T3 (Training Together on Tuesdays)
After Call Work Part 1
Ever strolled down memory lane and found yourself grinning over the quirks and camaraderie of your old workplace? That's exactly what we're doing in this uproarious reunion. We're cracking open the vault of memories from our time in the Philippines' bustling call centers, touted as the "New Heroes" of the nation. From the linguistic gymnastics of accent neutralization to our trendsetting office wear, we're unpacking the good, the bad, and the hilarious. Your favorite trainers can't help but compare notes on how the industry has transformed while still holding on to its core identity.
As we turn the pages of our BPO chapter, nostalgia hits with tales of transformative IT setups and the remnants of those days that still linger in our professional lives today. We're all about celebrating the diversity and inclusivity that welcomed us, regardless of our backgrounds. This episode isn't just a trip down memory lane; it's a tribute to the enduring culture of support and growth that continues to inspire our varied career trajectories, from tech whizzes to entrepreneurs and freelancers. Join us for a hearty dose of reflection and laughter as we dissect the culture that shaped our past and continues to influence our present and future steps.
Ever strolled down memory lane and found yourself grinning over the quirks and camaraderie of your old workplace? That's exactly what we're doing in this uproarious reunion. We're cracking open the vault of memories from our time in the Philippines' bustling call centers, touted as the "New Heroes" of the nation. From the linguistic gymnastics of accent neutralization to our trendsetting office wear, we're unpacking the good, the bad, and the hilarious. Your favorite trainers can't help but compare notes on how the industry has transformed while still holding on to its core identity.
As we turn the pages of our BPO chapter, nostalgia hits with tales of transformative IT setups and the remnants of those days that still linger in our professional lives today. We're all about celebrating the diversity and inclusivity that welcomed us, regardless of our backgrounds. This episode isn't just a trip down memory lane; it's a tribute to the enduring culture of support and growth that continues to inspire our varied career trajectories, from tech whizzes to entrepreneurs and freelancers. Join us for a hearty dose of reflection and laughter as we dissect the culture that shaped our past and continues to influence our present and future steps.
Hi everyone and welcome to another T3 episode training together on Tuesdays. My name is Tony and with me are beautiful, beautiful women that I've known for a period of time now. We have Christine, trina and Sarah. Hi everyone, sarah is really, really Sarah, you are really a good girl for today.
Speaker 2:Hello, hello, so good to see you again, you guys.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, I'm OG Sarah G, definitely OG, the Sarah G, og, sarah G. Yeah, just a little bit. Welcome to today's episode, today's special why? So there's Lecce, flanney and Ubi on top. That's special today. So we dedicate this episode primarily very self-centered to us. Okay, because once in our lives we've also been part of that group that they call us New Heroes or, in the Filipino language, bagong Bayani, filipinas call center workers, bpo workers. They give us help to raise the economy of our country. So all of us, just like what I said, we all work together and people won't know it, but we share the same history because we all work together at some point in the BPO. So I don't know if you can say the name of the BPO, let's just say the name of the psychs. Obviously, they don't know each other because they don't know each other outside.
Speaker 2:They're not the psychs now. So I think it's okay.
Speaker 1:First of all, it's the first ever in the Philippines, right, is it?
Speaker 2:Is it guys? We have a friend who's called us, I know.
Speaker 1:I know that psychs was the first.
Speaker 2:The pioneer right.
Speaker 1:I think so because I'm a new employee.
Speaker 2:orientation, that's the script Welcome to Psych, the pioneer adult call center.
Speaker 1:It's the first, you're making an accent, accent, neutralization, that's what we're doing so that's all of us.
Speaker 1:More specifically, what this episode would like to bring about would be we want to spend time on sharing what we miss most about working in a BPO and, at the same time, identify also what we don't really miss at all. There you go. That's interesting, so I assume wait, let me check, just a quick check In the four of you I'm still with you. You guys don't work in a BPO anymore, no more, not anymore, no, no more. So, low and behold, I'm going back to BPO. Yes, hi, welcome back, you're going back. Gary Valenciano.
Speaker 2:Yes, you're going back At some point.
Speaker 1:But interestingly you've been gone for a long time.
Speaker 2:I went back somewhere and then I went back.
Speaker 1:I was in a denim jacket earlier, but I just took off. Where's your trench coat? That has fur-lined trench coats.
Speaker 2:Wow fashion in the call center.
Speaker 1:You know I'm not wearing a trench coat, but I'm wearing a trench coat. That's me. Yes, I'm wearing it. You're wearing a trench coat, but you're wearing a trench coat.
Speaker 2:The black color of the trench coat and the matrix is in one of your hands Exactly the image of Sarge Trinity is already on my mind.
Speaker 1:Yes, but before we go to the heart of our conversation today, let's set some context so people will know where we have been and how many years back we've been. Where have you been after Sykes, asia? So let's start with Trina, the lovely Trina, okay, okay. So background Sykes was my one and only call center experience, so I was there in 2004. 2012. So how many years? So total number of years? Eight years. Eight years, right, eight years, yes, yes.
Speaker 1:Actually, I have a dream in between because I left in 2010. I didn't have six months, but, like Tony, I also returned to the same company.
Speaker 2:Oh, return of the jet.
Speaker 1:So I was a return me Exactly. And then until 2012,. And then how long has it been Since 2012,? More than 11 years Around that number 11 years. Yes, 11 years ago. So after that I was self-employed. I was still training, but I was self-employed Because I left before. I applied before to other companies then.
Speaker 2:But I didn't have a dream.
Speaker 1:I work also just a short stint with SM, but I couldn't find the same type of environment.
Speaker 2:SM is retail.
Speaker 1:It's like she can't visit, so she can't visit the retail group the experience at the call center and then I never really went back because I'm self-employed, that's my motto in your background.
Speaker 2:I'm with a local manufacturing company, now Prior. Yes, I have been to three call centers. Three call centers that's after the academia. So I wanted to find a job that would still be the same as teaching. So I wanted to be a trainer. So the first call center was somewhere in Ortega. I lasted for only eight months because I was a Gulu Gulu friend. I originally applied to be an accent trainer but they put me in technical training. So the troubleshooting, you know, the opening of the tower and the blue screen of death it hurts.
Speaker 1:Yes, it hurts. Oh, you can't accent there. Yes, it's hard to accent. Why are you so sad?
Speaker 2:You're not carrying it, no, because I didn't last. I didn't last. I was with them for about eight months and then I worked for another call center somewhere in Makati. The travel killed me literally and figuratively, because I lived in Fairview. I stayed for about a year as a product trainer and then this call center on we're talking about the name Sykes Call me up and the rest was history.
Speaker 1:It's the call center where.
Speaker 2:I stayed the longest in. I was with them for 30 years. I was the longest in your three. That's right, tony. How many again? 30 years, 30 straight years, one free 30 years.
Speaker 1:I've been with them for 30 years. That's how you're Tony. What's that?
Speaker 2:baby.
Speaker 1:She's not even using the call center. She's not even using the call center, she's already there.
Speaker 2:Born and raised.
Speaker 1:Actually in another lifetime and then just ended up in the lifetime Exactly.
Speaker 2:I believe in incarnation.
Speaker 1:How attached. Seven lives, seven lives in Hindu, that long.
Speaker 2:So I left Sykes around 2017 and that's when I joined a local bank and then I joined Conglomerate and then now I'm with a local manufacturing company. Wow, it's my slang still there. Yeah, I kind of lost touch with my business ever since I left the call center.
Speaker 1:I mean I'm a person it's like riding a bike, it's always there.
Speaker 2:I lost the balance, though, but then again, what's funny was when I demonstrated, but I demoed thought. During the interview, the first question they asked me was can you train in Tagalog? Okay, okay, they need it. So I think there's a sharp change there.
Speaker 1:Your audience is different.
Speaker 2:Right, bankero plant workers, all that, yeah. So it was a major adjustment for me. Shift, that was like 2017, 34, about six years back.
Speaker 1:Six years. Okay, it's still a bit short compared to, let's say, three-nose, 11 years. I guess I stayed among the four of us. I think I stayed the shortest in the call center Because I have five years, five years. But you know, mom, I've learned in those five years. I really developed into, I'd like to think, a good trainer and I've acquired so many skills that until now I still use it. I've learned a lot there and now, if I'll go back, it has been 15 years, it's like the corona, the surge.
Speaker 1:No, 15 years. Since I worked in the call center. I said I've been working for five years. 15 years after I also worked in SM the property management side of SM and then I joined two other companies and then after that I went full-time freelance, or, as I call myself, the full-time part-timer.
Speaker 2:A new term is born.
Speaker 1:yes, oh, full-time, part-timer.
Speaker 2:I like it.
Speaker 1:I like the flexibility and of course, you know life happened. There are kids, you know. You know when you're a corporate it's not easy to be in the video. That's true, and what not? So, and you know that's it. So I'm enjoying ever since. But I always go back to what I have learned and the systems processes and you know we all agree that Sykes is a very good giant yes. Very great for that, and I found friends like you after 15 or so years.
Speaker 2:I saw a lot of you right.
Speaker 1:Podcasts, podcasts and so on. That's true, I'm good at talking back. You know what could have been the element that binded us together? Because I mean, like it's been how many years, right, maybe like a decade ago. That's a decade ago, right More than a year. I saw, but look at us you know we still remain connected and even if we're not together.
Speaker 1:It's just. It's just. The feeling is we're just together. Yesterday, again together. It's the same, exactly the same thing. It's the same thing. Yes, nothing's changed. We just finished our meeting with our director. Right, we're all connected Because we're all the same.
Speaker 2:Yes, we're all the same, yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, rbg RGB. I'm wrong again RGB, right, rgb RGB, because maybe the director is the one that I know, because he's like like our Ardon.
Speaker 2:Maybe there are a lot of Ardon.
Speaker 1:Who are the?
Speaker 2:Ars. Yes, who are they? Yes, it's hard. Let's call them names. Let's call them names, don't Don't Secret. Secret, yes, but they have fond memories of them, definitely.
Speaker 1:I just have one question for Christine, because we have a comment from Sarah G and Trina. They went on self-employment right Full-time, part-time. Christine, you also got that chance to work on, you know like free as a freelancer not really on the side.
Speaker 2:Yeah, on the side. Yeah, I did hosting for events very good. Yeah, I did design for my friends learning design. But to go full time, part time like Sarge, it never really occurred to me at that time.
Speaker 1:So there's a part time.
Speaker 1:Part time, that's it part time, part time, yeah, I like the mecos, mecos, mecos, mecos, mecos mecos, mecos, mecos, mecos, mecos, mecos, mecos, mecos, mecos, mecos ne. I know yes very jai ho, so a kone nang band, just to complete the picture. So seven years in Sykes and then I met all of you there at. You know, different, different times, different seasons in Sykes. Some of you are really working with Trina. Both of us belong to one specific group. And then from there I met Sara, sara G. I set up your IT right. I still remember that. I can't remember.
Speaker 2:You remember?
Speaker 1:You remember yes, because that's not the story. A year after your first anniversary, you thanked me and then you said you were the one who sent me the photos, because you sent me the photos.
Speaker 2:It's very new.
Speaker 1:I forgot the appreciation.
Speaker 2:So memorable, Tony, for Sara G.
Speaker 1:Sara G, because you forgot. That's why I'm there, to make me remember.
Speaker 2:That's why I'm there.
Speaker 1:Correct. I remember that she reminded me of everything.
Speaker 2:Yes, she reminded me.
Speaker 1:She's the leader, she organized parties. Yes, she's at the front line of all things. She's the human notification Human.
Speaker 2:But not human post-it.
Speaker 1:Alarm bell is sound Notification. We're now at the digital age. And then Christine, she's like she's close to the house.
Speaker 2:I know she's the other side of the fence.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, so when Christine, you know she's there Because she's English, because we're there, we're not there, we're just there, we're just like that.
Speaker 2:But when you're there you have a comment.
Speaker 1:You have English in your name. That's where Christine is. We also chose English Because it's not English. Only policy Okay, switch, you have to go by Like that.
Speaker 2:You set or you look set. Are we okay? Now, my God?
Speaker 1:Okay, so I just to complete the picture. So seven years in Sykes and then I left 2010. I left 2010,. So if you compute now I'm 13 years back. But I have to go back to BPO this year Around April this year.
Speaker 1:But the period in between I also worked for different employers In different industries, like IT, which is not the BPO at all, so IT and then that's for the ULT, packard, and then I also self-employed. I mean, we created a team together with Lina and some other folks, also from Sykes, so we built our own training consultancy group. That's about seven years of doing that business and then re-entered corporate legal industry In the White and Case, and then this so I have an OFW in my current education, philippines Interesting. So it's true, because we have different industries. We have our own companies, we have other industries and very interesting to find out later there's a difference. So we'll go straight to the first question, and this is something to do with the things that we miss about being in a call center or in a BPO work setting. We'll start with the positives first what we miss, what we might have found From the standpoint of where we are right now. Okay, so, trina, you're going to start. Yeah, well, actually I think.
Speaker 2:I met up with you earlier.
Speaker 1:It's hard. How do I say this nicely? No joke, that's so funny. What we miss is that the girl is still young. What we miss what do you call this? I mentioned earlier that after Sykes did self-employment, I tried on others but I couldn't find the environment that I like. I often say this, that I think Sykes ruined me In a nice way, in the most positive way I can say it, because it ruined me for other companies. Of course there's no perfect company, but I think out of all the organizations that I joined the closest to the ideal for me. I think I realized also now we work to earn money and all these things, but I can't say that my salary is high. But I realized that it's not just about the salary and all the compensation. For me, working environment is really important, the support that I get. Especially. We are the people that I work with. It's like we're wavelength and I think it's because we were all aligned into the same culture, same processes that we follow.
Speaker 1:That's why the communication, the expectations were easier when we work with each other, because we get it right away, so you don't need to exert that much effort to explain it to the brain or to get on the right page with each other. That's what I miss the most the sense of community. To be honest, I never tried in other call centers, but I've been able to change a lot before. I've been able to change sites before, because the culture is different than it has. You can describe it in so many ways, but it's hard to pinpoint what exactly it is, so that it has an it factor for me.
Speaker 2:It's really the people real solutions. What are you guys?
Speaker 1:Real people, real solutions. But there's another one what is it? Real people, real solutions.
Speaker 2:How far will you let me take you? Pride in performance. She's still trying to impress me. Pride in performance.
Speaker 1:Pride in performance, oh P. Professionalism, our respect I. Integrity, dependability, e is excellence. Oh my gosh, you're really in a strategy. You're in the ID right. Those are our values, exactly. You're like aligned, aligned I don't know. It's like you're just lining up there and that's what people are doing. That's the for me, the in a way, the ECS to get along with people, and that's it.
Speaker 1:It's not just about working. It's so enjoyable, because this is what we call it. I mean I could spend the whole day just doing this. To be quite honest, sometimes you just not really talking about anything substantial, but it's so. I feel the joy and the love. The love, not true.
Speaker 2:Light and joy.
Speaker 1:Because it's so light and bubbly.
Speaker 2:It's like a big cow we're already in the Philippines. I feel that You're so handsome. That's it.
Speaker 1:And, of course, another thing that I miss is the flexibility in working in Joules. Well, at least for me, because we belong to the support groups, we're more flexible compared to the operation side. In a way, I found more control in terms of doing my own work, and part of that you don't have to deal with. You can pick your own nice shift to work at to avoid other stresses in your life. You can basically have control over your schedule. So that's the top 2 things that I really miss From being not just in the call center but specifically Sykes. We already said that we're also in Sykes, we're already in Sykes.
Speaker 2:Yes, because when we say call center we can't really generalize right, because we've only been to a few we haven't really experienced other call centers, so we can speak for the ones where we really stayed the longest in.
Speaker 1:I'm assuming that.
Speaker 2:Sykes was the one who was the most successful. So when I was thinking about this the topic what do I miss and what do I not miss about Sykes I got conflict. Yeah, miss me. So let me just say that some of the things that I miss about Sykes I don't miss as well at this point in my life Because I think it happened when I worked for the call center. It was such a good time. I had the strength, I had the vibrance, I had the energy to keep up with the accelerated speed of things in the company. But if there's something tangibly that I miss most about Sykes specifically, it would be the sleeping quarters. It would be the sleeping quarters Because the local companies I've been to they don't offer that. It might be shallow for some people, the physical space, so some workplace that you can call home away from home. That's how I felt when I was inside. You know I can.
Speaker 2:I have a sleeping um quarter if I need to rest, I have free flowing coffee and drinks in the pantry Free, but more than that, yeah, when you say home, away from home, it's how people regarded each other in the company. We're like family, I mean. You know. To put it simply, yeah, exactly yeah, we can always make friends in any company, but in Sykes it's kind of special because we're like spirited, like minded, right, so it's so easy to forge that friendship with you guys especially.
Speaker 1:And look at us. I mean, you know we haven't seen each other for a long time and yet we're like like yesterday. Right, we were at the Christmas party Next, I love it. I know we were at the Christmas party. Yeah, oh, I'm not getting excited. So yeah, Okay okay, I'm not getting excited. Defensive let's not talk about that, okay, okay. Anyway, christine going back.
Speaker 2:And the other thing really, now that I'm working for a local company, is the opportunity to travel and work with different nationalities. It's different. When you're exposed to that, are you on? So it kind of pushes you to examine how you communicate, how you deal with them, how you work with them. For us now it's more concentrated to really dealing with your fellow countrymen. I love that. I love the Filipinos, so I think that's one of the sharpest turns when you I sense you, I sense the.
Speaker 1:I think, in that regard, missing the element of the challenge, the challenge of interacting with other people and then understanding the culture that they bring about.
Speaker 2:And not just other nationalities, but within the call center you get to work with, deal with people from different walks of life, because that's what call centers are for.
Speaker 1:They're a non-discriminating if you remember?
Speaker 2:regardless of your background.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and to add to that, that's also what I miss the diversity. And and why? Because, like what you mentioned, all shapes and sizes, all nationalities, all preferences, right, and I even had a training in a wheelchair, and it's not, you know, it's really not discriminatory because, at least at that time, most very good communication skills.
Speaker 1:As long as you can communicate, then you're in. And it doesn't discriminate against age. Some of the best agents we know are moms, you know. So, you know. So. It doesn't discriminate against schools. So the usual the most companies in the Philippines stops tonight, but there you, you know, it's really, it's a melting pot of all personalities, all backgrounds. So that's what I miss, because the companies I joined after that were kind of the similar, of course, but it's just amazing that, even though we are so different in our interests, etc. But yeah, we were guided by just one goal, one set of values, one mission, you know, and then we really felt like we were the IM Sykes before. Right, oh my gosh, oh, my IM Sykes. True, true, true, yeah. So it's not just by word, yeah.
Speaker 2:It didn't really matter what we were in the office, you know, as long as it follows address code, as long as it's decent of course.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, that's what I miss most about working in a, in a, in a BPO.
Speaker 2:Yes yes, that's what I'm.
Speaker 1:I get to talk with people from the US, from another call center, from Mexico, from Singapore, malaysia, chile. So who would have thought that I would be talking with people from all those countries? I didn't think it was possible, but because of technology, which is also what I miss. Well, of course, not so much now because of the pandemic, so we really embrace technology, but before the pandemic I was still a bit crazy about my after-call work companies, because we can store a lot of paper in a shared drive or whatever, and then the emails that I printed, it stays there.
Speaker 1:Don't worry, I got them, but you don't have to print it for me, so that's how it is.
Speaker 2:That's what I miss about it. The processes.
Speaker 1:So I would also echo that, most especially for Sykes. I mean the other call center I work, because I work at a local telco in Smart before but I've not seen it and then after that Sykes. So just like what Tina said, sykes is the standard for me. That's a standard for me that if I move to another company before I will always go back to the Sykes standards.
Speaker 2:If not Sykes, then don't do it yeah exactly, and that's the reason why.
Speaker 1:I didn't want to apply for another BPO, because I will always compare and. I will get frustrated if I don't see this. I'll just move out, maybe in the next month or so, because it sticks like glue.
Speaker 2:Sykes, you've actually become Sykes yourself, yeah, because we are Sykes, I was Sykes, so you bring along Sykes.
Speaker 1:I was Sykes.
Speaker 2:I was Sykes, we were Sykes.
Speaker 1:So you bring it along with you. So, apart from those, it's set the standard in terms of processes, like in terms of culture, how people I like the way people support each other. It doesn't matter what team you are. When you ask for their help, they will surely help, they will surely assist you, they will give it to you. Yeah, no one is like that. No one is like, oh, we are like this or whatever.
Speaker 2:Or they have a process, they have you to follow and what is the open door policy?
Speaker 1:You can go straight to Mike Henderson and he wouldn't mind, right?
Speaker 2:Yes, that's another one. Oh yeah, yeah, yes, of course. Oh my God, that's, yeah, that's exactly it, the open door right you can go to any direction, no red tape or bureaucracy.
Speaker 1:You can go straight to the leaders. So all of them are leaders. From my experience yes, From my experience I'm talking for them.
Speaker 2:But yes, yes, I agree Most of them.
Speaker 1:I'm generally speaking to them.
Speaker 2:At least the leaders I interacted with open door policy. It's sometimes super open, I know, I know.
Speaker 1:So the listen to you, the listen to you Some of them are not necessarily act on it, but at least the minimum they listen to you. There's a need for you, especially the people in training. Right? Yes, not just the training. It's important for L&D, for psychs, at all angles. It doesn't matter if you're in the English team, you're in the core skills, you're in the leadership team. Everyone is of equal footing there. So that's what I like the most from my end there. So certainly this whole conversation is so interesting that it deserves a part two. Yes, I agree, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, they take it away and look us in the eye.
Speaker 1:Yes, Okay so.
Speaker 2:That's it. That's it yes that's it.
Speaker 1:It's just that we can fit every all the questions that we have in just one go Sure there. So there's a lot of it. It's such a rich experience that we have.
Speaker 2:Yeah, when you speak from experience, you tend to get carried away.
Speaker 1:True, true Again. So we will, I was told by the director.
Speaker 2:So end it here, okay, okay, what's the?
Speaker 1:problem. We will momentarily. So we have a cliffhanger, right? Yes, we will momentarily pause here.
Speaker 2:Why there?
Speaker 1:And then when we come back, so we have a commercial look, be careful. Yes, when we come back, we will continue on with the things that we don't kind of miss Right. These are the things that at some point we're relieved we're not there anymore there. So, there's always something like that. It's not like you're young and young. There are opposites.
Speaker 2:True, so there.
Speaker 1:So we will momentarily say farewell. So thank you for being with us today. Christine, there, of course, sarah, sarah G and Trina. So we hope that our listeners like this first part of our episode after call work. Do follow us regularly, hopefully in all our podcasts, and leave us a rating and a review. We need that so that we can further improve our ways. So for questions and comments, please visit us at our website, pro163learningplus, and don't forget to check out the T3 blog for more techniques and advice. We'll come back next time, very, very shortly, with more tips and tools from us, your favorite trainers. Until then, we say goodbye for now.
Speaker 2:Bye, everyone Bye.