Friday, March 30, 2007 BPO firm offers car loans, MBA scholarships to workers
A US-BASED business process outsourcing (BPO) company is investing on “employee satisfaction” to help maintain its pool of contact center staff.
TeleTech, a global BPO that provides a full range of front-to-back office outsourced solutions, is set to provide a Master in Business Administration (MBA) scholarships for its managers, as well as car loan incentives for all its employees.
“Not only do we pride ourselves with competitive salaries but we make sure that all our employees enjoy their work by offering good incentives,” said Maulik Parekh, TeleTech Holdings Inc. Philippines vice president and general manager.
Parekh said its car loan incentive rates are “more affordable” than what is currently offered in the market.
Upgrading
For its MBA scholarship program dubbed “UpGRADe,” which is aimed at upgrading the managerial skills of its employees, the contact center has partnered with the Ateneo de Manila University Graduate School of Business in Manila and the University of St. La Salle in Bacolod City.
The program is considered a first by a BPO firm in the country, Parekh told a press conference last Wednesday.
Parekh added that although the company has not yet partnered with a local university to implement the program in Cebu, its managers based in the province have the option of enrolling in the partner universities.
Tuition
The TeleTech MBA scholarship program covers the tuition where qualified scholars can avail themselves of as much as P200,000. It will be rolled out in the coming school year.
“More than your usual call center, Teletech offers a lifestyle program where employees receive privileges, such as discounts, rebates and freebies from member-establishments in fashion, cuisine, fitness and entertainment, among others,” he said.
Parekh added that because the company is fully aware of the high turnover or attrition rates of contact center employees in Cebu, TeleTech is coming up with programs and incentives to prevent its employees from transferring to another BPO firm.
Growing
Early this month, TeleTech Philippines was recognized as “the fastest growing BPO company in the country” by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Business Processing Association of the Philippines during the 2007 International ICT Awards.
“We have grown by 150 percent over the years,” Parekh said.
For its Cebu office, which has close to 400 employees, TeleTech will be hiring 500 more agents within the next two to three months to occupy its 1,500-seat facility.
TeleTech’s Cebu Customer Management Center facility located in Oakridge IT Center in Mandaue City is currently undergoing renovations.
“It’s a multi-million- dollar investment,” Parekh said, referring to the building’s renovation.
Although the company is leasing the space for five years, he said one of its long-term goals is to construct its own facility.
Parekh said the company is keen on locating in provincial areas, or in places outside of business districts, as it wants to bring jobs to the people.
TeleTech Philippines, which started in 2003, now has over 12,000 employees nationwide. (MMM)
