Party line

Hello, how may I help you?" Imagine saying that same line about a hundred times over in a single day in a constantly upbeat tone. Not as easy as it sounds, right?

Answering phones may be what a customer service representative does at a call center, but at the Globe Call Center, they do more than just answer phones.

Globe’s hotline serves as the liaison between company and customer – the first person customers reach out to when they have a concern or query. "We understand that for subscribers, the customer service professional is the company, and we try, as much as possible, to keep Globe’s image untarnished," says Call Center management head Deejay Tolentino. This means every service rep is well-versed in tech info, billing procedures and even Globe policies.

They’re proud of the quality of their services, calling it the "best customer experience." So, whether it’s their first or two hundred third call, they have to remain constantly upbeat, ready to soothe the nerves of an irate customer. And that’s no easy feat. I had the chance to listen in on several conversations at the Globe Call Center – definitely an enjoyable experience for me since I was hoping to eavesdrop on people at their worst moments.

My Call Center buddy Aileen Tan was the perfect service rep –cheerful, friendly and oh-so-excited about the fact that her picture was going to be in the paper. "Talagang ilalabas ‘to sa newspaper?" she asks me. I can’t help but smile and nod my head. She turns to the girl next to us, Alexis, and tells her that they’ll be in the paper. Alexis grins and says, "Bibili ako ng newspaper paglabas niyan!"

Soon work had to resume, and as Aileen pressed the button for the first call, I couldn’t help but worry about the kind of treatment that these people get. But Aileen’s calls were rather tame to my disappointment, but still entertaining. A woman called her asking about a free phone, which happens really often, apparently. She asked about a certain handheld.

Aileen replies, "You can get this phone for free under plan 2500."

Long pause. "So babayad ako ng P2,500 every month?" the woman asks.

Aileen, ever cheerful, answers, "Yes, ma’am, if you subscribe to the 2500 plan."

Another long pause. "Ang mahal naman niyan. Hindi na bababa ang presyo niyan?"

I wanted to answer, "Darling, hindi ito tiangge. Walang price negotiation dito." But, unfortunately, customer service head Manny Aligada had warned me ahead of time –perhaps sensing my tendency to speak out of turn – not to butt in at any point. So, I couldn’t tell this particular caller to ring Greenhills instead of the hotline.

This is the life of the customer service representative, dealing with normal and abnormal people on a regular basis. It’s a tiresome job, definitely. They sit on the same chair and face the same desk, day after day, answering phone calls. Things get boring after a while, which is why Globe creates a career path for these people.

"After about three years, we transfer them to another department," explains Manny Aligada. "They can go to marketing or sales, so that they won’t be stuck in a rut, working in the same place forever."

"To make things more exciting for them," adds service quality head Trina Henson, "we have themed Fridays." This means that one Friday, they dress up the place like a casino, on another, a luau. And the employees come in full costume.

It’s funny to think of these people answering serious calls while dressed in full regalia or grass skirt and lei. But that seems to be the nature of this service center.

There are posters of little notes from colleagues pinned to the wall, and a sense of camaraderie lingers in the air. The call center feels like a healthy working environment, which is something that Globe is proud of, and rightly so.

"We’re developing a superior service center within the organization," declares Manny Aligada, "by employing well-trained, values-driven, highly motivated professionals."

Quite a mouthful, but it seems to be working. A lot of these people look happy and well-adjusted, not something you see often in office cubicles.

As I take a break from my eavesdropping, I can’t help but ask Aileen about the weirdest call she’d ever received. She thinks for about half a minute and tells me, "Well there’s this guy who calls regularly and just won’t get off the phone. Our last call lasted about two hours."

"What?" I screeched. "That’s insane." For your information, the average call lasts about three minutes.

"Oh, yes," she nods sagely, "he’s super weird." I laughed. "When he calls, he won’t get straight to the point. He’ll ask personal questions first like, ‘So what course did you take up in school?’"

"And you guys answer him?"

"Sometimes, just so he’ll get to the point. I’ll tell him, ‘Nag-commerce ‘ho ako’ para lang matapos na." Aileen shakes her head. "Actually," she leans in to whisper, "I think he might be gay."

I snorted with laughter. You’ve got to hand it to these people. They sure know how to keep things upbeat.

Now that I’ve seen what these people go through, I’ve learned to be more patient during calls – and most of all – to keep things short and simple. So the next time you make a call to the Globe hotline, skip the attitude and get to the point. Oh, and say hi to my buddy Aileen.