Posts Tagged ‘Philippines call center’

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Customer Service 101

Wednesday, May 16th, 2012

Good customer service is the foundation of any business such as Philippine contact center. In today’s world, business competition is harder than ever and consumers are willing to spend more in exchange for excellent customer service. Most businesses realize the importance of being committed to customer service that’s why they outsource and make use of inbound call center services and outbound call center services.

 

A Philippine call center must know that they not only need to meet their customer’s expectations, but they must strive to exceed them. For inbound call center agents, there is more opportunity in exceeding customers’ expectations even when they’re complaining. The important thing is that you listen and don’t tell them that they’re wrong; then acknowledge the issue, try to reach an agreement, and do your best to keep them happy. They may not be right, but at least you listened to their point of view. Usually people just want to be heard. You must use this complaint as a positive thing to help you grow and improve.

 

In an outbound call center setting, you need to be flexible in your approach. Don’t just make a sale but rather, offer solutions in the best interest of your customer. You also need to let customers drive how you interact with them. Though you may not always be able to offer the type of communication channel your customers want, you can still be responsive to their behavior. Lastly, honor your word. If you tell someone you’ll follow-up with them by end of day, you have to do it. There’s nothing worse than having someone tell you they’ll contact you later, then having to track them down again. Keep in touch with customers and check if the products or services are good.

 

Good customer service results to repeat guests while bad customer service drives customers away taking their friends, family and workmates. It is very important to have a good customer service not just to make the customers happy but to attract potential customers.


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Posted in Call Center Agent Articles, Inbound Call Center, Outbound Call Center, Philippine Call Center | 2 Comments »




Philippine Call Center: Future Virtual Assistants

Wednesday, October 5th, 2011

Virtual assistants are a growing trend in the business world. If you own a small business and you are in need for administrative support or other services, hiring a virtual assistant will be a strategic plan to grow your business. This is because Philippine call center providers can deliver the work with the same quality as the work office employees or even better. The most outstanding benefits of hiring a virtual assistant is that you can get the same service without having to deal with screening and sustaining a full-time employee. This means you will have fewer expenses and more savings.

 

Now, with the rapid changes in consumer demands and the rise of technology as well, there are more than administrative tasks that VA’s can offer. Some of the changes anticipated in the role of virtual assistants of the future will include an entrepreneurial approach. Future assistants will have to possess deep knowledge of management principals, have sound interpersonal skills and a great degree of technical aptitude. These skills will be essential as more and more functions become automated requiring virtual assistants to respond with a human touch that automation will eliminate. Future virtual assistants will have to acquire specialized training in budgeting, negotiation, planning, supervision and delegation. Another important field in which the future assistants will have to be adept in will be security of sensitive information, as most information will be transmitted electronically. Future virtual assistants will no longer be considered as generalists instead they will be expected to be specialists in day to day business administration.

 

 

 


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Philippine Telemarketing: Developing Appointment Setting

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

One of the many ways in which businesses can use outbound telemarketing methods is through telemarketing appointment setting. Telemarketing appointment setting is a great way to improve business development efforts, but successful telemarketing appointment setting requires extensive skills and particular techniques. It also needs to be carefully monitored and measured by the business conducting the campaigns to ensure that they are being undertaken correctly.

 

Qualify the Prospect. This refers to making sure that the person you are trying to meet with is a good fit for what you are trying to sell. The best way to qualify the prospect is to ask a couple of questions during the cold call to see how they fit with what you have to offer.

 

Decrease Guard. There are very clear and practical things that you can do to do this.  Two things in particular are that name drop other individuals in the organization that you are calling into and you can disqualify the prospect.

 

Build Rapport. This can be challenging on a cold call as you really only have between two to five minutes to work with.  But there are some minor things we can do to build rapport like confirming they are available, disqualifying, delivering a value statement, active listening, qualifying, etc.

 

Build Interest. One of the keys is to finding pain. If there is no pain, there is no reason to meet with you. Once you uncover pain, you can focus and connect to it the business value that you have to offer.

 

Tell, Don’t ask. Once you have effectively built interest, you should go trying to get the appointment set. One thing to help with this is to shift from asking for the meeting to telling.

 

 


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Posted in Call Center Articles, Outbound Call Center, Philippine Telemarketing | 1 Comment »




Philippines Call Center: Effective Communication

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Effective communication is vital if you wish people to understand your viewpoint. It becomes even more crucial in professional settings, as fierce competition means that customers must be convinced that your products are superior to your rival’s. Having effective communication in the Philippines call center is the cornerstone of establishing trust within inbound and outbound call center teams and making productivity improvement gains in their performance.

 

Organize Your Thoughts. Organizing your thoughts systematically is the first step to effective communication. You should be clear about the message that you want to convey, and it is helpful to have a framework for the conversation.

 

Be a good listener. Effective communication is two-way process; if you adopt a one-way attitude, you will fail to create a rapport with your counterpart. By making the other person feel that you value their participation in the conversation, and that you are addressing his/her needs, you make him/her much more willing to accommodate your position. In practice, this means that you must listen patiently and converse accordingly.

 

React Appropriately. If someone puts you on the spot and you’re not sure what so say, instead of feeling under pressure to say what first comes to mind, take some time to consider your response. It’s natural to want to answer right away and it takes some practice to stop and think about your response, but there are situations that require a bit more thought, at least in how you phrase your response.

 

Body Language. The message you convey through your gestures, body language, and facial expressions will play a huge role in the response you elicit. For this reason, your verbal and nonverbal message need to be consistent; otherwise, you will send mixed signals and not achieve the outcome you desire.


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Posted in Call Center Articles, Inbound Call Center, Outbound Call Center | 3 Comments »




Philippines as the “Next Asian Dragon” in BPO Industry

Saturday, July 16th, 2011

As the IT-BPO industry in the Philippines is experiencing rapid growth at 25 per cent per annum, investors have begun to see this island nation as the ‘next Asian dragon’. According to the Commission on ITC (CICT) chief Ivan John Enrile Uy, several of the major companies in the world are now operating their largest service centers in the Philippines resulting in the rapid growth of the IT-BPO industry in the country.

 

Quoting Uy, a recent website report says that the IT-BPO industry in the Philippines employed approximately 525,000 workforces in 2010 and had earned over $9.1 billion in terms of revenues. Uy emphasized that the objective of CICT was to reinforce the preparedness of these cities as well as the districts outside Metro Manila to emerge as favorite destinations for investors in the IT-BPO industry. According to him, this plan would help to decongest Metro Manila and, at the same time, widen the opportunities for economic growth to other regions of the country capitalizing on the plentiful and internationally competitive employees available in the Philippines. He said that currently, about 20 per cent of the country’s IT and BPO firms are located outside the core metropolitan regions of Manila and Cebu and this leaning is likely to continue. As cities outside Metro Manila are emerging as new bubs for IT and BPO industry or the Next Wave Cities, the Philippines is presently witnessing the influence of this sector on the rural communities.

 

Uy mentioned that the leading global research and outsourcing advisory firm Tholons has ranked Manila as fourth and Cebu as ninth in the Top 100 cities in the World for Outsourcing in its 2010 list. In addition, a number of Next Wave Cities of the country, including Davo (69); Sta. Rosa (Laguna) (88); Iloilo (98) and Bacolod (100), were included in Tholons Top 100 cities list for 2010.

 

 


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Philippine Call Center: Work Relationships

Sunday, July 3rd, 2011

In today’s unpredictable and challenging business environment, you have to build successful work relationships and interact with people in a positive way to achieve your organizational goals. Developing good relations with Philippine call center agents and the supervisor should be one of your top goals when you begin work. Good relationships will allow progress to be made and will make work more enjoyable, but they must be kept in balance with the work itself. Here are some rules to keep in mind.

 

Do not become too intimate with co-workers or the supervisor. Becoming friendly with a co-worker is fine, as long as others are not excluded, and everyone is treated with the same respect in work-related situations. Your first consideration is to get the job done. Your second consideration is to enjoy your work.

 

Learn to keep emotions and feelings under control. No matter how rude someone is to you, stay calm and don’t lose your temper. It’s helpful to explain how you feel about what they said or did. Keep your voice calm and speak clearly. Let the supervisor handle it from there. It is better to try to solve problems yourself, if possible.

 

Avoid gossiping about co-workers. For example, running to the boss all of the time to tell him/her that a co­worker was on the phone or browsing facebook or a co-worker was reading a newspaper at his desk is not professional or ethical. Workers who do this are rarely trusted because they are so busy with other people’s business that they can’t tend to their own.

 


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Inbound Call Center: Career Coaching

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

Being an inbound call center agent is really a tough job.  Meeting the expectations of the organization, the supervisor or team leaders stressing operational efficiency and at the same time dealing with the demands of customers who want problem resolution or satisfaction can be very stressful. Thus you might be dissatisfied and unhappy with your customer service job and might look for something else but you might not be sure about what exactly it is.

 

If you are contemplating a change in career or feeling stagnant in your job, having a professional career coach maybe just what you need to help you make an informed decision about your future. Career coaching helps individuals discover what they really want to do with their lives and then develop a strategy to achieve it. A career coach can help you in deciding your career path. They are like sports coach who can motivate you, inspire you, guide you and assist you towards a strong career. They can help you gain clarity in your life. Most people don’t know what they really want in their careers. Even the ones that do, they don’t know when they get it. You can also find out what motivates you. It is about realizing how you were wired since birth and how to use that programming to achieve happiness which we call values and beliefs. Knowing what is important will make it easy to say no to things and people that waste your time. At the same time, you will discover opportunities that in the past have avoided you. And while you will raise the bar, you will also get the encouragement, recognition, support that you deserve. This will help you achieve results much faster.

 

 


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Call Center Career Tips: The Value of Punctuality

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011

Philippine call center life – especially as an urban dweller – can be most chaotic. However, the importance of punctuality should never be underestimated – showing up on time to an appointment or work is the mark of a truly professional inbound and telemarketing agents. Being punctual for your work day, your appointments, and your deadlines shows respect for others and for yourself as well. Being habitually late shows a serious lack of organization skills and perhaps will even give the impression that you do not like your job or the person you are meeting with. Here are a few tips to help you be on time:

 

Organize Your Pre-Work Routine: Get your clothes ready the night before, give yourself an extra thirty minutes to get ready, leave earlier than you absolutely have to. These are all things that can help you get ready and out the door so you can face the world—in the punctual way.

 

Know the importance of rest. Being well rested is another key to having your day go on schedule. If you are tired and fatigued you are less likely to be prepared for the next day. Just like having a set time to get up in the morning, you should also have a set time to go to bed.

 

Make a Record of Your Attendance: If your boss isn’t doing it for you and sending you reminders, make a record of when you come in to work late and when you get there on time. This may give you a clearer picture of how often you are tardy.

 

Work on Time Management: You are not going to get things done if you don’t make the time for that to happen. Most people can’t make up success as they go along.

 

 

 


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Posted in Call Center Agent Articles, Call Center Articles, Inbound Call Center, Outbound Call Center, Philippine Telemarketing | 1 Comment »




Philippine Call Center: Fast Food Facts

Saturday, June 18th, 2011

With today’s fast-paced call center lifestyle, fast food is the fastest way to satisfy those hungry stomachs. Philippine call center agents generally eat fast food because it’s convenient, cheap and usually tastes pretty good. However, many aren’t aware that it’s usually cheap because it’s often made with cheaper ingredients such as high fat meat, refined grains, and added sugar and fats.

 

Fast food doesn’t have to be unhealthy, but most of the time it is; outbound call center agents often order foods with more fat, calories, sugar and sodium, and less nutrition and vitamins than is necessary. For all we know, there is no such thing as bad food for as long as you don’t have it on a regular basis. Because fast food is high in sodium, saturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol, eating too much over a long period of time can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity.  But today, more and more fast food restaurants are offering healthier options and new menu items. There are also ways you can customize your order to be healthy for you. You should practice portion control and go light on toppings such as mayonnaise, cheese, gravy and salad dressings. It may seem like a bargain to super-size your order but try to avoid that. Choose water, low-fat milk, or diet sodas instead of regular sodas, milkshakes, or whole milk which can be a huge source of hidden calories and sugar.

 

Always keep in mind that balance fast food with other nutritious foods throughout the day and make healthier choices whenever possible. Fast food does not have to be bad for you. By making smart choices, eating fast food restaurants can be healthy.

 


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Posted in Call Center Articles, Inbound Call Center, Outbound Call Center, Philippine Telemarketing | 2 Comments »




BPO: Essential SEO Tips

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

Basic SEO is all about common sense and simplicity. The purpose of search engine optimization is to make a website as search engine friendly as possible.

 

First of all, you have to build a great website when doing SEO. Your internet site will be the hub of your web business; it’s the practical representation of your business whether your business exists physically or not. SEO isn’t also a one-time event. Search engine algorithms change regularly, so the tactics that worked last year may not work this year. It requires a long-term outlook and commitment. Getting ranked in search engines doesn’t happen in a click. When you do SEO, you have to be patient. Results often take months to see, and this is especially true the smaller you are, and the newer you are to doing business online. You also need to start a blog and participate with other related blogs. Search engines, Google especially, love blogs for the fresh content and highly-structured data. Beyond that, there’s no better way to join the conversations that are already taking place about your industry or company. Reading and commenting on other blogs can also increase your exposure and help you acquire new links as well. On the other hand, when outsourcing to Philippine call center to do your SEO, it’s your job to know what kind of tactics the company uses. Ask for specifics. Ask if there are any risks involved. Then get online yourself and do your own research—about the company, about the tactics they discussed, and so forth.

 


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Posted in BPO, Business Process Outsourcing, Call Center Articles | 2 Comments »




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