Become a Call Center Agent: Why Or Why Not?

Some of the thriving businesses in the Philippines are the BPOs that deal with providing call-in support for many big companies. One of the reasons for this is the ability of many workers here to speak English well. We are familiar with American English and mastering the accent is extremely easy for some.

So, does becoming a call center agent appeal to you? Here are some of my thoughts.

- Being a call center agent can be lucrative. If you don’t mind working the night shift, you can earn a lot. Many BPOs take the comfort and happiness of their talented agents seriously. They provide coffee, a place to nap and a lot of cash incentives.

- There are many limitations as far as personal expression in the office is concerned. First off, you can’t speak the native language while you’re on the floor. You treat your office as if you were in another country, speaking only in the language the people speak in that country (in most cases, UK or America).

- Because it’s a multi-cultural environment, you should never wear shirts with slogans that others could find discomfiting. While funny t shirts can indeed be funny, you can expect others to find the message not funny at all. To be safe, wear items that are safe no matter what background the other people are from.

- Be ready to receive angry calls. People call customer support for a reason, and that is: they are having trouble with whatever product your client is dealing with. Some customers are still calm, while others have gone completely bonkers trying to troubleshoot on their own.

These are just some of the things you can expect to encounter as a call center agent. Do you still want to be one?