Where Have They Gone?

Brain drain is a social phenomenon wherein professionals educated, trained and practice here in the Philippines particularly, is enticed to go abroad to seek greener pastures. The result is that fewer professionals are practicing their chosen field in the country, having a shortage of manpower across all professions. It started with nursing, and then medical professionals such as doctors and medical technologists started to get into the trend as well. As the development of the world progressed and the internet becoming a super highway of information and facts, there has also been an increase in the demand for information and computer related professionals here and abroad.

And because of this demand there is now the “virtual brain drain”. But this particular brain drain has more of a positive feedback than the latter. The effects of the virtual brain drain is not actually bad, in fact it has helped the county’s economy if not increased the number of jobs available. Virtual contact centers and virtual call centers have been growing both in numbers and in popularity. This is the main reason that most fresh graduates flock to existing call centers. There is no experience needed, nor have any qualms about educational attainment. Regardless of the degree, call center jobs are still very popular. And even now that businesses and companies hire virtual agents that could work at home, the interest on the job just doubled.

Teachers, nurses and I.T. graduates all work for call centers while awaiting the board exam. Some do this to save up money for the review or as a temporary route to the original plan. But sadly, almost 20% of all future professionals who enter the industry never leave especially if promotion was offered or if they job pays higher than their chosen field. This virtual brain drain is evident by the lack of practicing teachers, while to some, like nurses, it has become their redemption after the over population of the profession.

But is it that virtual call centers and contact call centers here in the Philippine thrive regardless of the disinterest of the majority of the population to work in the industry? As stated before, the job is short lived, you could get a job part time and yet earn higher (you are actually paid in dollars but given as peso), no specific qualifications except good communication skills and a good grasp of the English language. Aside from that, the job is in essence, uncomplicated.

This apparent brain drain is a looming predicament to all of us. Yes, technologically we may be behind, but the emergence of these call centers in the country proves that when it comes to job performance and exertion, the Filipinos are a force to reckon with. The same problems are still eminent, lack of professionals in different fields, but virtual call centers also bring to light several other problems. One is that social interactions of people are limited to computers. While this may be a valid form of communication, it does not have the same human affect and contact we all need. the remoteness will cause problems later on such as long periods of isolation from human contact.

Distress in Globalization

Global businesses aren’t just concerned with gaining enough revenues and making it to the top, the competition now has fallen on the capability to stay afloat with the stiff competition and the downfall of the global economy. With the help of modernized technology and super computers, business have expanded and developed faster and faster every day.

BPO or Business Process Outsourcing has become one of the few reasons why businesses across the globe have become competitive. Having a virtual call center from a professional and trusted BPO company is your answer to the questions about making it through a globally competitive business world, with a fraction of a cost. You will be able to give your customers the kind of service they deserve plus not burn a whole in your pockets.

Having the aid of a call center is not new; it just evolved into something more beneficial and advanced. Call center services has become the secret of leading businesses, it allows the company to operate in a systematic and smooth manner without the determined costs and payments. It is still a popular plan for emerging businesses with $85 Million of investments. And because of this, there are many who are going into battle with more skilled and proficient call center agents. The proof of this ever popular method is in the way virtual call centers are popping up everywhere.

But the number one reason why the strategy is popular among businesses is the way it reduces the actual spending of money by companies. Outsourcing means not having to pay for an additional room in the company building, hiring new people and buying new equipment. Outsourcing has become popular in countries like India and the Philippines because costs of operations are actually cheaper and there is a steady pool of workforce.

The number of people who are equipped with skills and talents for a call center job are surprisingly huge in these countries. And this is actually a positive thing for big businesses and companies. Handling the multiple tasks of running a business is no easy feat, and you cannot simply ask someone to do all those things. Call centers do all this for you, they hire professionals that have knowledge and skills to address the issues you have to your company. They will be trained and taught how to handle your clients and to give them the best customer service they deserve. Not only that, they will also be in-charge of lead generation and sales for your products. By hiring a virtual call center, it eases your worries about the troubles that come with running a company.

Business Dilemmas: Virtual Call Center is the Answer

Many businesses has abandoned the conventional ways of handling customer support and instead looked for cost efficient yet competent virtual call center. Many companies have started offering online support since the internet was conceived but with the bulk of clients lining up and waiting, there has been a pressing need to expand and develop. And with the tight competition in the market for similar businesses, how can your company rise beyond the struggle?

The theory that virtual call centers are the solution to upgrading customer service while reducing costs is not new. This concept is used by many companies now a days and it has proven to be effective and more. Virtual call centers basically allow the company to have a steady customer service center located outside the premises of the company’s property or even managed by a third person. This way, the company will be able to offer a wide variety of customer service rather than just receive calls for product support. Your customers will be happy to be able to talk to company representative regarding their concerns, regardless of time and date.

What makes a good virtual call center is that they are able to deliver quality and excellent customer service at a fraction of a cost. It is also an advantage of being able to work from home. Home based agents are flexible in their time and schedules. They are able to yield better performance because they are less exposed to stress, over bearing managers and supervisors, less fatigue and exhaustion. This will also lead to lesser employee turnout and actually increase retention of call center employees.

Although this particular business strategy boasts of having good results, there is still the customer and agent relationship. You have to put in mind that no matter how professional we want our agents to be, no matter how skilled, it will still be the customer’s decision to say if they have received the kind of service they feel they deserve. This is why it is important to have agents that are able to handle irate customers.

Not sure of the effectiveness of virtual call centers? The numbers speak for itself; the increasing number of businesses that involve the help of virtual call centers, the increase in your company’s revenue and most importantly, the number of satisfied customers you have. If you are still apprehensive about the positive benefits of having to employ a virtual call center, you could ask around. Businesses will surely recommend what they have learned to love.

Home Based Virtual Call Centers

The economy has greatly affected the way businesses looked at expansion. Every day, businesses are closing up their internal call centers due to overwhelming costs. Many of these closing call centers are replaced by virtual call centers, especially those that have home-based agents. Why is this so? Many businesses see that reduced costs and expenditures come with outsourcing to home-based agents allowing their companies to grow three-fold if successful.

This particular type of business strategy has been gaining popularity for the last few years and it has continued to grow because of the many success stories. It is the perfect mix of traditional call center and modernized convenience. Not only does off-shore outsourcing reduces costs, it also has other benefits like eliminating particulars like culture differences, agent turnover and such. Virtual call center uses home based agents and they may not reduce the costs as much but it is the perfect way to expand and at the same time minimize other costs.

Another advantage of using home based virtual call center agents is employee preservation. This is because most agents are happy to be working at home. Through this, you will also have a bigger pool of people whom you could employ like stay at home mothers and those who are unable to leave the house because of a disability. This flexibility and luxury of working at home eliminates strict rules an in-house virtual call center and when this happens, agents are happy. When they are happy, they tend to work harder and when this happens, revenues go up. And when profits increase, your company can grow without the staggering costs usually associated with progress.

Another positive thing about working at home is that it gives you the opportunity to focus on work alone, and not be bothered by socialization towards other agents. Agents are rarely in conflict and are less like to be weary of the work done. Agents are most likely to skip absences and apply for leave as well.

The main purpose why a company exists is to gain profit. With virtual call centers, you can be assured of it. A word of caution though, not all call centers can produce the same results, that is why it is necessary to be meticulous about choosing virtual contact centers especially over the internet. Off-shore outsourcing is a huge gamble, you wouldn’t want to invest on something that may be the reason of your company’s collapse.

Virtual Jobs

The economy has been down for the last few months, but the emergence of more jobs has given hope to the market. More online jobs are available than those that stacks you up in desks. No more 8 to 5 jobs or traveling miles to get to work. The internet has over 2 million job openings and most of these are for virtual call centers. This ever growing industry has provided many jobs to those who wish not to be bounded by the usual ways of having jobs. This has also opened doors of opportunities for all stay at home moms and dads to earn a living while in the comforts of their home.

People who work in call centers are known by a wide assortment of aliases. Call center agents, virtual assistants and home based agents are just some of the more famous names dubbed to those who work in contact centers. The most common type of job that they do handle is inbound and outbound calls which virtual call centers are experts at. They handle customer service, company support and product inquiries whether through the telephone, through email, chat or fax.

If your job entail that you provide service to a company’s clients and customers, then you are part of an important scheme to keep customers pleased and content. And when they are happy and satisfied, they remain loyal to the company who has hired you. This type of performance assures that you will have a long and successful career in the virtual call center industry. You will not only be able to work from the comforts of your own home, you will be earning more, approximately $10 to $15 an hour.

There are draw backs however, although the positive side of the job outweighs the negatives, it is still important to know what are the possible consequences of a job in the BPO industry. It is essential to possess the right communication skills to achieve something in the job, and not having the right tone of voice or the diction to communicate properly is a worrying feature. Mostly, call centers prefer their agents to speak with an accent depending from where their companies are based, and not having the ability to learn and adapt the language can be a problem. Another problem is that you may not be able to keep up with the schedule. Although virtual call centers have stay at home options, most companies want their clients to receive 24 hours and 7 days a week service.

There is no question that call center jobs will still be in demand for the next few years, until outsourcing demands lowers. But until then, you might want to consider a career in virtual call centers.

Virtual Assistance as a Leading Home-based Business

Virtual Assistance is now leading as the most in demand hottest home-based businesses, as published in some articles in BCentral. Com, MSN.com. Virtual Assistance is a new administrative profession. Professionals are called Virtual Assistants or VAs. VAs are small are small-scale business owners who provide administrative and personal support while working in long-term collaborative relationships with only a handful of terrific clients. Using phone, fax and email, VAs support their clients without having to ever step foot inside the clients' offices. It's a fabulous way of working, and opens new doors for administrative professionals.

Virtual assistance becomes the hottest home-based business since it is easy to start and the start-up costs are low, and Virtual Assistants (VAs) provide a much needed and valued services that are easy to know. But before one could start this kind of business, there are two things need to be considered: first, assess yourself if you really have the abilities and qualifications of a VA; and second, examine yourself first before you take another step forward if you can handle the tasks of Virtual Assistants. All could have their own business, but not all are meant for it. And to understand more about this new trend in business.

Working with a virtual assistant is fun and convenient. Philippines call center has unique virtual assistant which can help you in your daily work. It doesn’t just reduce your work load, but also lessen your worries thinking of tasks being done. VH virtual assistants are skilled and capable of doing tasks on time. You wouldn’t be bothered by your deadlines and the quality of work because you are assured that our virtual assistants are there to provide you excellence. No matter where you are, if you’re out of the country or having a vacation trip, our virtual assistant will be there to work for you. With the use of your phone or the Internet, you can instruct your virtual assistant what you want them to do. You can readdress complicated and arduous errands to your virtual assistant to save time and do other tasks to meet deadlines. This would also allow you to spend valuable time with your family and friends. Virtual assistants are flexible and organized. They have complete control of their work and manages time effectively so that they can do several projects instantly. Their initiative and brilliant ideas allow them to do multi-tasking and provide high quality work for their clients.

Offshoring and Outsourcing Jobs in Developing Countries

Offshoring and outsourcing in services from call centres to accountancy and medicine have created good jobs in terms of pay and working hours in developing countries. But the International Labour Organization (ILO) study found that improved work practices in the outsourcing industry could reduce excessive rates of staff turnover. The study gives the lie to claims that outsourcing of such work has created "cyber-coolies" or "electronic sweatshops", said Jon Messenger, an ILO researcher and main editor of the study. He said that the jobs being created in offshore business services in developing countries are reasonably good quality jobs by local standards in terms of wages and working conditions.

Wages are below those for similar jobs in rich countries is one of the main motives for companies to outsource operations but average pay in the sector in India is nearly double that in other areas of the formal economy. In the Philippines they were typically 53 percent higher. The study found that average weekly hours were 46-47 hours in India and 45 in the Philippines, whereas one fifth of workers in developing countries work more than 50 hours a week. But negative factors such as frequent night work to handle customers' different time zones, and demanding targets enforced by electronic monitoring resulting in a low level of worker autonomy, led to extremely high levels of staff turnover. Sometimes the turnover rate in the typically young and well-educated workforce could exceed 100 percent a year, and rates of 30-40 percent are not unusual. A few key changes in policies and practices could actually make these good jobs even better while simultaneously helping to reduce staff turnover which would benefit businesses. These could include steps to improve health and safety for night workers, such as regular check-ups, and more flexibility for workers to organise their time and to meet targets.

Governments would want the industries to develop and innovate to move up the value chain rather than simply replicating imported processes. They would also want to retain skilled workers at home rather than encouraging them to emigrate. The industry is highly influenced by language skills, with India and the Philippines serving English-speaking countries, Argentina serving Spain and Mexico building up operations to serve Spanish-speakers in the United States. Africa is relatively underdeveloped although Nigeria's computer-literate population gives it potential.