C3, Your Family Oriented BPO Center with LOVE

I heard a lot of things about call centers and how fun it is working as a call center agent. BPO industry has been one of the most in demand jobs here in our land. I was just wondering if one BPO is the same as the others. I may not be able to visit the other BPO located in the Metro but I was fortunate to get a glimpse how it is to belong with C3. 

What is it about C3, a customer contact channel at One Bonifacio Technology Tower in Taguig City that is giving job-seekers and employers alike something to think about?

C3 is not just another call center company. It infuses energy into the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry backed by the experience and the technical knowhow of a team of leaders headed by Andy Sarakinis, vice president and country manager.

During my attendance with the recent press conference held on C3 main office in BGC, there are lot of things and information that was discovered by yours truly. Great things happen to those who would try to be part of C3, as April Torrecampo shared. April who thought tat she had none of the qualities required of a call center agent but proved that her latent skill just need to be harnessed has been one of fast rising employee of C3. A career path with C3 is equated with opportunities for growth. Globally, about 9 out of 10 C3 employees are promoted from within.C3 offers above industry benefits to its employees and is constantly outfitting its human relations policies to fit the needs of its workforce

When they talk about pay scales among call centers in the Philippines, C3 is at the 80th percentile - meaning if there are 100 call centers, C3 pays higher than 80 of them. Inexperienced agents, those who have no prior call center experience, receive P16,000 starting pay. Those with a degree of experience receive up to P18,000 monthly wages. Plus they receive HMO benefits that they can share with a family member as long as they remain employed. It could be for a spouse or child, parent or sibling. Beneficiaries are named and could be changed at the start of every contract cycle. Lateral transfers are not done here in Manila yet but in our US branches they do.

C3 is literally different from the pyramid hierarchy of most corporate set-ups. They are employee-centric and follow the inverted triangle approach wherein the grievance approach is immediate. This is made possible through regular supervisory visits. They focus   on the entry level; mostly for support people and agents. With the help of Crystabel whose experience range  from over 13 years of experience in Human Resources dealing with fast-paced, rapidly-expanding local and multinational companies, and it is no mean feat that C3 now is counted as one of the most effective and productive BPOs in the Philippines.

C3 is definitely making an impact in the Philippines’ customer care industry with its own brand of performance optimization. Performance optimization, an element of C3 University, is where re-training for a new field and/or higher position takes place. It is the ‘silver lining,’ as its mentoring process helps employees climb the corporate ladder of success in their work life.

C3 University is an on-line training tool wherein an employee undergoes an aptitude test. Meanwhile, the Cadet-ship Program runs at an average of three months. The term can be extended depending on an applicant’s performance and evaluation rating. These promotion avenues provide the means to step up the C3 ladder.

When C3 opened on Nov 1, 2011, it started with 30 people on opening day. Now, the employee roster has risen to make C3 one of the fastest growing BPOs to date, as evidenced by an ever-increasing human resource inventory and a steady vote of confidence from its serviced clientele.

C3 is also strong on the value that charity begins at home. C3's core values include open communication systems, accountability and helping the community through their CSR efforts. By community, they  begin with their  very own agents. For example, the people serving their pantry must be related to an employee. And as long as they have the support and patronage of  the staff, they can continue serving  with whatever type of food they make available at the refectory. Also during the Habagat, a number of agents were trapped in C3 and couldn't go home because the floodwater in their respective areas was really high. The  11th floor recruitment section was turned into a shelter for them and their families and C3 contingency funds were used for logistics.

C3’s other international locations include Guatemala City, Guatemala and Panama City, Panama in Central America; Glasgow, Scotland and Sofia, Bulgaria in Europe; and Dalian, China and Mumbai, India in Asia. Its U.S. locations are in Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Texas, with headquarters located in Plantation, near Miami, Florida.