Secretary's Desk

A notable desk in the office would be the secretary desk. This simple piece of office furniture is not just any table---it serves as the connecting bridge to the boss' office to the rest of the other employees. Hence, picking the right secretary desk is more critical than one thinks. First of all, it must be spacious enough to hold in all of the necessary stuff that a secretary needs---they should all be within reach. Having the secretary comfortable will mean a lot too because the secretary does the most tedious jobs to endure the harmonious schedule of the boss.

The secretary's desk must be in accordance with the personality of the boss. The key here is to have an organized secretary desk because it reflects the kind of organization that the boss has. It should be enough to accommodate the essential work flow systems of the secretary, so her table should not just be like any other normal office desk. It must have a lot of compartments and it must immediately give the impression that the workplace is well-run and that it is able to complete all its tasks in the given period of time.

Remember that aside from the reception area, the secretary also receives a lot of guests. In fact, important guests of the boss. So give ample consideration to the workstation of the secretary and her well-being in that area. This piece of office furniture can be impressive when it is neatly divided into compartments such as having an area that is entirely devoted to office stationary items, business cards, and office notes. Allow this kind of space when considering the kind of secretary desk for the office secretary.

Allot another area that is conducive for answering important business calls and for taking down notes, or having a directory that is within reach. Consider having a computer as well since everything is almost reliant on computers nowadays. This is very vital to the secretary because all the important details must be within her reach. Allow customizing extra compartments for the keyboard, the mouse and others too. Remember these things well because the secretary's job is hard enough already, so opt for the perfect secretary desk for her.

All prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including KY jelly, eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes; Liquids including water, juice, or liquid nutrition or gels for passengers with a disability or medical condition; Life-support and life-sustaining liquids such as bone marrow, blood products, and transplant organs; Items used to augment the body for medical or cosmetic reasons such as mastectomy products, prosthetic breasts, bras or shells containing gels, saline solution, or other liquids; and, Gels or frozen liquids needed to cool disability or medically related items used by persons with disabilities or medical conditions.

We are now not limited in the amount or volume of these items when we travel now or when we bring in as carry-on bag.But if these items are in containers larger than three ounces, they advise us to : Separate these items from the liquids, gels, and aerosols in your quart-size and zip-top bag. Declare you have the items to one of our Security Officers at the security checkpoint. Present these items for additional inspection once reaching the X-ray. These items are subject to additional screening.

Also keep in mind that soda or coffee bought at the airport are not allowed to be boarded

BREASTMILK on the go

I saw an article about Sea Princee Prieto being hailed as the "Idol ng Breastfeeding" Maybe because she has a hectic schedule with all her artsy fartsies and yet committed herself to breastfeeding her child for 6 more months.

Question, so how do you call a mother who works in a call center and breastfeeds a 3 year old and one year old up until now???? Answer:a MOTHER and no idolatry at all! How did I survive?It's plain commitment,love and practicallity.

If you believe in the numerous benefits that breastfeeding gives both te mother and the child,like the tie that bonds and all the antibodies for the kid,you would bear the pain when they drink from you.If you admit you are one hell of a mammal(where I guess the word Mama was derived from),then you are aware of your responsibility to feed.Sometimes not just your child but others e.g. your spouse LOL!

One thing interesting about breastfeeding and working is that you get to choose wearing a disposable breast pad or a cloth washable one. Pigeon disposable breastpads and Gerber cloth breast pads are both important tool for me at work.

Pigeon has boxes of 8 12 24 or so i remember.I always bring 2 pairs just in case.But Gerber has only 2 pairs though more expensive it lasts longer.

With regards to breast pump,I tried bringing the plastic pump by Babyflo and not the expensive mechanical by AVENTI or others.But with just 2 minutes personal breaks from the industry,it's hard pumping at work.Will there come a time that mothers have an extra AUXillary code or break for too personal things???

A thought to ponder!

A HEADS up ON HEADSETS

When you work in the Call center industry,you have your soft assets or soft tools for the call-health,presence of mind and voice. But the work is possible because of your tools-the computer,sometimes a hard phone and most especially a Headset.

Headsets mean a call can be answered efficiently and more on productivity, because your hands are free.You can press the keys on the keyboard, document the call while talking and doing other tasks,even stretching

Headsets also mean there's no more need to get the phone and hold it or place it between your shoulder and jaw.

My first ever headset was an Avaya Encore Ultra II NC Binaural Headband Headsets with Noise Canceling MicAvaya Encore Ultra II NC Binaural Headband Headsets with Noise Canceling Mic

The headset is binaural meaning it is worn as a headband with sound in both ears .The earpieces are covered with soft cushion .If it is just with one ear piece,it is called mono aural.

The Avaya Encore comes with a green pouch when I used it. It has control on how low or high pitched you want to hear the customer calling.The microphone tube can be adjusting how far or near it is to your mouth.This entails how you would sound to the customer.If your mouth is too close, you sound garbling or unclear.Best thing to do,one good tip from my trainer, is to place 2 fingers between your mouth and cheek and the mic..

Here are other AVAYA binaural headband Headset models.They just differ with regards to the ear cushions-either it comes with a soft foam or a leatherette.Also some has transparent voice tube or microphone compared to a solid black one. It also differs if it has a noise cancelling mic that allows no other noises around but just the sound between your voice and the customer..

Ever wonder what call center agents are looking at while trying to help you? Agents have only the tools they need to access your account, and nothing more.

"There's a manual that they follow, that tells them exactly what can and cannot be done in every case. They log into several programs when they come to work. First, the program that sends them the calls. Then, there's the work station program. Here is where they make notes, and open cases. If something needs to be done, like moving funds into the correct account, waiving a late fee, they just open a case and it's done by the back office guys. They also log into a program that pulls up scans of all of the customer's documents and files (the number of customers who think they run out to a filing cabinet with the documents of several million customers is also hilarious) And if it's something that needs approval, they can put the customer on hold and connect to a supervisor in the US (who are really just better paid agents with a touch more authority.)"

When I go to work I always take an ordinary bus ride then take the MetroRail Transit(MRT) at the GMA station.

It is best to take the coach when you feel you need to pro actively breeze within few minutes allotment.And when it rains cats and dogs,MRT is the most suitable mode of transportation to take into consideration. You can never be late with 30 mins in the MRT Not that I dread buses but hey there is one good thing riding it. Some buses gets you up and warmed up listening to music of local radio stations. Sometimes it plays real music. Sometimes just an addition to the noise pollution. Today,on a rainy day,I'm all geared up as I heard this over the radio...

HOMEWARD BOUND

I'm sittin' in the railway station got a ticket for a destination. On a tour of one night stands my suitcase and guitar in hand. And every stop is neatly planned for a poet and a one man band. Homeward bound I wish I was homeward bound. Home where my thought's escaping home where my music's playing. Home where my love lies waiting silently for me. Every day's an endless stream of cigarettes and magazines. And each town looks the same to me for movies and the factories. And every stranger's face I see reminds me that I long to be

Homeward bound...

But all my words come back to me in shades of mediocrity. Like emptiness and harmony I need someone to comfort me.

Homeward bound...

We've gotta say, we're having real trouble figuring out exactly which MP3 player the bright green "Mini Aluminum Pocket Clipper" is trying to copy: the lack of a symbol for the play button, coupled with a badly Photoshopped logo on the back has us really muddled! The second example, the iQ Sound 2GB Clip-on Aluminum MP3 Player with FM -- at least tries to improve upon its "source of inspiration," whatever that device may be.

MY NEWEST FLOOR SUPPORT

GN 2025 NC headsets are the most suitable headsets right now.or just because it is what I am using at the moment .

They have a wide array of sound quality and you can hear yourself while you are talking to the customer, It is durable even if you accidentally dropped it on the floor. but hey, take a little bit caution because this honey costs 16 grand which might be deducted at your separation pay once damaged or scratched.

It is comfortable to wear with the foam leatherette cushion on the earphones and a rubber -plastic to metal pivots on its side.

It has a cancelling microphone boom but chewing is still prohibited whenever you are on a phone,remember?

We wear it like a head band with foam somewhat leatherette ear cushion No wonder some call center men(referring not just the gender) now wear headbands when pushing their hair away their faces hahaha

It has a technology called Peakstop that protects sudden loud sound or noises.

My headset is connected with an adapter called GN netcom Jabra.

It has a detachable stand that looks like a fairy's wand but thats where you hang the headset while on break. It can also be used for making wishing and wands for good calls.

This little bingo reduces background noises by its technology through filtering out the surrounding noises.

It has a volume adjustment keeping the incoming calls at the level you want to set.

It allows us to set our preferred settings with regards to the incoming calls and that's where you truly say you have the authority and call control but limit on excusing yourself with the call or avoiding the call. Remember that is one ground for termination.

The Jabra has a mute button on the left and a headset or hard phone setting atop the volume control.

So far,using the GN netcom gadgets allows me to hear okay and service the call with quality.

Its a skateboard like, feet rest... its The Webble seems to be the bastard child of an foot-rest and a skateboard, and is likely to bring along with it some of the later street attitude into the office environment of the former.

The webble™ breaks new ground with its ultra smooth gliding motion that gets your legs moving while you work. Departing from the static, almost orthopedic aesthetic of so many foot rests, the webble’s iconic shape invites a smile and encourages your feet to go for a ride. No detail left behind, we even added a patent pending spring suspension and self-braking mechanism to keep your office mates from zooming away with your webble™.

Available as a Ferrari red model with anti-skip racing stripes, or as the Webble AIR with a mesh and style matching the iconic Aaron chair, the weebles includes a suspension system, and a self-breaking mechanism to minimize the dreaded "skateboard-in-your-shins" office incidents. And I having worked in animation studios where some young creative types were actually using their skateboards as rolling footrests, I can tell you that having brakes on those things will come in handy.

With every other A-lister raving about the iPhone, I can’t help but feel happy for everyone who got themselves a unit. I mean come on, these people deserve some credit as they went through hell, with some even camping out Apple stores days before launch, just to be one of the first to own Apple’s newest, much anticipated product.
So here’s a little something for all of you lucky, proud new owners of an iPhone:

"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.