Call Centers

A group advocating education in information technology (IT) in Cebu yesterday urged call centers to respond positively to the results of a 2009 survey that showed that call center agents lived lifestyles that gave them higher chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and other health risks.

LEGAZPI CITY—The Philippine National AIDS Council (PNAC) has noted a steady increase in the number of infections involving the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes the deadly AIDS, with at least one case reported every three days.

We’ve known about it for quite sometime now but most of us have not gone to town with the information because many among us felt that there were better ways to “announce” it. Don’t get me wrong. I also share the belief that people need to know that there has been a marked increase in…

Call center agents may be crying foul for being singled out as AIDS-prone, in recent AIDS/STD stories hogging the headlines. The UP Population Institute study on AIDS/STD situation in call centers became controversial for its sweeping findings that call center agents engage in risky sexual behavior and casual sex, making them prone to AIDS/STD.

HEALTH authorities in Central Visayas said they would focus their efforts on curbing the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among call center employees in the region.

CEBU, Philippines – A health official said call center agents have a higher risk of acquiring Human Immuno Virus-Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV-AIDS).

Casual sex, orgies are seen as possible causes of the problem MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine General Hospital on Wednesday said the number of Filipinos infected with HIV rose dramatically in the past 10 months and now includes young urban professionals such as call center agents.

SO-CALLED F’K buddies (Fubu) mark sexual and romantic relations of call-center workers polled by the University of the Philippines (UP) Population Institute.

Consumers and enterprises alike suffer from green fatigue, an ennui born from too much hype and too little substance around green technology. But as green technology becomes more synonymous with cost-saving technology, enterprises have begun to warm to the idea. Contact centers, in particular, have begun to explore the homeshoring or work-at-home agent model, a…

Everyone has their reasons for accepting outsourced call centers or rejecting them and of course there are the bunch that just don’t care either way. Having worked in a call center in India for over 1 year I will tell you they suck. If you are desperate to make some fast cash then maybe this…

NEW DELHI—For about a decade, it was India’s call center boom that defined it as “the world’s back office,” much like neighboring China has been immortalized as “the world’s factory.”

MANILA, Philippines – The growth of value of existing clients, the improvement of efficiency and the acquisition of new clients are key commercial drivers of Asian-based contact centers.

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos had better improve their their English to keep the country’s competitive edge in the global business process outsourcing industry as China is improving its people’s English-speaking skills and could emerge as a key player in the BPO business, a top official said.

HIGH operating costs would push call centers to consolidate, according to an industry-commissioned study.

The local contact center industry will grow slower this year because of high operating costs and a shrinking customer base, the industry’s organization said in a press briefing late Monday.

MANILA, Philippines – The first multilingual call center in Mindanao has begun operations in Zamboanga City.

It is illegal to discipline (much less dismiss) an employee on the basis of provisions in a company manual which are not provided/explained to employees. It is illegal to require an employee to sign an undertaking agreeing to pay the company an amount (say, P20,000) when the employee resigns from, or worse, fails to qualify…

MANILA, Philippines – Call center agents working the graveyard shift are no strangers to crime.

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on its donation of call center project amounting to P298 million to six State universities.

MANILA, Philippines – The contact center industry is one of the biggest industries that hire IT workers in the Philippines. An estimated 275,000 people are currently hired and growth rate is touted at 15 percent every year.

Expert says companies should look beyond fresh graduates Faced with the problems of shrinking talent pool, high attrition rate, and low recruitment yield, call center companies should tap other types of possible employees to meet industry demands, an expert said.

MANILA, Philippines – The Call Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) reported that its revenues has reached the $5 billion mark this year, beating last year’s $4.5 billion.

MANILA, Philippines – Although a boon to the economy, the call center industry has its share of difficulties.

Mar Roxas: Don’t price the Philippines out of the market Call centers may have increased their employees’ salaries too much too soon in the last 5 years that the practice may become “unsustainable” despite the the double digit growth that the industry is expected to post this year.

The Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) is the official organization of contact centers in the country. It was established in October 2001 by seven founding member companies and now counts among its members 56 of outsource and in-house contact centers, representing more than two-thirds of call center seats nationwide.

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas III wants to see more mergers and acquisitions in the local call center industry to widen flow of capital investments.

CALL centers would have to freeze salary increases to remain attractive to clients, amid a recent study showing that salary inflation of about 10 percent is among the highest in the Philippines, an industry official said. Benedict Hernandez, Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) president, told reporters that annual salary adjustments may no longer…

Hiring rate also higher, study shows TAGUIG CITY, Philippines – Amid economic pressure and low operational expenditure from global markets, the country’s contact center business will remain robust until the end of the year, according to a study commissioned by the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP).

In the not so distant past, only prostitutes, sentries and those in the medical profession worked nights. Then suddenly there is this new culture where there is happy hour in beer joints at 6, 7 in the morning — all because of the mushrooming of call centers in the metropolis. After working the graveyard shift…

MANILA, Philippines—The National Competency Assessment Tool, a standardized test for aspiring business process outsourcing practitioners, is scheduled to be piloted in several schools and universities this year.