Call centers scramble to widen talent pool
By Riza T. Olchondra
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 07:16:00 07/05/2008
MANILA, Philippines—Faced with increasing demand for agents, contact centers are investing in training programs to enlarge the labor supply without sacrificing quality, industry officials said.
One of the first contact centers to venture into the Philippines, ePerformax Contact Centers has set up a training academy offering free training to “far-hires”—applicants who want to be call center agents but need intensive communications training compared with “near-hires” who need minimal training to start working.
“Some graduates or even people who have worked in other call centers may be able to speak English, but that is not enough,” ePerformax president and chief executive Teresa Hartsaw said at a news briefing. “What we want are people who have global communications skills, who can understand and interact with people of other cultures without need for a script.”
The Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) said that efforts similar to that of ePerformax were being explored to enlarge the talent pool and give far-hires a chance to work in the industry.
“It is not because we are lowering our standard but we are giving people who cannot readily qualify a chance by giving them training to put them up to the same standard,” CCAP executive director Jojo Uligan said.
Hartsaw added that based on ePerformax’s experience, offering good training promotes loyalty to the company.
The training will be conducted at the Global Communications Management Academy (GCMA) at the 12th floor of the Pacific Star Building in Makati City.
“We believe that GCMA will bring out the best in the Filipinos who have an inherent caring nature and willingness to help people. That is something we cannot train people for. Communication skills, on the other hand, can be taught so this is what we are doing,” Hartsaw said.
ePerformax training director Justin Myers said that near-hires need about a month to be “hirable” while far-hires may need another two months or even more. He added that no fees are required from applicants interested in enrolling in their six-week and nine week training program.
ePerformax was established in 2002 under a partnership formed between the Performance Consulting Group of the US and Transnational Diversified Group (TDG) of the Philippines.
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