14 Reasons To Apply At Our Company

Are you looking for a job at a call center? Why not try our company and enjoy the following perks. Check also the disadvantages and try to check your options.

1. Maxicare
2. 20% Night Differential upon regularization (10% during training)
3. Program Allowance ​(account-based) – around P2,000
4. Transportation Allowance – around P1,200
5. Meal Allowance – around P1,500
6. Rice Allowance – around P1,000
7. Laundry Allowance – around P300
8. Clothing Allowance – around P250
9. All Deductions are taken from the End-of-the-Month Payslip
10. Basic Allowance of 16k-20k (depending on the number of years in the call center industry)
11. PhilPlans Corporate Center (PCC) Site -- has gym, movie room, game room, billiards, music room, and Internet booth (but with slow connection)
12. Fast promotion -- can be promoted within 6 months
13. Not strict on Dress Code (t-shirt and denim are allowed)
14. No training bond

NOTE: The Program, Transportation, Meal, Rice, Laundry and Clothing allowances are split on the 15^th and 30^th pay and are affected by absences.

Downside:
1. No hazard pay (unlike Sykes)
2. No cellphone load allowance (unlike Telus)
3. No shower room within the sleeping quarters (unlike Convergys-Robinsons)
4. Paperless on ALL accounts (unlike Sykes)
5. Can't view payslip outside of the company premise (unlike Convergys)
6. No hard copy of the payslip (unlike Sykes and Convergys)
7. No company outing
8. No Christmas Bonus
9. No shuttle van or bus (unlike Teleperformance)

10. Maxicare only covers you. You have to enroll your family member at around P800 each.

So are you still interested to apply at our company? What are you waiting for? Send me your resume, eltorobumingo(at)gmail.com. I’ll forward your application to our recruitment team so that I could enjoy the referral bonus.

BuzzNet Tags: Job Hunt,Call Center

Minimum Wage

(Picture taken from Bicol Today)

I've read an article from Yahoo! Philippines about the proposed increase in the minimum wage. The report specifically mentioned that the call center industry objects it, saying that call center agents are already receiving high salary.

I don't understand why the call center industry "bucked down clamor from the labor sector for an increase in daily wage saying their workers are already receiving higher salary rates than all other industry workers in the country."

Yup, it's true that most of the call center agents in the country are already earning above minimum wages but why the need to buck down the demand by the other sectors for an increase in the minimum wage? We won't benefit in the increase in the minimum wage but other sectors would benefit from it. So we should support the demand for a higher minimum wage -- P125 across-the-board.

The news item also mentioned that the call center industry "has one of the highest attrition rate of 18 percent" which I agree. We even have a term "call center hopper" because it's very easy to transfer from one call center to another.

However, I rarely hear my coworkers from the call center industry transferring to other industry -- mostly it's within the call center industry as well. It seems that the trend is to transfer to another call center that offers higher salary or better health benefits.

I usually encounter workers from other sectors (mostly OFW) transferring to the call center industry (trying the BPO industry). Also, most call center agents that I know go abroad to work as call center agents as well (or anything related to Information Technology). I guess the term, once a callboy, always a callboy applies. It's hard to leave the BPO industry once you have tasted the salary and health benefits.

If the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) would conduct a survey asking if it's time to increase the minimum wage, I would surely say YES.

BuzzNet Tags: Minimum Wage,Call Center Industry,DOLE

Christmas Party with South Border

We had our company’s Christmas Party yesterday at the World Trade Center Tent. Yes, it’s too early for Christmas. In fact, it’s more of a post-Thanksgiving Party. Thank God for Tuesday Vargas and South Border for the entertainment. Otherwise, it would have been a more boring Christmas party.

So our invitation says that registration starts at 6:00PM. I woke up around 6:45PM yesterday and played Ragnarok Online for about an hour (I can’t miss the daily quest). After that, I passed by SM Megamall to buy a gift for a child (which will serve as our entrance fee to the Christmas party). I arrived at the World Trade Center Tent at around 10:00PM and I almost missed the foods. The only foods left at the buffet table are rice and pansit (sotanghon).

I missed the dance competition but I was able to hear Ryan Asa Domagas sing “I Can Go the Distance “which I’m assuming, is his winning song in the recently concluded Contact Center Icons. He’s a good singer and he’s this year’s Voice Icon!

Tuesday Vargas hosted our Christmas party and she’s great! She’s also approachable and we even took pictures of her back stage.

The finale of our Christmas party is the performance of South Border. They sang their signature songs like “Rainbow”, “Love of My Life”, “Kahit Kailan”, among others .They also sang some popular ones like “Moves Like Jagger” and “Lazy Song”.

I’m not a fan of South Border and I don’t even know the name of the lead singer but I love their songs. Thank you guys for the wonderful performance!

Tuesday Vargas

South Border

BuzzNet Tags: Christmas Party,Tuesday Vargas,South Border

I am SYKES

“I am SYKES” is the “battle cry” or slogan of Sykes Asia Inc. Their official motto is “Real People. Real Solution” but if you apply for a job with them, you’ll watch a presentation that promotes the slogan “I am SYKES” as being synonymous with “I am the ultimate solution”. That whole presentation is inspiring and it’s one of the best things I remember from that call center.

“I am SYKES” is also the name of my Royal Guard, a character in the online game Ragnarok. I’ve created that character while I was still working for Sykes Asia (2007-2008). It’s only now that I reached the highest level of 150 (it used to be 99, but after the 3^rd jobs were release, the highest level right now for a Ragnarok 3^rd job is 150).

Of all the call centers I’ve ever worked for (Alorica, Convergys, Teleperformance, etc.), it’s only Sykes Asia that I promoted in the online community. Whenever I am playing “I am SYKES” in game, I always get reactions or questions on what site of Sykes Asia I am currently employed.

“I am SYKES” is one of my favorite characters in the game since he is pure vitality (VIT) meaning he has the highest Hit Points (HP) or Life of all my characters. He can sometimes survive an extreme attack from a player like Extremity Fist (EF) of a Sura or Champion.

“I am SYKES” has skills like Devotion (which can save your guild mates during the War of Emperium) and Sacrifice (dealing 9% of his Maximum HP as damage to players or monsters). Also, he can ride a Gryphon in the game and since the patch El Dicastes was release, he can also have a mount (animal ride) in the form of a lion. I’ll probably purchase a lion in the game and show you how he could look fearsome with a lion.

For now, here as some of “I am SYKES” screenshots:

“Ang wafu n’ya noh?” (He’s gorgeous, right?)

BuzzNet Tags: I am SYKES,Ragnarok Online

Contact Center Icons 2011

Allow me to do my humble share in promoting camaraderie among call center agents. I hope this is not too late since the event is already scheduled for tomorrow, October 23, 2011, 6:00 PM.

I am referring to the annual Contact Center Icons where the finest singers and dancers from the country’s numerous call centers would compete for the title ICONS. This year’s competition will be held at the SMDC Grand Showroom near SM Mall of Asia.

The Contact Center Icons 2011 is organized by the Human Resource Contact Centers (HRCC) and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP) where most call centers in the country are affiliated.

The two main categories are the Voice and Moves. Our very own Ryan Asa Domagas would represent my current call center in the Voice category. Good luck to you! Make us proud.

Tickets are available at the venue for P350.

BuzzNet Tags: Ryan Asa Domagas,Contact Center Icons 2011