THE WORKPLACE, THE SOCIETY AND THE WIDER WORLD: THE OFFSHORING AND OUTSOURCING INDUSTRY

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 145-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Hamp-Lyons ◽  
Jane Lockwood
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Language Assessment ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Business Success

Workplace language assessment poses special issues for language testers, but also, when it becomes very large scale, it poses issues for language policy. This article looks at these issues, focusing on the offshore and outsourcing (O&O) industry as it is transitioning from native-speaking (NS) countries into nonnative-speaking (NNS) destinations such as India and the Philippines. This is obviously most impacted in call centers, where the ability of customer service representatives (CSRs) to communicate with ease with their native-English speaking customers is central to business success and can be key to a nation's economy. Having reviewed the (limited) research in this area, we take the Philippines as our example to explore how government, academe, and the business sector are dealing with the language proficiency and personnel-training issues caused by the exponential growth in this industry. Appropriate language assessments that are practical, while also being valid and reliable, are critical if the Philippines is to retain its position in this emerging market. Currently, call centers in Philippines complain of very poor recruitment rates due to poor language ability, and of poor quality communication outcomes measures: But how do they assess these key areas? We describe and evaluate the current situation in call center language assessment in the Philippines and discuss possible ways forward, for the Philippines and for the O&O industry more broadly.

scholarly journals Quality assessment of the contact center while implementation the IP IVR system by using teletraffic theory

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3 (114)) ◽  
pp. 64-71
Author(s):  
Katipa Chezhimbayeva ◽  
Madina Konyrova ◽  
Saule Kumyzbayeva ◽  
Elvira Kadylbekkyzy
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Information Needs ◽  
Service Failure ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
Contact Center ◽  
Service Characteristics ◽  
Call Processing ◽  
Mixed Order ◽  
Global Statistic

The paper considers the form of taking into account the specialization of information needs. An analysis of the work of modern call centers has been carried out. The authors noted the effectiveness of using IVR devices, operators, and consultants for differentiated customer service and the need to take feedback into account when forming the revenue stream of applications. The models make it possible to determine the leading indicators of the quality of service for applications arriving at the call center. Formal expressions for descriptions are derived from the input parameters' values and the model's stationary probability. The relationships between the characteristics of the call center that regulate the intensity of incoming and outgoing calls, call processing through 3CXPhone, corporate mail, and social networks were obtained using Global Statistic. The developed methodology for organizing information and reference systems makes it possible to consider modern trends in the development of call centers. The paper presents the results of research using the IP IVR system. The results of calculating service characteristics are given for two different types of calls with mixed order ω=(0.5; 0.7; 0.9). The presented results were obtained by using experimental data of the JSC Kazakhtelecom's call center. For the calculations, the authors used the formulas of the teletraffic theory for a mixed service system. It also assesses the extent of combined service model effects for the contact center's call quality. It is shown that the probability of lost calls depends on the incoming load. The obtained results show that the mixed order for incoming calls servicing affects the probability of service failure.

Responsible Women

2019 ◽  
pp. 109-133
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Sallaz
Keyword(s):  
Birth Control ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The Past ◽  
Call Center Agent ◽  
At Home

Women in the Philippines, and eldest daughters (ates) in particular, are customarily expected to serve as breadwinners for their families, both immediate and extended. In a country where divorce is illegal and birth control is controversial, too many Filipinas find themselves with a larger network of people to support. Whereas in the past, these “responsible women” would have had to leave the country as migrant workers, call centers offer them a new opportunity to stay at home. Working as a call center agent, in other words, represents a sustainable solution to the dilemma of breadwinning. As a case study of Hannah, a breadwinner, illustrates, these jobs are lifelines.

scholarly journals Impact of English Language Training on Linguistic and Cultural Identity of Call Center Employees

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mitima Zagabe
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Call Center ◽  
English Language ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
School Administrators ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Business Process Outsourcing ◽  
Call Center Employees ◽  
Philippine Government

The Call Center Industry in the Philippines has been attracting employees from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Such industry requires employees to have a strong command of the English language. More specifically, American English serves as the model for English language requirements. The problem is that these requirements may have a negative impact on linguistic and cultural identity of Filipino employees. This study explored the Filipino English language trainers’ integration with the American culture and language and whether this has any influence on the way they teach the language. It also investigated whether the Call Center Industry training has any impact on the language and cultural identity of employees. Methodologically, this study was a critical ethnography that was conducted by an experienced customer service representative. The results of the study can be useful to socio-linguists, school administrators, psychologists, families and educators, the Philippine government, the business process outsourcing employers, managers, and agents.

scholarly journals ENGLISH LANGUAGE COMPETENCY AND OUTSOURCED CALL CENTERS IN BANGLADESH

2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 123
Author(s):  
Mizanur Rahman ◽  
Saadiyah Darus ◽  
Nazia Hussain
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
English Language ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Call Centre ◽  
Product Knowledge ◽  
Language Competency ◽  
Customer Service Representatives

AbstractThis paper attempts to investigate whether or not the English competency of Customer Service Representatives (CSRs) is hindering the growth and development of outsourced call centers in Bangladesh. It also looks into the problems being faced by call centers in hiring English competent CSRs.  A limited appraisal of the English communication training of the CSRs offered by Call Centre Training Institutes is also within the purview of the paper. With this purpose 33 supervisors of different call centers, who are in charge of monitoring the CSRs, have been interviewed with a questionnaire comprised of both close and open ended questions.  The result shows there is scarcity of skilled English communicators which is one of the major barriers in the growth and development of the call centers. However, factors like product knowledge, intercultural communication skills, service personality are also crucial as they are integral for successful transaction and addressing them will pave the way for the progress of the industry. The result also implicitly indicates that mainstream education system in Bangladesh is still unable to produce competent English communicators.   The findings of the study reveal that the current shortage of skilled manpower can further become more acute when call center industry grows in line with the expectation of the government. It is also revealed that the call center training institutes are incapable of delivering the kind of training required for the aspirant CSRs. This study pinpoints the necessity of future research in several directions to ensure a balance between the demand and supply of native like fluent English communicators for call center Industry in Bangladesh. Keywords: English language competency, outsourced call centers, CRRs Abstrak Tulisan ini mencoba untuk menyelidiki apakah kompetensi bahasa Inggris Perwakilan Layanan Pelanggan (Customer Service Representatives/CSR) menghambat pertumbuhan dan perkembangan pusat-pusat panggilan pengalihluaran di Bangladesh. Tulisan ini juga menyelidiki masalah yang dihadapi oleh pusat panggilan dalam mempekerjakan CSR yang berkompeten dalam bahasa Inggris. Sebuah penilaian terbatas dari pelatihan komunikasi bahasa Inggris bagi CSR yang ditawarkan oleh Lembaga Pelatihan Pusat Panggilan akan menjadi pembahasan dalam artikel ini. Untuk mencapai tujuan ini, 33 pengawas dari pusat-pusat panggilan yang berbeda, yang bertugas memantau CSR, telah diwawancarai dengan kuesioner terdiri dari pertanyaan tertutup dan terbuka. Hasilnya menunjukkan ada kelangkaan staf yang terampil dalam bahasa Inggris yang menjadi salah satu hambatan utama dalam pertumbuhan dan perkembangan pusat panggilan. Namun, faktor-faktor seperti pengetahuan produk, kemampuan komunikasi antarbudaya, kepribadian layanan juga berperan penting karena semuanya merupakan bagian integral transaksi yang berhasil dan upaya peningkatan semua faktor tersebut akan membuka jalan bagi kemajuan industri. Hasilnya juga secara implisit menunjukkan bahwa sistem pendidikan utama di Bangladesh masih mampu menghasilkan individu yang berkompeten dalam bahasa Inggris. Temuan penelitian ini juga mengungkapkan bahwa kekurangan tenaga kerja yang terampil dapat menjadi lebih parah ketika industri pusat panggilan tumbuh sejalan dengan harapan pemerintah. Terungkap juga bahwa lembaga pelatihan pusat panggilan tidak mampu menyediakan jenis pelatihan yang dibutuhkan oleh para calon CSR. Penelitian ini menunjukkan perlunya penelitian masa depan di beberapa aspek untuk memastikan keseimbangan antara permintaan dan pasokan individu yang fasih berbahasa Inggris seperti penutur jati untuk Industri pusat panggilan di Bangladesh. Kata kunci: Kompetensi bahasa Inggris, pusat panggilan pengalihluaran, CSR

scholarly journals Control, Communication, and Knowledge-Building in Asian Call Centers

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Maria Lombard
Keyword(s):  
Call Center ◽  
Knowledge Building ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Workplace Writing ◽  
Language Differences ◽  
And Control ◽  
Corporate Language ◽  
Authentic Interaction

Communication within international call centers can be significantly complicated by breakdowns that result from multiple layers of corporate language.  This case study explores training sessions and documentation developed and delivered by an American team responsible for training international call center workers located in the Philippines.  Findings show that attempts to standardize and control workplace language can limit meaningful two-way communication, leaving workers to both question what they are told and invent new ways of communicating.  Recommendations are presented in this study for a workplace writing model that can overcome language differences through authentic interaction.

Lives on the Line

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Sallaz
Keyword(s):  
Call Center ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Initial Attempt ◽  
Strategic Resources ◽  
New Information ◽  
At Home

The call center industry is booming in the Philippines. Around the year 2005, the country overtook India as the world’s “voice capital,” while industry revenues are now the second largest contributor to national GDP. This ethnographic study traces the assemblage of a global market for voice over the past two decades. New information technologies developed during the 1990s and 2000s fed Western firms’ appetite for cheap, English-speaking workers in offshore locales. An initial attempt to build a stable labor market for voice in India failed, owing in large part to gendered norms regarding work and mobility. In the Philippines, in contrast, there is a remarkable affinity between workers and firms. Decades of failed development policies have produced for educated Filipinos a dismaying choice: migrate abroad in search of prosperity or stay at home as an impoverished professional. Offshored call centers, in this context, represent a middle path. Drawing upon case studies of sixty Filipino call center workers and two years of fieldwork in Manila, this book shows how call center jobs allow Filipinos to earn a decent living and stay at home. Filipina women and transgender Filipinos in particular use their voices as strategic resources. Call centers are for them lifelines and lifestyles. Taken as a whole, this study advances debates concerning global capitalism, the future of work, and the lives of those who labor in offshored jobs.

Learner Identity, Learner Agency, and the Assessment of Language Proficiency: Some Reflections Prompted by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 120-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Little ◽  
Gudrun Erickson
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Peer Assessment ◽  
Language Education ◽  
Language Assessment ◽  
Teacher Assessment ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Learner Identity ◽  
Assessment Culture ◽  
Learner Agency

ABSTRACTThis article starts from the assumption that education is a process of “people shaping” designed to help learners extend and perhaps in some ways modify their identity while exploiting and developing their agency. This view is harmonious with the approach to language education that the Council of Europe has developed since the 1970s, and especially with its early commitment to learner autonomy and self-assessment. The approach adopted by the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: Learning, teaching, assessment (CEFR) to the description of language proficiency clearly implicates the user-learner's identity and agency, which are also central to the CEFR's companion piece, the European Language Portfolio (ELP), in which self-assessment plays a key role. The article proposes that taken together, the CEFR and the ELP imply an assessment culture in which learning and assessment are reciprocally integrated. From the perspective thus established, the authors review some current trends in language assessment and their potential impact on learner identity and learner agency, focusing in turn on self-assessment, peer assessment, teacher assessment, and large-scale testing and assessment. The article concludes by arguing that although recent developments in language assessment pay significantly more attention to the learner than was previously the case, a great deal of work remains to be done to further increase the engagement of learner agency in processes of self-assessment and peer assessment and to align them with other forms of assessment.

Customer service call centers: managing rapid personnel changes

2001 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 123-129
Author(s):  
William L. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Growth Area ◽  
Human Resource Management Practices ◽  
Academic Implications ◽  
Service Call

This paper examines academic and practitioner literature relative to service quality and the changing personnel requirements for customer service call centers (CSCC). From this review, propositions are developed which (1) may be useful to call center managers in meeting this critical need, and, (2) may be used to direct future academic research in this growth area. This review is organized around eight key human resource management practices consisting of: 1. Recruiting, 2. Selection, 3. Retention, 4. Teamwork, 5. Training and Development, 6. Appraisal, 7. Rewarding Quality, and 8. Employee Involvement. Propositions based on the literature review are developed for each key practice. Conclusions are drawn and implications for managerial and academic implications are discussed.

New Directions in Latino/a/x Histories of Education: Comparative Studies in Race, Language, Law, and Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 612-622
Author(s):  
Rosina Lozano
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Race And Ethnicity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Student Activism ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Language Instruction ◽  
Historical Inquiry ◽  
Legal Cases

The twenty-first century has seen a surge in scholarship on Latino educational history and a new nonbinary umbrella term, Latinx, that a younger generation prefers. Many of historian Victoria-María MacDonald's astute observations in 2001 presaged the growth of the field. Focus has increased on Spanish-surnamed teachers and discussions have grown about the Latino experience in higher education, especially around student activism on campus. Great strides are being made in studying the history of Spanish-speaking regions with long ties to the United States, either as colonies or as sites of large-scale immigration, including Puerto Rico, Cuba, and the Philippines. Historical inquiry into the place of Latinos in the US educational system has also developed in ways that MacDonald did not anticipate. The growth of the comparative race and ethnicity field in and of itself has encouraged cross-ethnic and cross-racial studies, which often also tie together larger themes of colonialism, language instruction, legal cases, and civil rights or activism.

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