Introduction to Call Center
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The document provides a history of call centers from their origins in the late 19th century through their growth and increasing prominence globally. It notes that the first call center was established in 1873 to help neighbors with problems, while the first commercial call center opened in 1878. The call center industry expanded rapidly in the late 20th century, with the Philippines emerging as a major hub from the 1990s onward due to business-friendly policies and a skilled, English-speaking workforce. By the 2010s, the Philippine call center industry employed over 900,000 people and contributed significantly to the national economy.
Introduction to Call Center
- 1. San Pedro Technological Institute Intro to Call Center Call Center Finishing Course Page 1 of 2 CALL CENTER HISTORY Timeline 1873 – Seeking for answers and help started through answering each other neighbors’ problem. 1876 – Telephone was invented by Alexander Graham-Bell 1877 – First telephone was installed in Des Moines at Equitable Life Insurance, 2nd phone installed next day at Terrace Hill. 1878 – Victor Unthe was the first one to be hired to staff phone in Equitable Life Insurance 1904-1905 – International Call Center was established during the outbreak of Russo-Japanese War. 1918 – Increasing Call Center Volume leads to creation of switchboards 1944 – First hold music was recorded by Andrews sisters 1969- Call Center jobs has become popular –Shots of NASA Control Center increases headset popularity. 1973 - Automatic Call Distributor developed by US firm Rockwell (the Rockwell Galaxy) to allow Continental Airlines to run a telephone booking system. CALL CENTER IN THE PHILIPPINES 1992 - Frank Holz, under the Accenture group, created the first contact center in the Philippines 1995 - The Philippine Congress passed the Special Economic Zone Act, lowering area requirements for development and offering tax incentives to attract more foreign investors 1997 - Sykes Asia set up shop and becomes the first multinational BPO company in the Philippines 1999 - Jim Franke and Derek Holley found eTelecare, more popularly known as the first call center in the country 2000 - The BPO industry accounted for 0.075% of the country’s GDP 2001 - PeopleSupport, a US-Based outsourcing center, restructured their business, and moved their operations to the Philippines, providing 8,400 jobs 2003 - The Convergys Corp. opened up two call centres in the Philippines. The Philippines, along with India, was chosen by then president of the company, Jack Freker, as part of the company’s global expansion and revenue generation plan 2005 - The Philippines gained 3% of the global BPO market, which accounted for 2.4% of the country’s GDP 2006 - ePLDT Ventus was at the forefront of the local BPO landscape •This improved the Philippine domestic economy by 5.4% •11,000 people were employed across North America, Europe, and Asia 2010 - The Philippines was declared the world’s BPO capital! •525,000 employees in call centres •$8.9 Billion in revenue generated •Revenues are expected to soar with a five-year compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38% •The country continues to become an attractive location for foreign investor 2011 – The BPO industry becomes one of the biggest and fastest growing job providers in the private sector •$11B revenue generated and 638,000 Filipinos employed •Revenue comprised 4.9% of country’s total GDP 2012 - The BPO industry grows even further •BPO industry grew by 46% annually since 2006 •Revenue comprised 5.4% of the country’s total GDP
- 2. San Pedro Technological Institute Intro to Call Center Call Center Finishing Course Page 2 of 2 2013 - Revenue generated climbs up further to $15.5B and 900,000 Filipinos are employed full time 2016 - BPO industry is projected to generate 1.3M new jobs, with 17% annual growth CALL CENTER - It is a centralized office environment wherein agents either answer inbound calls or make outbound calls. - is a centralized office used for the purpose of receiving and transmitting a large volume of requests by telephone - is a booming industry in the Philippines What is a CSR? CSR stands for CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE. Other names for a CSR are Call Center Agent and Telephone Sales and Service Representative. BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING - is a subset of outsourcing that involves the contracting of the operations and responsibilities of specific business functions (or processes) to a third-party service provider. OUTSOURCING - refers to the process of contracting to a third-party. OFFSHORE OUTSOURCING - is the practice of hiring an external organization to perform some business functions in a country other than the one where the products or services are actually developed or manufactured CONTACT CENTER - A part of an enterprise’s overall customer which manages customer contact, including letters, faxes, emails, newsletters, mail catalogues, Web site inquiries, and other gathered information. INBOUND AGENTS - handle calls from people needing support, asking for information, and filing complaints. OUTBOUND AGENTS - call people on behalf of a business or a client for the purpose of telemarketing, surveys, debt collection, verification, and updating services TECHNICAL SUPPORT REPRESENTATIVES - deal with computer software and/or hardware concerns and queries and provide assistance on technical aspects QUALITY ASSURANCE PERSONNEL - monitor recorded calls and handling time (average length of call), how agents handl the transaction, evaluate the performance of agents such as average number of calls per week; analyze the call flow, provide input to the team leader. TEAM LEADERS - supervise 12 – 18 agents working under them. Team or shift leaders are given leadership training programs to enable them to evaluate agents’ performance and productivity. HUMAN RESOURCES PERSONNEL - in charge of recruitment, compensation and benefits, payroll, employee communications and relations. TRAINERS - provide training on the English Language, local accent reduction/neutralization, understanding American culture, and other topics related to call center work..