iCafes eyed as call center career processing centers

CEBU, Philippines - To provide Internet Cafes another means of revenue stream, I-Café Pilipinas is encouraging all I-Café members across the country to offer employment opportunities to would-be call center agents.

I-Café Pilipinas recently entered into an agreement with Cyber City Teleservices (Phils) Inc., for the development of the “Idea Camp I-Café” program, which intends to utilize internet cafes as access points for the development of a nationwide network of call center agents employment processing centers.

“CCTP is a pioneer in the call center industry in the Philippines and we strive for excellence in everything that we do. We are not just offering a job but a career in the call center industry,” said Recruitment and Admission Head Ms. Lourdes F. Mendoza expressing her belief that by tapping the internet cafes in the various communities around the country, “we would be able to find the best qualified people to cater to our increasing need for highly skilled call center agents.”

Under the scheme, the accredited internet cafes in the different areas around the country would act as processing centers for those who would like to work as call center agents at CCTP.

The initial application process, which will be done at the accredited internet cafes, will translate to savings for the applicants as they no longer need to go far to apply. The initial screening would be done by the internet café operator based on the standards that is set by CCTP.

“If they pass the initial screening, the applicants would be asked to fill up an online application form and would be told to come back for their scheduled online interview with the recruitment officers of CCTP. If the applicant passes the initial interview then he is on his way to be part of CCTP,” Mendoza said.

“This is a vision of the future of the internet café in the Philippines” said I-Cafe Pilipinas president Ed Zafra

“It’s the vision of I-Café Pilipinas that the internet café of the future would not only offer entertainment but also opportunities for people in the community to use ICT as a tool to improve their living conditions. With this program we could now provide employment opportunities to people in our community and hopefully they would see the internet café in a different light,” Zafra stressed.

Meanwhile, Microsoft Philippines earlier announced that it is going to pursue its plan to make Internet cafés as training grounds for individuals who wanted to learn specific course in Information Technology (IT).

Aside from the move of I-Cafe Pilipinas, providing Internet Café operators another revenue channel, Microsoft is also initiating schemes that would help operators generate more income, so they will not rely solely on gaming and web surfing revenues.

In an earlier interview with Microsoft Philippines Inc. License Compliance Manager Fortune Abelo-Magsadia, she said that through its Microsoft iCafe Program, iCafe shops could offer short training programs, to add value to its services, aside from getting revenues out of games and net surfing.

Abelo-Magsadia said that putting mini-training center facilities in iCafes in the Philippines will not only provide opportunity for owners to earn more, but it will also allow more Filipinos to learn skills in IT.