Working in a Philippine Call Center: 3 Things You Need to Know

Call centers act as a major part of customer service and are often the primary means of communication between a business and its customers. To be successful in a call center, you’ll need to have the motivation to enhance customer experience with the company. A typical day for a call center agent is usually fast-paced and filled with different responsibilities. More often than not, call centers usually prefer agents who are flexible with their workflow and those who are capable of handling disputes without breaking a sweat.

Claiming the No. 1 spot as the call center capital, the Philippines continues to be the largest location for delivery of contact services worldwide. So if you’re considering a position in a Philippine call center or any other call center, it’s necessary that you understand how this business works.

Work On Weekends and Holidays. Call center life means embracing the possibility of sacrificing your weekends, Christmas, New Year’s Day, and many more holidays for work. Although, some call centers in the Philippines celebrate American holidays, including Independence and Thanksgiving Days, instead of the local holidays. This can be a bit of a downer for first-timers; but on the bright side, working on holidays also means that you’re entitled to receive extra pay!

Great Compensation and Benefits. Apart from the government-mandated benefits, e.g., SSS, HDMF, and PhilHealth, call centers provide their employees, most companies offer other employee perks. These include paid leaves, private insurance, and non-taxable allowances, among others. Furthermore, call centers are known for quick promotions, whether or not you’ve been around for a while. So, if you’re good at what you do, chances are you’ll be promoted before you know it! However, a promotion is not only about earning a higher income; it also means more responsibilities for you to carry.

Laid-back Dress Code. The Philippine call center industry is known for not requiring their employees to wear uniforms. Unlike other jobs that compel their employees to wear uniforms, call center agents, on the other hand, are free to wear whatever they like! In most call centers, business casual is required; while other mid-sized companies allow their agents to wear casual outfits on weekdays.

Living the call center life has its fair share of pros and cons. Although we did not tackle a lot in this article, we hope that this list will help you gear up if you plan on working in a call center.