BPO in the Philippines

How's the BPO Industry in the Philippines?

Growth of BPO industry

BPO companies are sprouting here and there, and has become a booming and stable industry in the Philippines. The BPO industry growth is unbelievable in the past few years. In fact, according to statistics, BPO companies are expected to have a total revenue of $25 Billion making it one of the stable industry in our country.

A lot of companies are outsourcing call center overseas and Philippines is one of their top choices. Why? Because high percentage of Filipinos can understand and speak English. 75% of our countrymen can understand English, and around 46% can speak and understand English. Thanks to our curriculum

Why choose to work in a BPO?

• Higher pay check (Kaching! Kaching!) - Call center agent salary in the Philippines is no joke as it ranges from PHP 15,000 - PHP 30,000 or maybe higher. 

• Don't have a college degree? No problem! - Most BPO companies now are accepting high school graduates. As long as you got the skills and requirements to be an awesome agent, you are good to go.

• HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) Card - apart from health card provided by the government, call center companies also provide a private health card. Some also provide free HMO for their dependents. This is actually one of the major factors that a call center agent must consider on which BPO company to apply to.

Requirements for call center agent in the Philippines

Got interested in this profession? Let's talk about the skills a call center agent should have and improve.

1. Understanding the English language - This is your bread and butter in the BPO industry. This is the main skill that you need to develop before applying in a call center. You don't need to sound like a native American to be in a BPO world. As long as it is conversational, you have a high chance of passing the interview.

If you already now how to speak English, but just shy because of wrong grammar, just find time to read or watch English shows, and movies to sharpen your skill. Then practice speaking in English little by little so you will get used to it. Face your fears! You can do it! This worked for me, and now 8 years in the BPO industry.

2. Pronunciation, diction, and intonation - This is as important as "number 1".  As a call center agent, understanding English is not enough if the person on the other line doesn't understand you. In a BPO company, you are expected to pronounce words clearly so the person on the other line of the phone can understand you.

You can improve this skill by pronouncing the letters or words that you are having problems with. Commonly sounds like "th", "v", "b", "p", "f", and "s" are the ones we mispronounce, and this is what hiring managers in a call center are checking one-on-one interview.

For the intonation, you can try to modulate your voice, record it on your phone and listen to it, or have someone listen to it to see if it is pleasant to hear. You can also check out this link to help you improve your English while preparing to work in a call center Click Here!

Remember, practice makes perfect! So keep on trying, and make sure that the position of the tongue and shape of the lips are in the proper position, so you can pronounce this letters correctly.

3. Typing Skill - this is not a major skill that you need to have, but it will give you a greater chance to be hired, and your job will be easier in a BPO when you type fast. Most of the hiring process now includes a typing test, and you need to get at least 30-40 WPM.

You can improve this by practicing online. If you don't have your own PC, just go to the nearest internet cafe and search for typing speed test. Most of it are for free, or you just need to sign up for free.

4. Courage - Wait a minute! Courage!? This is not a war! Well, in my opinion, this is needed especially for first timers. Even if you have the skills but doesn't have the guts to try and apply, your skills won't have much of an impact. My suggestion, look for the BPO companies near you, apply and apply until you get hired. There's always a time that you will fail, but you just need to keep trying until you get what you want.

5. Patience - This is also one of the important skill that anyone should have, especially in the BPO industry. A lot of patience. In a call center environment, we encounter different types of people in the office and customers in every call. Every call might have different moods; happy, frustrated, angry, sarcastic, etc,. You might unintentionally absorb what the customers are feeling. If you don't know how to control your temper, you might just end up in the clinic with a high blood pressure, or receive a disciplinary action for arguing to a customer. Scary!!

Just keep in mind the pointers above, and it will surely help you in your call center journey. See you in the BPO world! :)