Call center jobs provide long-term careers — exec

By Marianne V. Go - The Philippine Star

Call center jobs are not short-term or limited careers, according to Dell International Services vice president Bert Quintana.

In an interview with The STAR, Quintana stressed the need to change the perception that there is limited growth in call center jobs.

On the contrary, Quintana pointed out that "call center careers require skills in problem solving which is the basis of most management jobs."

Call center careers eventually lead to other opportunities in the field of management, he said.

Quintana himself was trained as an electrical engineer and previously worked with the Florida Power and Light Co. for 10 years before moving on to MCI Telemarketers and then to Dell. He has been connected with Dell since 1991.

Dell, which started operations of its call center facility in the country just this month, is investing in training its staff and developing their management skills.

"We want to be the employer of choice," Quintana stressed.

The call center industry started in the 1980s and has been around for almost 25 years and "is still going to be around for some amount of time," he added.

Dell itself has recognized the continuing need for call/contact centers and has made it part of its core strategy, which is to take care of its customers.

In fact, Dell continues to expand its global footprint with call centers in the United States, Europe, India and several other countries around the globe.

Quintana said Dell continues to look for qualified and talented call center agents.

However, Quintana admitted that "getting qualified people is the biggest challenge."

Like most other investors in the call center industry, Quintana stressed the need for the Philippine government to ensure the English proficiency of Filipino students.

Dell’s call center facility in the Philippines will provide technical and customer support for its customers.

Dell has similar facilities in Penang, Malaysia and in Xiamen and Dalian, China.

Dell plans to hire up to 700 Filipino technical support and customer service agents.

Dell is currently the leading provider of phone-based personal computer technical support services for customers, expanding customer services capabilities from hardware to include software and applications services such as assistance with virus and spyware issues.

Its customer services also includes on-line support through chat and e-mail.

Dell Inc. is a trusted and diversified information-technology supplier and partner, and sells a comprehensive portfolio of products and services directly to customers worldwide.

It has been recognized by Fortune Magazine as America’s most admired company and third globally.

In the Asia Pacific region, Dell maintains sales operations in Australia, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Korea, Macau, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand. The company manufactures in Penang, Malaysia and in Xiamen, China for customers in the region.

Quintana said Dell has not plans for manufacturing operations in the Philippines and will just stick to call center operations.