"Hello MOTO:Motorola c261 for the tight budgetted and people who believes that Memories are meant to last ,no printiing and copying to be further done"

Let me talk about one gadget I can afford to carry along the long travel at EDSA amidst all polution, the snatchers and hold-upers This is the phone true to its essence of being mobile And the cellphone which I could gladly brag buying out of my call center salary.

My Motorola c261!!!

Other agents may be able to buy the fancy and higher versions of camera phone or video phone, blue tooth capable or with infrared and MP3 players Or what have you's with their 13th month pay or with all the niches in advertisements or whatever which way..

But for me, I bought the Motorola c261 in a very minimal budget from my Maternity Leave Subsidy .

It looks expensive but as much as PHP 3000,yes, you're reading it right,you could have a built in VGA camera phone.

My Three Beastie boys are the key contents of the picture folder and my Beastie 1 and 2 knows how to capture the moments of their ading or the yayas. My eldest even took a snapshot of the kid who kicked soil through his eyes. You see, he wanted me to confront that kid so now,seeing the picture, I know who to talk to and beat.Revenge!!!

Kidding aside,the pictures can be send through Multi Media Messaging Service (MMS). Texts with photos may be sent too.

The pictures may not be printed or saved in a memory card/chip, but you could send a PHP5 or so Most of the pictures can be downloaded and thus can be applied as your Wall paper or screen saver.

You can also do Instant Messaging (IM) via Wireless Village IM and chat with your friends or business partners in real time monitoring.

The Internet Access also is enableb through GPRS Class 8. Games can be downloaded as well as Polyphonic Ring tones

And when your hands are on the go, you can enable a speakerphone when you want to make a call Or when the Beasties want to talk to their Papa-in-Dreads all at the same time,,it makes it fun and loving to be all closer together. It's our own way of having a conference call.

The unit is so thin as the Razor and is rubberized. My youngest puts the unit in his mouth. Maybe he's thinking it's a popsicle or a slice of a pork chop. See how water and saliva proof it can be too?

The screen's wide and the the colors of the pictures are so vibrant. The back lights can be used as our home's flashlight during the night or when it is well charged during brown outs!

If need be,it can be a reflector when walking in dark places,like the moviehouse or when me and Husband- in- Dreads bring it to a concert to steal photos...Guards!!!

These phone comes in black casing only and has a flipping charger horns. Can you imagine what I mean?

Anyways,I said it once and I say it again, Indeed, Motorola c261 is for the tight budgetted and people who believes that Memories are meant to lasts, no printing and copying "

I have transferred offices,oh make that Call Centers and I've been a trainee for two months now.

What subject matter are we focusing so much in? Customer Service and the Service Mentality that one has to psyche himself in.It is a basic tool,not a gift, a person who wants to work in the Call Center or Service industry,most especially those who want to join the bandwagon of saying,"I'm a Call Center Representative ,Call Center Agent,or a Customer Service Specialist or what title there is,needs to equip and set his mind on.

It is what the client says it is.

It is how you make an impact on what you did for a customer or basically being responsible with a task assuring quality service to a customer. Bottom line is,amidst the different markets and niches that companies and corporations are in now, quality customer service is the sole ingredient of attracting and retainig customers. It sets one apart from the rest.It is not the low prices as a factor for competition,or the quality of the product ,but how the company representative served the client, good or bad,face to face or on the phone. Yeah, that got me thinking that as a CCS for that matter,I am the frontliner of the company.It is a make or break for the company I work in if I answer the phone sounding boring or with enthusiasm But for the newbies ,what really is the life in this industry....

Let's start from the very begginning...(sounds a familiar tune)

APPLICATION PROCESS

How does one get into the industry?

With advertisements everywhere,from the newspapers to the tarpaulins along EDSA,one best way and most common to recruit through employee refferral, Some big time ,pioneer centers offer as high as P150k for a managerial position .Call it friend to friend pirating with a bonus you both negotiate with...Going back,I remember during the job fair,I ran through a series of exam: Abstract Reasoning,Subject Verb Agreement,Reading Comprehensions,Paragraph Reading,Computer Technical Skills and Identifyng the Icons on a desktop..Don't worry no more essay writing. What's more important is how you will answer the questions during the initial and final interview.Some call centers would even record your voice.They try to listen if you have a neutral accent, not really American sounding but an accent that can be understood and no provincial slips .

What's so interesting in answering the interview questions?

They will be asking why you to expound on what is written in your resume, So one tip would be to have a concise,updated and very precise curriculum vitae. Just put bullet points on the highlights of your career. Basic question is"How do you want me to call you?"No they are not asking for your phone number ,landline or cellphone,but they are asking for your name.And don't say that when they ask you about how did you get your name,"it was given by my parents"or "my friends called me that".This question is not just a test on how creative you can be but how conversational you can get down to the smallest topic.Point is,let's get you talking!

Next stop why did you choose to work for their center? Most would answer "because I want to be part of the booming industry". I'm not really sure if it pertains to the trend or the "growing" industry or they just want to use that phrase.Just be part of the growth.Then utter some gorgeous word of mouth about the company plus your career growth and plans. At least you have a goal and you are focused even before you applied in their company. It's not really hard selling yourself but you indeed is confident,competent and self -reliant!

If a interviewer asks you "how can you get to our office from your house?" most people answer step by step,as in literally with steps. "I step out of the house,walk to the first block ,then step on a bus,step down the bus,walk to the building and wait for my turn"..Best answer would just be about what mode of transportation you take to get in here and how long the travel time would be. No more specifications on your itineraries but to them, travel time means how reliable you could be at times.

Then they will ask you if you are okay with graveyard shifts,working during holidays,not the usual weekend dayoffs. Many would answer "I'm okay with that" but no plans of continuing or not so aware how safe they would be able to travel. My God,t hink of the people from Laguna who would die to work fo a call center in Novaliches.Talk about a 3 am shift and sleeping at the office instead or the travel time and hazard pay .Talk about the determination.Whoo!

But the best part is when they tell you to count from one to twenty..Tip:try not to sound like the Count in Sesame Street but count like how the American kids in that show sounds.Or try this in it's simplest form,one that I could simplify for you..Pardon me,but this does not even comes close to phonetics.

Call Centre’s Green Call

More and more people are becoming aware of our environmental responsibilities and have treated it with utmost importance. There are a lot of environmentalists programs that teach or conduct seminars on how to prevent such things that cause problems in the environment and increase the awareness in the society.

We all know the “Reduce, reuse and recycle” slogan that has been going around for years, the constant reformulation of fuels for cars to produce less smoke, and water conservation, these prove how essential it is to protect our environment. As of present time, going green is becoming a popular trend among industries particularly the office furniture world. Using earth-friendly materials or recycled products help with the improvement of our environment by minimizing waste.

Companies like Interior Concepts who engage in manufacturing and designing office furniture for call centers and educational facilities have a whole policy covering how they provide solutions that are friendly to the environment and the responsibilities it comes along with. They are promoting the use of recycled materials to help preserve natural resources and can thus be passed on to the next generations.

Another point they made from acquiring recycled materials was how it can sustain profits for it can be purchased more economically than brand new materials. The company’s policy also states the use of enough materials and human resources to produce a product will of course prevent from over utilizing and wasting of their capital goods. They also deliver their products wrapped in blankets. When it comes to delivery, they try to reduce the amount of shipments by shipping products that are mostly assembled already. By doing so, they lessen the amount of fuels they use. Most of their fabrics too are Green-e certified.

By using mostly recycled materials, they are promoting sustainability and conserving the natural resources needed in manufacturing. Interior Concepts truly takes pride in their dedication to being the environment friendly innovators of furniture.

Call Center Agent's Reality Check

The call center industry is well regarded now as one that can provide employment to the increasing population of jobless Filipinos. Not only that the industry can promise employment but a competitive compensation, tempting fresh graduates to take the seat as a call center agent. But despite of the clear future that the call center career could offer, there is always a consequence upon looking on the other side. Check this article from Alexia Rodriguez of Contact News Magazine, the leading magazine of the outsourcing industry.

Call centers' health hazards

Long hours of work, permanent night shifts, incredibly high work targets and loss of identity are the dark clouds that threaten to mar the 'sunshine' call center industry in the Philippines.

Results of a survey conducted by the Department of Health among 50 people working in call center firms showed that call center work ranked high for attrition due to health reasons, sleeping disorders, voice loss, ear problems, digestive disorders and eyesight problems.

The survey was undertaken to identify the health problems of call center employees at an early stage, to identify the needs of women, mothers and young workers, to assess the risks perceived, to suggest risk reduction measures, and to review the health status of employees.

Call center agents Health problems

About 30 to 40 percent of the employees working in call centers had complained of eye problems due to poor lighting conditions and intensive computer use. Soreness, dryness, blurred vision, light sensitivity, headache -- all these put together is labeled as computer vision syndrome. This problem is more acute with the team leaders who need to come in early and go home late.

Digestive disorders are also common among employees call centers, according to the DOH survey. Thirty-four percent of employees had complaints of this type, as revealed by the Human Resources managers.

It was also pointed out that employees are facing the possibility of losing their voice. In its chronic form, it is characterized by inability to speak, pain, croakiness of voice, irritating cough, poor vocal power, inability to modulate and breathing difficulties -- all due to intensive verbal interaction with clients, given the odd timing and nature of work that roots people to a chair nine hours a day, reading pre-scripted conversations on the phone endlessly.

Employees have also been complaining of hearing problems due to exposure to high intensity sound from headsets and high sound levels from regular work.

Other issues were related to loss of identity, isolation, drug abuse, work pressure due to long hours of work, permanent night shift, and high work targets.

Negative work attitude

Symptoms of the burnout syndrome, which include chronic fatigue, insomnia and complete alteration of the 24-hour biological rhythm of the body, are routine cause for sickness absenteeism, the DOH survey said.

Chronic levels of stress affect the heart, endocrine system and also lead to sleep disorders.

Although most such cases do not require treatment or medication, they need guidance on physical and mental coordination to cope with a job that requires hyper-alert efficiency.

The DOH underscored the need to implement policies concerning work shifts, especially prolonged night work, and the importance of pre-employment and periodic medical examinations. It also cited the need for counseling sessions to tackle the stress on the job.

In a paper entitled "A Philippine Case Study - Examining Health and Safety in Contact Centers," Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) Executive Director Dulce Estrella-Gust said the two popular health hazards of working nightshifts is still obesity and nicotine dependency.

OSHC, a unit of the Department of Labor and Employment conducted its own survey of a number of call center companies recently and they validated what the industry has been suspecting for years, that call center agents are prone to smoking and over-eating.

"Call center agents are exposed to a lot of stress so they turn to smoking or they eat," says Dr. Estrella-Gust.

The OSHC issues policies to reduce work-related injuries, illnesses and even deaths. As part of its current program, Dr. Estrella-Gust and her people conduct trainings to all call center human resource managers on reducing occupational risk in the business process outsourcing field.

Call Center Agent Stress management

The call center executives, on the other hand, have more responsibility and accountability. They need to be disciplined to do well in the job. The supervisors always concentrate on performance and achieving targets. They do not have the time or the interest to go deep into these matters to find out the reasons for some of their employees' behaviors.

Unacceptable behaviors will cause disturbance to others and, overall, will affect productivity. Sleeping while on duty, reading novels and playing games on the computer during working hours brings down productivity: quality suffers.

According to DOLE-OSHC, the HR representatives and professional counselors jointly have a role to bring behavioral changes starting from the training days. Continuous education and counseling will help to prevent or mitigate such problems.

Psychologists say that behavioral/practica l approaches to stress management include exercise and eating a healthy, balanced diet, which includes diverse selections from the basic food groups. In addition, they recommend that the excessive use of alcohol, caffeine and sugar be avoided, as this contributes to fatigue and mood swings. It is also important to allow the body to rest and replenish itself to help the body develop resistance against future stress.

Progressive muscle relaxation is an active form of relaxation, where you contract each major muscle group of your body for about five seconds before loosening the contraction.

Some of the more passive relaxation approaches include listening to music, reading, and using saunas and hot tubs to relieve tension. Techniques used to relax the mind include meditation and visual imagery.

In the meantime meditation teaches you how to clear the mind of stressful and distracting thoughts by focusing the mental energy on your breathing. Visual imagery is designed to help the individual visualize himself/herself coping effectively with a stressor that was previously experienced as overwhelming.

Night work can be hazardous to your health and the demands of working in a stressful environment is a mental and physical strain on your general well being. Dr. Estrella-Gust advise nighttime workers to work on getting enough sleep, eating the right foods and keeping an active, social connection with family and friends. "Recognition of workers' problems in call centers is the first step," she says.