2 bottles and wounded soldiers...

It was 8:03am..everyone started to set their Nortel phones to "make busy" twice. Another day at work has ended. It's a cue for everyone to leave and go home...or proceed to the Diner's where reps, team leaders and exchangees hang out for after shift beer.

For most of the people working for call centers, drinking sessions after shift has become a habit. It's our way to relax and talk about our not so good experiences with our customers. Our exchangees from Rhode Island seemed to have developed the same habit. They would even stay up until 2pm with the gang. Brian, one of the exchangees would ask "dalawang bote?" in a very americanized way. I am not a beer drinker but I enjoy hanging out with the guys. Today, we had a full house at the Diners. Those who are in attendance were Brian, Ryan and Paul (exchangees), John and myself (Team Leaders), Mark, JC, Joe, Gem, CJ, James, Egay, Vic, Bryan,Jac, Bernard (reps) and Linet (QA). It was a happy to sight to see. Despite cultural and individual differences we were having fun.

Soon after..reps started to leave and all that was left were wounded soldiers.. the empty bottles of SanMig Light that witnessed the bond that friends have over two bottles.

NOTE:
We call it 2 bottles even if we consume more than that because we stop counting after two!

Thoughts to ponder..

This is an email sent by my friend Dexter, who incidentally is also my manager:

There are two ways to live your life:
One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

There is no mistake so painful that love cannot forgive… no past so bitter that love cannot accept.

And no love so little that we cannot start all over with.

Brunch and more @ ATC..

It's the 15th..PAYDAY! Like any other payday...we decided to eat out. We got tired of our usual fast food and Hidden Tapsi visits. Today, we are off to North Park Noodle House at Alabang Town Center. North Park offers scrumptious Chinese food.

We had to travel for a good 45mins to an hour just to have our brunch. I can say it was worth the travel time and the money. We had Yang Chow Fried Rice, Salted Garlic Squid, Boneless Lemon Chicken, Lechon Macau and Fresh Prawn Dumpling. To say that my tummy was packed that day is definitely an understatement. Not to mention that we also made a quick visit to Dairy Queen. Judy wanted to check out their famous Blizzard (served upside down or its free!)

I am enjoying my nice super creamy and funkily messy Oreo blizzard when we saw Dexter, our manager on the same side of the mall and walking towards us. We candidly asked him to join us. After a few spoonfuls of blizzard (from Judy), he headed on his way to the bank nearby to pay his bills. Realizing that we still have to report for work in the evening, we decided to call it a day and go home. On our way to the car park, Vic asked if we could stop at Starbucks and smoke before we leave. Since most of us are smokers..we all agreed. I was about done with my last stick when we saw Brian and Paul. They are exchangees from Rhode Island who reside just beside ATC. It was funny how we all worked that day and found ourselves bumping to each other inside a mall that's definitely not a stone's throw away from our office. It was a great day spent with friends over good food.

I am pretty sure we will do this again next payday..wonder where our next stop is though.. c',)

VIENNA

Working for the travel industry for over 5 years I am used to creating itineraries and enclosing descriptions of the places included on the itinerary. One of the most requested places to visit is Vienna. Back then if you are to ask me how I would describe Vienna.. here is my answer:

Vienna is an ideal-typical European city similar to Barcelona, London, Milan, Paris or Rome, but unlike the others it is very compact and easy to negotiate. Vienna is referred to by many as a unique onion, with each of the urban layers surrounding the oldest historic center being equally important to the overall flavor of the city. The Austrian capital therefore embraces all the traditions of a European city, from Roman foundations through to Gothic, Baroque and Historicism. Tourists are eager to visit Vienna because of the city's exciting combination of the royal-imperial flair of the past with the latest trends, the responsible cultivation of a precious heritage and charming traditions. But much more than old buildings turn Vienna into a city of beauty: one also finds excellent museums, fine art collections and world-renowned works of art in the city. Vienna boasts 50 theaters, including three opera houses and two theaters staging musicals, 100 museums.

And the description can go on and on...

A couple of years later, VIENNA is more than just a place on itineraries. It no longer represents the Austrian capital. Now... it represents me. Don't be too quick to judge that I have gone nuts. While I was streaming for songs to download and add to my play list, I came across VIENNA..a song by Billy Joel. To be honest, his genre was way out of my league but then I decided to listen to the song for the heck of it.

Good decision. I started to Google the lyrics while the song was playing..and when I finally got the grasp of what the song was about...I was in tears. It was me written all over it. The song described exactly how I felt. It was like facing a mirror and describing how I see myself at that moment.

I was in my mid twenties and going through the "finding myself" drama. There were a lot of things going on in my life and I wanted to embrace everything... without realizing that I have only one brain..one body. I can only take so much. I was a hero without a cause. I felt like a workhorse.. my life has become a routine. It didn't feel right.

This song changed my perspective. Made me look into my life.. my priorities. What is important..

Here is my song...

VIENNA

Slow down you crazy child
You're so ambitious for a juvenile
But then if you're so smart tell me why
Are you still so afraid?
Where's the fire, what's the hurry about?
You better cool it off before you burn it out
You got so much to do and only
So many hours in a day

But you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want
Or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through
When will you realize...Vienna waits for you

Slow down you're doing fine
You can't be everything you want to be
Before your time
Although it's so romantic on the borderline tonight (tonight)
Too bad but it's the life you lead
You're so ahead of yourself
That you forgot what you need
Though you can see when you're wrong
You know you can't always see when you're right(you're right)

You got your passion you got your pride
But don't you know that only fools are satisfied?
Dream on but don't imagine they'll all come true
When will you realize
Vienna waits for you

Slow down you crazy child
Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while
It's alright you can afford to lose a day or two
When will you realize...
Vienna waits for you.

And you know that when the truth is told
That you can get what you want
Or you can just get old
You're gonna kick off before you even get halfway through

Why don't you realize...Vienna waits for you
When will you realize...Vienna waits for you

The List

The Customer Care Center operations in the Philippines is growing! Before Q1 ended, the announcement was made on the expansion of different teams across the business. The Business Systems group would be needing new team members. In effect, new hires would come into play for the Consumer Team where the possible candidates for the BS team will be selected from. Also, rumor has it that a new team (ABS) will pilot its operations in the Phil. end of Q3. This is really good news! With the recession going on and a lot of people being laid off from work...ramp up on teams are indications that we are still in business.

Last week, 10 reps from the Consumer Team subject themselves to the "grueling" interview for the transition to the BS Team.

The panel of interviewers were composed of:

• Advanced Business Systems Team Leader Kevin Duggan
  
• Paul Grimes from the Enterprise Advanced Support Team
• Senior Tech Support Engineer Jon Profeta
  
• Business Solutions Team Leader Marivic Navarro
• Business Solutions Team Leader John Luansing

There was a plethora of emotions evident on each of the applicants faces as they stepped out of the interview room. I wonder what was going through their minds at that moment. I had the chance to talk to the first "casualty" while were on our cancer break. He said he did try to answer the questions to the best he can but he knew he fell short. One of the reps candidly volunteered that the last time he felt so embarrassed was way back when he was 7yrs old. He did not anticipate he would feel the same embarrassment 23 years later. I felt bad for those who did not make it to "The List" but like I always say...its fair game. Who ever desires the opportunity the most, will find the guts to battle the challenge heads up.

Kudos to the new BS Transition trainees...

DENNIS "TYR" QUINIO
ERWIN FORTUNO
BERNARD JOHN "BJ" TAHIMIC
REINAN ANGCANAN
&
MARIA CARMELA "CAL" PARAISO

Your CONSUMER FAMILY is proud of you!

A love that was..

How do you let go of someone you regard to as your life?

How do you stay away from a love that made you want to wake up each day..
and look forward to spending the rest of your life with?

How do you say no when all you wanted to say is yes.. no questions asked.

How do you turn your back from your greatest love?

It is hard. It is unimaginable. I did not want to make that painful decision. But I had to. I was left with no choice. To this day I swear I can still feel the pain. It crushed me to say goodbye to one great love.

After all the years that passed, I thought I have completely moved on. It was not until one of my office mate experienced the same tragedy. Memories slowly flashed back.. I felt the familiar pain. The longing..I have not completely let go.. the feeling was just buried in the deepest part of me. Suddenly I was reminiscing my life that was. The life that I lived to the fullest until the day I died.

It was an emotional death. I felt numb. I could not help the tears.. Mixed emotions filled me. Questions are overflowing. Why me? What did I do to deserve this? I have always been fair to everyone. I tried to be the best partner he could ever have. I fought for the relationship..sacrificed a whole lot to make both ends meet. Then it was four years down the drain. I saw my life crumbling right before my very eyes. Worse is, I could not do anything. I am not supposed to. He made a choice..he needs to father his child. Give his name to the unborn child. The same reason why I am letting go of my own happiness.

Life is not fair. We all have to go through bittersweet times. I am thankful for the lessons learned ...the priceless memories. The self realizations and discoveries within the way. I didn't know I can love someone so passionately. If I have to live my life over again...I'd still want to experience the love that was.

Mayonnaise Jar and Beer

While scanning old emails, I came across this article sent by my friend Majal from Bacolod City. I thought this is blog worthy and definitely will give justice to the space it is given.

This is cute. Read on...

Mayonnaise Jar and Beer

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar........and the beer.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things -- your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions, God -- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house,
your car. The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked," he said. "It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

Life is a theater...

I have been catching up on One-to-One coaching sessions with my reps. It has been a pretty slow day and I decided to scan through Envision (our Quality monitoring system) and randomly choosing calls to be evaluated for the coaching session. Just recently, 3 additional reps joined my team.. Joel, Alex and Fhlexy. I have touched base with the first two reps and scheduled my OTO with Fhlexy today. I chose the call tagged as April 09 Call 2, when I opened the recording...the screen capture showed an email from a former colleague who left the company a few months back. I know its unethical to read other people's stuff but I continued reading on. I thought I'd share this with whoever reads my posts c',)

here it goes...

"Life is a theater, invite your audience carefully"

Not everyone is spiritually healthy and mature enough to have a front row seat in our lives.

There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance.

It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships, friendships, fellowships.

Observe the relationships around you.

Pay attention to:
Which ones lift and which ones lean?
Which ones encourage and which ones discourage?
Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are growing downhill?
When you leave certain people, do you feel better or worse?
Which ones always have drama or don't they really understand, know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you?

When you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should move to the balcony of your life.

You cannot change the people around you but you can change the people you are around.
Ask God for godly wisdom and discernment and choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life.

This article made a lot of sense. It spoke to me in a way that I instantaneously found myself assessing my own theater. I do have a lot of audience I could say.. but few really gets front row seats.. Reassessing the scenario I had to swap people around to where their rightful place is.

I guess this goes hand in hand with the decision on choosing the people to trust. We often stick with people who turn out to be false friends and let go of well meaning strangers along our life's journey. At the end of the day, we are the master of the show. We call the shots. A decision made right or wrong affects the quality of the movie.. our life.

I am aiming for a blockbuster hit.. are you?

No Me Ames

It was during my tear jerky days when I fell in love with this song. I did not have any idea of what the lyrics meant but somehow it complemented the melancholic state that I was in..

There was something with the song that struck me. I would like to believe it was the melody of the song or was it the passion in Jeniffer Lopez' voice or the vulnerability of my emotions that lead me to listen to the song over and over again. I found solace in every moment that I lose myself in the song.

Take time to listen to it... I memorized the lyrics in Spanish mind you.

Dime por qué lloras
De felicidad
Y por qué te ahogas
Por la soledad
Di por qué me tomas, fuerte así,
mis manos, y tus pensamientos te van llevando

Yo te quiero tanto
Y por qué será
Loco testarudo, no lo dudes más,
aunque en el futuro haya un muro enorme,
yo no tengo miedo, quiero enamorarme.

No me ames, porque pienses que
parezco diferente
Tú no piensas que es lo justo,
ver pasar el tiempo juntos
No me ames, que comprendo,
la mentira que sería.
Si tu amor no merezco, no me ames,
mas quédate otro día

No me ames, porque estoy perdido,
porque cambié el mundo, porque es el
destino, porque no se puede, somos un espejo,
Y tú así serías lo que yo
de mí reflejo
No me ames, para estar muriendo,
dentro de una guerra llena de
arrepentimientos, no me ames para estar
en tierra, quiero alzar el
vuelo, con
tu gran amor por el azul del cielo


No sé qué decirte, esa es la verdad,
si la gente quiere, sabe lastimar
Tú y yo partiremos, ellos no se mueven,
pero en este cielo sola no me dejes

No me dejes, no me dejes, no me escuches,
si te digo "no me ames".
No me dejes, no desarmes,
mi corazón con ese "no me ames"
No me ames, te lo ruego, mi amargura, dèjame
Sabes bien, que no puedo, que es inútil,
que siempre te amaré

No me ames, pues te haré sufrir con este
corazòn que se llenó de mil inviernos
No me ames, para así olvidarte de tus días grises, quiero que me ames
sólo por amarme
No me ames, tú y yo volaremos,
uno con el otro y seguiremos siempre juntos
Este amor es como el sol que sale tras de la tormenta
Como dos cometas en la misma estella

Customer Care Center - CORE

CCC Core Team Dinner @ Kyo Hachi

Like what we always say...when a door closes..a window opens. It was in mid of October last year when I decided to join the company I am with now. To be honest, I have not heard of the company until the day I was interviewed (shame on me right?) Little did I know that accepting the offer to handle a pool of technical reps and become a part of an inhouse call center is not as boring as I perceived it to be. Of course I have my 1st impressions and most of them were negated.

The production area is only a bit larger than the pantry of Roxas DC. No kidding! The stations seemed dull compared to the colorful pods of TeleTech. I am so used to the buzz of reps on the phones across a production of almost 1000 seats but this time around the room seemed quiet..to the point of tranquility. It was a totally different atmosphere. Not to mention, the hypercritical eyes following me. I am aware of the stir it created when the management decided to hire team leaders externally. I perfectly understand how they feel... I would feel the same if it happened to me. I know I am under discriminating eyes. There was a need to prove what I am made of. c',)

I remembered being introduced to Xyra and Linet, our QA analysts. Mervin, Loie and Gay from the Work Force Management team. Ryan (Order Admin Team Lead), Mavic and John (Business Systems Team Leads) and Tine one of my co-TLs for the Consumer Team. Dexter, who turned out to be my manager was busy on the phone at that time. He was talking to Brent to which I learned later was the CCC Director based in West Kingston.

They were all pleasant. I was a week early than my batch. I got to sit down with Xy and learn on the basics of how calls are being evaluated. I met a few familiar faces as well. Reps that came from TeleTech. Over all it was a nice welcome. I was eager to know more about the product and the processes. I guess I found a new home.. well see.

TeleTech - este solía ser mi casa

People hate change. Especially if it means that one must be uprooted from his/her comfort zone. I had to go through that change in July of last year. I left TeleTech were I have worked for 3years. To some of us it might just be another phase..and I do agree but there is more to it than meets the eye. TeleTech was my home and the people I worked with was my family. I have worked and served the company with great passion. I have honed my management skills through programs they unselfishly provided. Above all, I gained friends..developed die-hard friendships.

I owe everything to all the people who have shared their wisdom with me. For mentors who allowed me to pick their brains. For my team who not only trusted me to lead them but treated me with respect. Leaving the company meant...not being with them every single day. Saying goodbye to activities we used to do together..midnight coffees, birthday pizzas, sunrise beer and fight for appraisals. I will surely miss my team.

But I did what I had to do. There are some decisions that are hard to make and this is one of the toughest. Oh well...someone's gotta pay the bills right? July 10,2008.. I left my beloved TeleTech Roxas.

TeleTech - Roxas Delivery Center

To the FASC Management team - Thank you

To the FASC-Admin team - till we meet again my abnormal children!

To the FASC - Scheduling team - hang in there...

To the FASC SMEs - Thank you for being there for me and my whole team every step of the way.

To Bonnie Arend.. no goodbyes.. only tata for now.

United Airlines - Flight Attendant Service Center
Non-Operations Scheduling Team - Wave 1.0

oatmeal..salad and the 30 Day Weight Loss Challenge

We call it the "30-day Weight Loss, Tuck your Tummy Challenge". This challenge was the brainchild of one of my co-TLs, Mavic. If you have read my recent posts.. the CCC has been attacked by the lifestyle curse since 2009 kicked off. In an effort to save our sorry asses from this unfortunate phenomenon, we decided to make dieting fun and at the same time, police each others diet.

Here's the guidelines for the 30-day Lose Weight Challenge..

• Everyone should create a diet profile (see image), with your present weight in pounds.

• You can use any diet program that would work for you.
• You can exercise, go to the gym if you want.
• You are not allowed to take any diet pill!
• You should update your profile, to record your weekly weight loss (using the same scale on your first weigh-in)

Here's the catch, the participant with the biggest weight-loss in 30 days will get a prize... A relaxing spa and a sumptuous meal sponsored by the losing participants! This is a win-win situation, don't yah think? *winks*

A lot of reps, Team Leaders and support group members signed up for the challenge. Needless to say, I am part of this challenge as well. I am now into veggies and oatmeal diet. Although I still get tempted to eat "regular" meals. It's quite fulfilling to know that I could handle the diet for the most part of it. One of our Quality Analyst offered a copy of "HIPHOP ABS". Admittedly, the exercise part of the deal is my weak spot. I am not into sports or the like. But hell! I'd try to work around that just to achieve my goal. This drill is not new to me...tried it a couple of times in my lifetime. I did it once but never got to maintain it.

We had our official weight in today, of course I am not inclide to blogging my exact weight but believe me, I am worth two persons! Wish me luck..

on gettin' BRONZED..and 5th month reviews..

In every company there are specific standards and company requirements needed for employee regularization. Five months ago, I moved to a new company and will be under probationary review this week. I am used to the usual reviews where the manager would track down your performance (based on numbers of course!) for the past months and provide recommendation for regularization or the opposite. What's new about the company I am with now is the BRONZE certification.

Having worked for the airline-travel industry for the most of my career, it's surreal to find myself working for a company offering technical support. You could just imagine how I started. Although they hired me for my management skills... I still consider my technical skills as mediocre. I have conscious incompetence in this area so to speak. When I had my final interview with the Charles and Nate (exchangees from WK), I was a bit defensive on this aspect. Good thing I was able to "sell" myself in such a way that they took me in. c',) Landing the job was one thing, doing the job was another thing.

I went through training together with another team leader (from TeleTech Roxas too!) and the rest of Wave 8.0. To say I was flabbergasted was an understatement. It was quite a jump from airline rates..travel taxes...booking classess to volt-amps...ground loop...and hysteresis! Mind you, I am only referring to our first topic..POWER. We have not started our product training yet. whew! To be honest, I found myself thinking if I belong to this company. I even joked around and told my "wavemates" I am not a Meralco employee. But.. being the goal oriented person that I am, I posed myself a challenge to continue the training and pass it. Well, I did pass the training and still with the company as of this writing. You might be wondering what BRONZE is.

BRONZE is a course in our Customer Care Center University that has 3 parts. Homework, Hands on and Online testing. When I say homework.. you have to believe me it is what you perceive it to be. We are given several topics in which corresponding questions are to be answered based on available resources. After completing the HW, we have to do hands on testing, this phase is the application of what we have researched on (HW) and the learnings we have during actual calls and new hire training. This part can be grueling... I have seen reps stay on our lab for 4 straight hours just to complete one topic. And again, when everything is done..comes the online testing. Which is to test the knowledge you have acquired from HW and hands on. This is tricky, you can only take a test one time per week on a particular topic. If you fail a test, the refresh period for the testing software takes one whole week. Why am I including this information on this blog? Simply because, for our batch and moving forward.. this is part of our requirements for regularization.

I must say the Bronze certification did help me a lot. For a not so technical person handling a team of technical support reps, any form of education or additional training would be very handy to say the least. I am being evaluated for this as well. I am proud to say all of the reps on my team (except for the new hires) are all bronze certified. Latest addition to the pool would be James, who got his certification a few hours ago. As a team leader who would conduct evaluation and provide feedback on employee regularization, it is very heartwarming to see happy faces after you have delivered the 5th month reviews. I am not a fan of negative attrition. I believe that each rep deserves a chance to prove oneself, and it won't be possible in a mere 6month period. There is one exception though... attendance (reliability). I can vouch and fight for regularization for a rep who needs improvement on his KPIs or other metrics but not attendance. I value the reliability of a team member. The most important metric that an employee should always pass with flying colors would be attendance. Everything starts from being present at work when you are needed by the team and the company to do the tasks you are getting paid for.

Kudos to my team... MASERATI.

For always being on top of the game. Passion through excellence, always.

This blog has become too lengthy than I had planned it to be..but WHO CARES? This is my blog. c',)