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?
Inexpensive Christmas Gifts to Give Yourself
Wishlists all over Facebook contain the latest and greatest gadgets that would probably be outdated by the start of the year. If you’re drooling over these things but you can’t afford them, it’s time to look for inexpensive gifts that wouldn’t put you in deeper debt before the new year even starts.
A New Hard Drive
Many more seasons of your favorite shows will air in the coming year, and if you’ve been downloading episodes rather than watching them on their timeslots, your storage may be filled with downloads of shows you can’t bear to delete. Give yourself more space to transfer all your neatly labeled folders of tv show episodes by buying a hard drive. At the very least, you can transfer all the downloads to this drive so that you’re free to use the others for your work.
A Better Shoe Rack
If storage is one of the main reasons why you can’t buy any more shoes, then it’s time for a better shoe rack. Get one that can accommodate even bigger shoes like Dan Post Boots. If only there were shoe racks that are self-cleaning, but since there aren’t any self cleaning shoe racks out there, you can choose to get one that can easily be dismantled for cleaning at least twice a year.
Comfort is Not As Expensive as Medical Treatment
It’s Christmas season once again and so many things are on sale. Many of the things on sale are the old inventory items of department stores that they weren’t able to sell during the year. Along with chairs and computer tables, there are also more advanced equipment like power tools and the like. It’s not difficult to see why these items didn’t sell well. Some items are beautifully designed.
Some items are just hard to use. You feel strain whenever you use them. They make you feel tired faster. Sure, the price may be cheaper, but are you willing to sacrifice comfort? Ergonomic is the new healthy, and I discovered this the hard way as a work at home mom. Hands, arms and the backside tend to become sore when the equipment is too difficult to use. Shoes that don’t fit well are always on sale, and some of those who buy these shoes end up storing them only for special occasions because they cannot bear to wear these shoes daily.
I found that it’s easier on the budget if investments are made on comfortable pieces. It’s probably mind-boggling to think that you will have to replace every mattress you have with memory foam mattress, but if you want to sleep better, it’s a good goal.
3 Moving House Essentials
Some people move around, which means that they either drag around furniture, or they keep a spartan lifestyle. Even if you’re a minimalist when it comes to the things you bring into your new home, there are some essentials that have to be there. In particular, there are some things you bring with you when you go for initial move in, or the time when you’re simply visiting to check if the pipes are in order and the repairs have been done by the construction company.
Surfaces
A table meant to accommodate plates and stable enough to withstand the weight of plastic bags full of groceries is essential. If you don’t have a stable surface inside a big empty room that is supposed to be your living room, you will end up placing your plates on the floor when you eat. In the meantime, you can use a foldable table that can fit inside your trunk easily.
Sleeping Bags
Just in case you need to stay overnight, have some sleeping bags around. If you have a body pillow in your car anyway, you can pass on bringing bulkier stuff. Your first night in your new home should be exciting, especially since everything’s still clean and you feel like you’re making a fresh start.
Bulbs and Door Bolts
Take this opportunity to install locks and security measures, even if it’s just placing the light bulb on the porch or yard. Bring enough bulbs so that you don’t have to waste time installing when the bulk of your furniture arrives.
Mom and First Aid: What Is Your Cure All?
There are some items in medicine kits that have always baffled me as a child. Now that I am a mom myself, I understand better. Why is there a big tub of odorless, seemingly useless petroleum jelly around? Why should there always be a bottle of alcohol in there? Band aids I can understand, but elastic bandages?
Now I know. Petroleum jelly can be a cure all for a lot of skin problems like rashes and burns. Some items like egyptian magic may work for psoriatic spots, but for the most part, having a tub of petroleum jelly around can give peace of mind. If you’re on your way out to buy a tube of sunscreen, you can hydrate temporarily using petroleum jelly. At the very least, you won’t be going out unprotected. I also realized that petroleum jelly can double as a make up enhancer. Mix hardened eye make up or blush with a bit of petroleum jelly and it can be applied again! Clever creation, this jelly.
Rubbing alcohol can be used for various purposes. I found out quite early that it can be used as a disinfectant, and that it stings. It can also be used for its main purpose, rubbing, as in massage. The only problem is that alcohol can leave your skin dry and itchy. Maybe after applying on skin as a disinfectant, you can hydrate with petroleum jelly.
Elastic bandages are for bigger wounds that smaller band aids cannot handle. They can also be used on painful muscles if the person can’t afford to stop working, or while waiting for the painkiller to work.