Ninety Days

Hey it's got to come sooner or later. Got news from my friends working at TeleTech that the program TechSolutions is finally closing down as the client will not be continuing the contract with us. Bummer!

That's the nature of call center folks. You set up fast and you gain lots of experience out of it dealing with technology, people and client. I know I did when I was there and I have to admit the experience working with an MNC was enriching for the professional development. It opened many doors for me. A few years back, together with a few close friends of mine - we were blazing the industry with our enthusiasm and ferocity to just move forward. You learned, you made a mistake, you picked yourself up and brushed failure off and still at it.

Well that was circa 2000 - 2003. Now call centers in Singapore are finding it tough competing with emerging (I call it cheaper) markets in KL, India and even Philipines. Why the heck should companies hire locals when they could do so in other countries with cost substantially reduced? That's the reality.

The flip side of it all is that you can't never ever duplicate the level of quality Singapore has or try to bring it or emulate it in India or KL. I know this personally because I was in the thick of it all in this field.

One of the main challenges in setting up a call center abroad is to train agents that can be proficient enough speaking in English. And if you're supporting a global product, you need to sound decent and get rid of that local accent. Call centers pay big bucks hiring consultants to do these trainings. Sometimes I really pity the agents whom we put through a rigorous training programme for them just to sound like an 'angmoh.' Lol! Talk about another form of colonial subjugation! But it's all good!

From what I heard, some of my friends were offered to go to KL to work there for a period of time. Some are left uncertain of their future as management tries to find the best plan for them. Others have approximately 90 days to regroup.