Thursday, May 03, 2007 New call center to hire 400 agents
DESPITE being a new player in the Cebu’s business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, a US-based contact center is bullish in providing short-term fast career advancement for its employees.
US-based ePerformax Philippines, in a joint venture with ePerformax US and Transna-tional Diversified Group Philippines, opened its first site outside Manila in JY Square Mall, Cebu City last Saturday.
“We strive to promote every determined and passionate individual within a year,” ePerformax president and chief executive officer Teresa Hartsaw said.
Because its Cebu site is starting up, she said the company is targeting 100 hirees per month to fill the 400-seater facility.
Hartsaw said ePerformax Cebu has only about 50 employees to date, but is now training around 80 individuals.
The company, she said, prides in its Performance Maximization Model, which is to develop every employee’s passion to maximize their performance in order to capitalize on the team’s contribution to the company’s business objectives.
“We believe that a business process outsourcer is only as good as its ‘weakest link.’ If even our weakest representative is not prepared to deliver top quality, then we have not done our job in maximizing performance,” she said.
Maximize
Although the company is bullish in hiring 100 employees, Hartsaw assured that every qualified applicant is “properly profiled” to ensure they fully maximize their ability to interact with clients.
“We don’t hire for the sake of hiring,” she added in an interview.
In its website, ePerformax requires that applicants hold a college degree or equivalent technical degree and pass a series of American English proficiency tests, comprehension and listening tests, plus applicable partner-specific tests.
The testing often takes six to eight hours.
The training is designed for each partner and includes a minimum of six days of diction, intonation and enunciation training for all employees, with more extensive training for the management team.
Trainees must certify from this program and certification rate is approximately 70 percent to 80 percent.
“This enables us to eliminate those that do not have a full command of the English language,” Hartsaw explained.
Curriculum
Trainees are then required to certify in the partner-specific curriculum prior to becoming employees of the program.
Like all other BPOs, the company also offers scholarship programs apart from competitive salaries.
“We offer double base salaries for progress and good performance,” said Hartsaw.
Driven by its vision in providing low labor cost and high work ethics, she believes the Philippines provide the “best venue” for its offshore operations.
“Bringing the best practices from the U.S. together with the best practices and talent from the Philippines is a good combination,” she said, citing the Filipinos’ good customer service orientation, high proficiency in the English language, and the huge affinity to the American culture as factors considered in expanding operations to the country.
While most international BPOs have offshore operations to India, Hartsaw said the company has no other sites apart from the Philippines, and has not mulled plans to expand in other countries.
ePerformax, which began its Philippine operations in Manila last 2002, has 1,800 employees.
It has provided solutions for companies in information solutions, telecommunications, transportation, technology, travel, hospitality and retail. (MMM)
