What The Best Call Center Companies In The Philippines Have In Common

Author: Customer Support Editor

Updated on March 11, 2018 | 7:47 am

What does it take to be the Call Center Capital of the World?

Call center companies in the Philippines are synonymous with first-rate service and superior human talent. The industry continues to be the breeding ground of many young and educated Filipinos that possess commendable written and verbal English language skills. Filipinos are also naturally warm and polite, making them the perfect fit for customer service roles.

Different international research and data companies, according to the online news source ASEAN Briefing, named the Philippines as the number one outsourcing destination. It has even surpassed India as the leading call center country. As a result, the sub-sector is expected to continue a robust growth rate until 2020, a UA&P (University of Asia and the Pacific) industrial economist stated. Call center companies in the Philippines, therefore, will remain as one of the main drivers of the country’s economy.

But what do most successful call centers in the country have in common?

Here are some of the things they share:

Young, talented workforce

Many Filipino millennials see tremendous opportunities in career growth and enhancement in call centers. As such, call centers are equipped with the latest technology and engaging work culture, which is welcoming to the younger generation. This explains the huge number of young, talented Filipinos who see stable, long-term careers in the industry.
Happy employees

Customer service expert Shep Hyken noted in a Forbes Leadership article that happier employees make happier customers. He further added that the happenings inside the organization has a direct impact to their customers. This is evident in a Gallup report titled “The State of the American Workplace” which revealed that more engaged employees are more likely to improve customer relationships, with a resulting 20 percent increase in sales. This is why the best call center companies in the Philippines invest heavily in employee wellness by designing and implementing programs that help agents manage stress, make use of vacation leaves, and lead healthy lifestyles. Facilities like sleeping quarters, gyms, and game rooms also add color to otherwise routine and stressful work days. Making agents happy doesn’t even have to cost a thing — ensuring that employees have work-life balance is just as valuable, and good call centers see to it that policies and employee compensation and benefits are fair to their workers.
Positive work environment

Call center companies in the Philippines know that a healthy work environment which promotes employee happiness and camaraderie reverberates in each call with the client. Top call centers keep their attrition rate low by creating a positive work environment where agents can thrive. Good management, mutual respect between workers and their superiors, incentives, and a well-thought-out reward system that makes employees feel valued for their hard work are likely to make them stay and perform better. Some employers also go the extra mile by offering pricey gifts like high-end gadgets and gift certificates to top performers. Others, on the other hand, simply offer praise and proper acknowledgement for a job well done.
Employee engagement

Established call centers know that their agents have to feel invested in the work they do. They often go the extra mile to engage their talents in a way that matches their interests. That is why different team building sessions, holiday celebrations, games, summer outings, and other similar activities are part of a typical Philippine call center culture. These kind of social activities encourage higher level of personal engagement. Similarly, it breaks the monotonous nature of call center jobs. Call center companies in the Philippines know that they are not simply giving their employees their paychecks. Instead, they make clear that their employees have a stake in the company — that they have a say in issues concerning the call center and their work environment.
Competitive wages

The call center and the BPO industry are among the most lucrative business industries in the Philippines today. Working in a call center offers competitive salary rates, giving out bonuses, and being generous with employee benefits. Philippine call centers understand generosity will help them secure top talent. They make sure that all of their agents are fully compensated for the work they do, and that they can expect to get a raise if warranted. They also give agents the tools and resources needed to gain financial security by offering free courses and lectures on money management.
Performance management

Call centers put soft skills and technology to use when gauging performance and encouraging agent skill development. Software that can track and analyze performance levels allows them to do away with time-consuming paperwork. It also makes it easier to identify agents’ skill sets, as well as any skill gaps that they need to address. Additionally, it gives management a clearer picture of their agents’ typical work day by helping them to sync schedules with anticipated peaks and valleys in call volume.
Training programs

When starting a new job, it doesn’t matter whether the agent has a previous call center experience or not. Philippine call centers regularly conduct training programs to guarantee that their agents are accustomed with industry trends and standards.
English-only policy

Majority of call center companies in the Philippines impose a strict implementation of the English-only policy (EOP). This rule helps their agents become more familiar, at ease, and confident when speaking to their Western clients. The accent and intonation of Filipino agents are closer to Americans’ compared to their Indian counterparts. It is also important to take note the culture is very similar, given that Americans once settled in the country.