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.

Rooted Men

2019 ◽  
pp. 159-176
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Sallaz
Keyword(s):  
Labor Force ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Call Center ◽  
English Language ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Language Fluency ◽  
English Language Fluency ◽  
Do So ◽  
Male Workers

Straight Filipino men are underrepresented (at approximately 15%) in the call center labor force. Gendered norms about Filipino masculinity, this chapter argues, have established English-language fluency as a feminine, or even gay, trait. “Real men,” so to speak, work with their hands and bodies rather than with their voices. Still, many Filipino men do pursue and obtain call center jobs. They do so as means by which to establish roots in the Philippines rather than migrate abroad. To work in the industry, however, straight men must be able to deflect various challenges to their masculinity. Case studies of male workers are used to illustrate this dynamic.

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 The Speech Act of Apology by Filipino Call Center Agents

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-128
Author(s):  
Mary Joy V Sienes ◽  
Jasper Eric C Catan
Keyword(s):  
Business Process ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Mechanical Response ◽  
Speech Act ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Business Process Outsourcing ◽  
Foreign Investors ◽  
Global Leader ◽  
Personal Connections ◽  
Information Requests

The Philippines is a global leader in business process outsourcing (BPO). Many foreign investors view the Philippines as a viable location for their call center operations due to the Filipinos' strength in English proficiency. This study focuses on inbound call center accounts that deal with a variety of call situations, ranging from information requests to difficult calls that require more time to handle, such as complaint calls. Since the goal of any business is customer satisfaction, this research aims to investigate how Filipino call center agents mitigate and reduce the liability and guilt towards customers. Results show that the 90 call center representatives have successfully produced 'perfect apologies' by providing all five strategies posited by Cohen et al. (1986) in most of their complaint calls. However, the sequence is distorted by emphasizing more on offering a repair. This leads to a recommendation that calls center training on apology be emphasized on building personal connections rather than a mechanical response to situations.

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

Mitigating Burnout Through Organizational Justice: Customer Support Workers’ Experiences of Customer Injustice and Emotional Labor

2021 ◽  
pp. 089331892110120
Author(s):  
Heewon Kim ◽  
Rebecca B. Leach
Keyword(s):  
Procedural Justice ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Emotional Labor ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Interpersonal Justice ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Customer Support ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Employee burnout is a critical organizational concern that can be prevalent among customer support workers whose day-to-day tasks inherently include emotional labor. This study examines emotional labor and burnout among call center workers in customer service industries, specifically focusing on the influences of injustices from customers and supervisors. The findings demonstrate that: (a) customer injustice was associated with an increase in emotional labor, which in turn exacerbated customer support workers’ disengagement and exhaustion; (b) interpersonal justice perceived in the interactions with supervisors was negatively associated with disengagement; and (c) procedural justice perceived in supervisors’ decision-making processes was also negatively associated with disengagement. The findings indicate the mitigating role of interpersonal and procedural justice in reducing burnout among customer support workers.

scholarly journals Registration of Blood Exposure Accidents in the Netherlands by a Nationally Operating Call Center

2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (10) ◽  
pp. 1017-1023
Author(s):  
Peter M. Schneeberger ◽  
Annemarie E. Meiberg ◽  
Janet Warmelts ◽  
Sander C. A. P. Leenders ◽  
Paul T. L. van Wijk
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Preventive Measures ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Hepatitis B Vaccination ◽  
Occupational Health Services ◽  
Healthcare Facilities ◽  
Call Center Employees

Objective.Healthcare providers and other employees, especially those who do not work in a hospital, may not easily find help after the occurrence of a blood exposure accident. In 2006, a national call center was established in the Netherlands to fill this gap.Methods.All occupational blood exposure accidents reported to the 24-hours-per-day, 7-days-per-week call center from 2007, 2008, and 2009 were analyzed retrospectively for incidence rates, risk assessment, handling, and preventive measures taken.Results.A total of 2,927 accidents were reported. The highest incidence rates were reported for private clinics and hospitals (68.5 and 54.3 accidents per 1,000 person-years, respectively). Dental practices started reporting incidents frequently after the arrangement of a collective financial agreement with the call center. Employees of ambulance services, midwife practices, and private clinics reported mostly high-risk accidents, whereas penitentiaries frequently reported low-risk accidents. Employees in mental healthcare facilities, private clinics, and midwife practices reported accidents relatively late. The extent of hepatitis B vaccination in mental healthcare facilities, penitentiaries, occupational health services, and cleaning services was low (<70%).Conclusions.The national call center successfully organized the national registration and handling of blood exposure accidents. The risk of blood exposure accidents could be estimated on the basis of this information for several occupational branches. Targeted preventive measures for healthcare providers and other employees at risk can next be developed.Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2012;33(10):1017-1023

Language competence, identity construction and discursive boundary-making: Distancing and alignment in domestic migrant worker narratives

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (262) ◽  
pp. 97-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hans J. Ladegaard
Keyword(s):  
Identity Construction ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
English Language ◽  
Migrant Worker ◽  
Theoretical Concept ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Language Competence ◽  
Boundary Making

AbstractMany people in developing countries are faced with a dilemma. If they stay at home, their children are kept in poverty with no prospects of a better future; if they become migrant workers, they will suffer long-term separation from their families. This article focuses on one of the weakest groups in the global economy: domestic migrant workers. It draws on a corpus of more than 400 narratives recorded at a church shelter in Hong Kong and among migrant worker returnees in rural Indonesia and the Philippines. In sharing sessions, migrant women share their experiences of working for abusive employers, and the article analyses how language is used to include and exclude. The women tell how their employers construct them as “incompetent” and “stupid” because they do not speak Chinese. However, faced by repression and marginalisation, the women use their superior English language skills to get back at their employers and momentarily gain the upper hand. Drawing on ideologies of language as the theoretical concept, the article provides a discourse analysis of selected excerpts focusing on language competence and identity construction.

scholarly journals Producing ‘good enough’ automated transcripts securely: Extending Bokhove and Downey (2018) to address security concerns

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 205979912098776
Author(s):  
Joseph Da Silva
Keyword(s):  
Cyber Security ◽  
English Language ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Doctoral Research ◽  
Computing Services ◽  
Cloud Computing Services ◽  
Audio Data

Interviews are an established research method across multiple disciplines. Such interviews are typically transcribed orthographically in order to facilitate analysis. Many novice qualitative researchers’ experiences of manual transcription are that it is tedious and time-consuming, although it is generally accepted within much of the literature that quality of analysis is improved through researchers performing this task themselves. This is despite the potential for the exhausting nature of bulk transcription to conversely have a negative impact upon quality. Other researchers have explored the use of automated methods to ease the task of transcription, more recently using cloud-computing services, but such services present challenges to ensuring confidentiality and privacy of data. In the field of cyber-security, these are particularly concerning; however, any researcher dealing with confidential participant speech should also be uneasy with third-party access to such data. As a result, researchers, particularly early-career researchers and students, may find themselves with no option other than manual transcription. This article presents a secure and effective alternative, building on prior work published in this journal, to present a method that significantly reduced, by more than half, interview transcription time for the researcher yet maintained security of audio data. It presents a comparison between this method and a fully manual method, drawing on data from 10 interviews conducted as part of my doctoral research. The method presented requires an investment in specific equipment which currently only supports the English language.

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