my present company. After that, I accepted the truth that call centers was not my calling. I should look for another career instead.
Despite my failings in those job applications, I was able to feel a slice of the culture that is prevailing in their unusual environment. One thing that is common to all agents is that they are all techie and definitely western oriented. By looking at their gadgets alone, some experienced observer may be able to distinguish an agent working for a big time call center or just a fly-by-night agency. Another noticeable characteristic of an agent is their undeniable aura of confidence and assertiveness which they must learn to be able to talk to an irate American client. Last night, I noticed these two undeniable traits of people coming in and out of the reception area.
XP came out later after several minutes. Perhaps, out of our poor eyesights, we were not able to catch each other at the reception area. Instead, he told me to meet him at the lobby, where the agents are usually found smoking or chilling out despite the unbelievably freezing temperature. After exchanging pleasantries, we've updated each others lives and talked about our immediate plans after New Year. His, was fully booked for a month because his significant other would arrive from the US, while I'm still figuring out how my new shift would work for me. Our conversation didn't take long for he had many things to do. I, on the other hand is still unused to being out late at night. So despite having the entire night to myself, I decided to go home and take some rest instead.
Looking back, it's been three years since I last had a slice of what a call center environment is. In fact, it's been two years since I went to a call center company to apply for a job. Back then, I was shy, timid and unable to project myself with confidence to impress my interviewers. I was insecure with myself, and the future that I was trying to shape wasn't certain at all. Things were very much different last night. Armed with the confidence coming from two years working in the same company, I was able to project myself as assertive and as western as I can.
After all, I've been chatting with Americans all this time. Between then - during the time I was jumping from call center to call center looking for work, and now - an established pioneer in a BPO company that serves the same clients as those call centers do, I guess I'm already equal to those I used to meekly look up to in my younger days.
I have become the call center agent I once dream of becoming.
The air is bitterly cold. The annual winter spell has the city well secured within its frozen grip. Thinly-veiled mists surround the upper-half portion of the massive Starmall Annex, where E-Telecare calls the partially constructed building its home. The bleak and featureless ground floor, where the main lobby and the food kiosks are located is flooded with lights. It seems that the center of activity around Crossing revolves in that brightly lit space, where people wearing thick sweaters and rugged get-up come and go like drones from an automated assembly line.
I went inside the building to visit a friend who works in the said call-center. The place had drastically changed since the last time I went there. Back then, a portion of the building was a run-down watering hole, where Miss SexyTL celebrated her Nth birthday. Outside the watering hole, at the ground level were a couple of Basketball Courts that were rented to corporate people from Ortigas and Mandaluyong. We used to have a friendly game there between shifts-mates - that was only put to an end when all the shift-players resigned or terminated and were replaced with "guys" who prefer playing Volleyball or having inuman sessions instead of engaging in Basketball.
Last night, I found out that the courts and the watering hole had been dismantled. Even the escalators that were yet to be seen during my last visit is already operational. I proceeded to the reception area on the second floor to ask the receptionist about my friend. I asked her to inform him of my arrival. You see, he wasn't aware that I would drop by his office last night. As a force of habit, I usually show up unannounced. My visit was meant to be a surprise.
"Good afternoon maam, I'm looking for Mister XP. Is he around?"
"For a while sir, I'd look for his name in the database." The receptionist answered.
I found it strange that E-tel forgot to remind the receptionist that "for a while" is a Filipino response for "please hold on." Of all the things I remembered in my English Seminar back when I was applying at Convergys, it is to be aware of some English phrases and slangs that only Americans speak. Even in my work today, such high-level of acculturation that I learned from that training works for me effectively.
Unfortunately, XP's name did not appear on the database. To reach him, I was forced to use my phone in order to tell him of my presence. While waiting for XP to come out, I amused myself by observing the people arriving and leaving the reception area. As the rushed agents passed in front of me, I noticed that some things have changed, while many old call-center agent habits remain.
More than three years ago, I was part of the call center scene too. It was a dream that had a bad ending. I worked for an outbound call center in Ortigas where our objective was to sell low-grade ink printers to American companies. It was hell. The entire floor was like a disorganized marketplace where team leaders and managers would shout and scream at agents to force them to make more sale. Everyone was standing, walking, running or writing their sales figures on the white board. The pressure was so intense that I wasn't able to stay long enough to complete my training.
After that, I had several other engagements with different call centers. This time, the farthest I was able to reach was the final interview - where I always failed as an applicant. The last time I had a major run-in with a call center was shortly before I was hired by my present company. After that, I accepted the truth that call centers was not my calling. I should look for another career instead.
Despite my failings in those job applications, I was able to feel a slice of the culture that is prevailing in their unusual environment. One thing that is common to all agents is that they are all techie and definitely western oriented. By looking at their gadgets alone, some experienced observer may be able to distinguish an agent working for a big time call center or just a fly-by-night agency. Another noticeable characteristic of an agent is their undeniable aura of confidence and assertiveness which they must learn to be able to talk to an irate American client. Last night, I noticed these two undeniable traits of people coming in and out of the reception area.
XP came out later after several minutes. Perhaps, out of our poor eyesights, we were not able to catch each other at the reception area. Instead, he told me to meet him at the lobby, where the agents are usually found smoking or chilling out despite the unbelievably freezing temperature. After exchanging pleasantries, we've updated each others lives and talked about our immediate plans after New Year. His, was fully booked for a month because his significant other would arrive from the US, while I'm still figuring out how my new shift would work for me. Our conversation didn't take long for he had many things to do. I, on the other hand is still unused to being out late at night. So despite having the entire night to myself, I decided to go home and take some rest instead.
Looking back, it's been three years since I last had a slice of what a call center environment is. In fact, it's been two years since I went to a call center company to apply for a job. Back then, I was shy, timid and unable to project myself with confidence to impress my interviewers. I was insecure with myself, and the future that I was trying to shape wasn't certain at all. Things were very much different last night. Armed with the confidence coming from two years working in the same company, I was able to project myself as assertive and as western as I can.
After all, I've been chatting with Americans all this time. Between then - during the time I was jumping from call center to call center looking for work, and now - an established pioneer in a BPO company that serves the same clients as those call centers do, I guess I'm already equal to those I used to meekly look up to in my younger days.
I have become the call center agent I once dream of becoming.
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