Thursday, September 25, 2014

Timeline of Call Centre and BPO Companies

Year        Company                 Transaction                   Place
----------  --------------------    -------------------------           ----------

1978        Teleperformance         founded                       France

1979        Sykes                   Sykes technical writing group USA
                                    starts information services

1980s
-----

1980        SPi Global              founded (by PLDT)             Philippines

1982        TeleTech                founded                       USA

1988        Innodata (BPO)          founded                       USA

1989        Accenture               founded                       Ireland


1990s
-----

1992        Sykes                   enters customer support business       USA

1992        Aegis                   founded (by Essar, an Indian  USA
multinational conglomerate)

1996        Qualfon                 founded                       ?

1998        People Support          founded                       USA

1998        Convergys               founded                       USA

1999        eTelecare               founded                       Philippines


2000s
-----

2002        ePerformax              founded                       Philippines

2007        Stream Global Services  founded (as Global BPO Services)   USA

2008        Aegis and People Support      - Aegis                         USA
   merged with and later acquired
   People Support
-    thus, People Support ceases
-    and there will only be Aegis

2009        Stream and eTelecare    Stream acquired e-Telecare


2014              Convergys and Stream         Convergys acquired Stream

2014        Teleperformance and Aegis        Teleperformance acquired Aegis

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Per Eraserheads' Album: Ely's Genius and Raimund's Enumerations

Album
Ely’s genius
Raimund’s enumerations
Ultraelectromagneticpop!
Shake Yer Head

Circus
With A Smile
Wishing Wells
Cutterpillow
Waiting for the Bus
Back2Me; Fine Time
Fruitcake
Lightyears

Sticker Happy
Hard to Believe
Maalalahanin; Everything They Say

Monday, June 30, 2014

My Favorite Songs

1
Till They Take My Heart Away
Clair Marlo
love song
1
2
Standing Right Next to Me
Karla Bonoff
love song
2
3
Let Me In
Mike Francis
jazz
1
4
Love Song for a Savior
Jars of Clay
Christian / Gospel
1
5
Being So Not for You (I Had No Right)
PM Dawn
R&B
1

6
Say It
Voices of Theory
R&B
2
7
Twisted
Keith Sweat
R&B
3
8
Loneliness
Laura Pausini
love song
3
9
Estranged
Guns ‘N Roses
rock
1
10
Upside Down
Two Minds Crack
new wave
1

11
I Love You Always Forever
Donna Lewis
jazz
2
12
Worlds Apart
Jars of Clay
Christian / Gospel
2
13
One Place
Everything but the Girl
jazz
3
14
Talk to Me Like the Sea
Everything but the Girl
jazz
4
15
Rainbow’s End
Sergio Mendes
jazz
5

16
Vindicated
Dashboard Confessional
rock
2
17
Secrets
One Republic
rock
3
18
Chasing Cars
Snow Patrol
rock
4
19
I Don't Wanna Wait
Paula Cole
rock
5
20
Stay (Far Away So Close)
U2
rock
6

Friday, June 27, 2014

My College Scholarship: Gokongwei or The Government?

Should I be a scholar of Gokongwei or of the government? Should I be a dean’s lister or an ordinary student? Actually, that is the question. Those are the choices. That was what choosing between John Gokongwei and the Republic of the Philippines meant. That was what I had to answer when I was given the rare experience of having two scholarships to choose from.

After my graduation from high school, my mother brought me to the office of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to apply for a scholarship. I think my parents were capable of paying for my college education because my father worked as an accountant and my mother earned income from selling fashion jewelries and financing purchases of appliances and furnitures from mini components to rice cookers and closets to chairs and anything in between. However, college education is really that expensive that any means of bracing for and reducing its impact on the finances of the family will be a lot of help. This is especially so because, again, there will be two of us children who will be in college. The last time was when my elder brother entered college, joining our elder sister.

Scholar Siblings

As I entered college, my elder brother was already into his third year at university. A scholarship for me meant that the financial performance of my family will be maintained. My brother was also a scholar but was not able to maintain it starting his second year. When he entered university, our elder sister was already in her fourth year which is the final one and was poised to complete her degree as both a partial academic scholar and working student checking examinations. She did so, Cum Laude.

Missing a Government Scholarship

When my mother and I first went to the CHED office, applications for the Private Education Student Financial Assistance (PESFA) were no longer accepted. It is the widest reaching scholarship program of the government. If I recall, it appeared as though I could no longer have the chance to apply for any scholarship as nobody offered help in finding other scholarships there in CHED. However, my mother thought of thinking of people she knew who can help us. Her college professor Dr. Eladio Dioko (doctor of education) came to her mind. He was either in the CHED or in the Department of Education. We looked for him.

Another Shot at It

Dr. Dioko referred us to the State Scholarship Program which is the full scholarship cousin of the PESFA. Compared to the PESFA which is not a full scholarship as its last letter is A stands for assistance, the SSP is a full scholarship with a semestral allowance for scholars. So from missing the chance for a good deal, we were in for a probability of landing a better deal. However, just like some kind of an unwritten law to maintain balance, the SSP has limited slots compared to the PESFA. We just had to take the chance. The risk of not making it is high but the rewards of making it are also high. We just had to take a shot at it.

We brought my requirements and credentials to CHED for me to be included in the screening and ranking of candidates. When the results came out, there were good news and bad news. I was ranked 3rd among the applicants who came from the cities and municipalities of Cebu. However, there are only two slots given every year. So we went home empty-handied. My next hope is applying for a scholarship at the Scholarship Office in the University of San Carlos where I intend to enrol. The office facilitates the screening and matching of students to scholarships and successful applicants’ availment of them.

Winning a Corporate Scholarship

So my elder sister accompanied me to USC to apply for a scholarship. I submitted the requirements and some credentials and took a test. Classes have already started and I have yet to know any result of my application for a scholarship in the university. Then one day, as I entered the school lobby, students were crowding the bulletin board facing the entrance. Curious of what big news there was, I took a peek to the board from behind those already surrounding it. It was an announcement of the list of students who were awarded scholarships. My name was there.

I got a scholarship sponsored by John Gokongwei. In it, all my expenses from tuition to books will be covered and I will be guaranteed employment of at least two years if I graduate as a scholar. Being such a scholar also means that I will be a dean’s lister. I needed to get an overall grade of not lower than 1.7 every semester to maintain the scholarship. It meant that if I will be able to complete my course as a scholar, I will have a very good scholastic record which is an advantage in the job market. Further, it can mean that I will have a very high probability of passing the licensure examination for Certified Public Accountants. All of which are really tall orders. But I still do have the potential to achieve them, at least “on paper.” But there is a great deal of uncertainty. Unlike back in high school and elementary, I no longer have the passion to excel in my studies. But I have no choice; I need to accept the scholarship and try.

A Government Scholarship for Me?

Until just a few days after, I received a letter from CHED. It said that the slots for the State Scholarship Program had been increased from the usual two every year to three for that year and that I am awarded that expansion spot for being ranked third among the candidates. As mentioned, the SSP is a full scholarship with a semestral stipend. It asks for only an overall grade of 2.5 every semester for it to be maintained. If I choose it over Gokongwei, it will be easier to maintain. However, it means that I will be wandering away from aiming to be a dean’s lister, or striving to become an honor graduate and be highly job-marketable.

Which Did I Choose?

After one class, a classmate who is a PESFA scholar approached me. He congratulated me for being awarded a scholarship through the university’s scholarship office. Having earned a corporate scholarship is a great honour. Earning it is a recognition of your intellectual talent. Being part of that list that meets people at the lobby is truly an honor. I smiled at him and said thanks for the congratulation he gave me. I walked away with the same smile on my face and congratulated myself for making a choice which I believe (until now) was (and is) the best for me. Yes, I chose the surer choice. I chose the one which involved the lesser risk. I chose 2.5 over 1.7. I chose to be an ordinary student. I chose the government over John Gokongwei.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

How I Became a Top Student In High School

There is an anecdote about how I became a top student in high school. It is some kind of an “accidental hero” kind of story. I did not intend to become an honor student. I was at the top of my class every year since I was in kindergarten up until I graduated valedictorian to around 500 public elementary school pupils in Basak Elementary School, Cebu City. There were around ten to twelve sections for each grade level then and each would comprise an average of 50 pupils with the pilot section to be around 40 learners and the last ones from 50 to 55. I got tired. So when I entered high school, I decided to relax and follow the footsteps of my only elder brother Mark. He left his outstanding pupil status in grade school and went happy go lucky in high school.

My Brother’s Example

Dodong, my salutary address to him, started to depart the top three of his class maybe around grade four or five. He was still in the pilot class or Section 1 of the grade level and maybe in the top ten but it is only the top three who are given ribbons when the school closes at the end of the school year and, definitely, he was out of such contention. When he entered high school, I was in grade five. I saw his example for two years before it was also time for me to enter the secondary level of education.

During a typical school day from Abellana National School, my elder brother would arrive home around 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. when classes were already off at 4:30 p.m. It is either he attended boy scouts assembly, drum and bugle corps practice, practical arts club meetings, played computer games or billiards with friends.

When he arrived, he would play guitar or do many practical arts projects for himself and for his male and female friends or any artistic or creative assignments for himself and for his friends. These include the likes of drawing scenes from stories or lessons they were discussing in class for English, Filipino, Social Studies or any other subjects. In turn, his friends would do for him his assignments and projects which are academic in nature. I don’t know with the studying part but I have not observed him reading his notebooks or books. When he does not fall asleep while doing the non-academic assignments, he falls asleep while playing guitar and singing along to it.

The “Accidental Hero” Incident

When it was also time for me to go to high school, I also wanted to do the things I have never done. Just like my elder brother. I wanted to relax and the do other things which are fun. I was tired of being the best pupil. I wanted to rest and have fun. But it seems my plan to take my studies easy will not push through. Our teachers at University of San Jose – Recoletos warned us that we will surely receive failing grades if we will not study hard. I did not want to flunk. I studied hard so that I will not get failing grades. I studied hard to pass.

As the first days and weeks of high school went on, I was on track my goal of not flunking. I did everything and did my best to see to it that I am as far away as much as possible from failing any subject. After the first quarter period of the school year, my teacher announced to the class that the overall top one student of the whole first year level comes from our section. It was I. I studied hard to pass. And, I ended up being the top student of the class. That was how I become a top student in high school.

Friday, June 20, 2014

My Personal Experience of Being “Cool Hand Luke”

Another humdrum Friday afternoon at the office, so I thought of what interesting thing to do. I shared my resume on this blog. I was kind of impatient waiting for comments and Plusses from the people whom I tagged in the share. Actually, they are only two. So I chatted one of them, Carlito, with the link to the blog post. This is how our chat began which end prompted me to write about my personal experience about being “Cool Hand Luke.”

Luke Skywalker

I and Carlito chatted about plans in career and life, as my blog post is my resume. Again, just like when our face-to-face chat (real chat) around almost six months ago was cut short, I was prompted to write a post. This time, he had to go because he is taking the remaining half of the day on leave. So he bade goodbye to me by saying “may the force be with you,” the very famous Star Wars line that all males with a “Luke” in their name usually gets.

Cool Hand Luke, The Film

Then, I replied, “and the Cool Hand, too,” referring to the 1967 Paul Newman starrer “Cool Hand Luke.” Carlito jokingly replied “I dont like Cool Hand Luke... hahaha... i cannot see the moral of the story.” This is what prompted me to write this blog post. No, I will not write about what moral lesson we can learn from this film which is about criminals and inmates. What I will do is write about why I like the phrase “cool hand Luke.” I will talk about my personal experience of being “cool hand Luke.”

The Lukes of the World and of the Internet

I watched “Return of the Jedi” in the theatre when I was just a child. Starting from high school to my working years, I get the “may the force be with you” line from people every now and then. But it is only two or three years ago that I was referred to as “cool hand Luke.” It was from Carlito himself. I myself came across the moniker just a few months before that. I was “Googling” and “Wikipedia-ing” the word “Luke” back then and found entries and webpages about the movie.

*   *   *

My Cool Hand Luke Experience

My personal experience of being or, at least, feeling like a “Cool Hand Luke” was when I worked in a garments company some 10 years ago. I was first assigned at its main office. The experience started when I was transferred to a satellite office in one of its warehouses.

The people employed there (truck drivers, warehouse helpers, a stockman and a logistics officer-in-charge) already knew me because I went there every week to hand them their wages and every month to count inventory and because of company parties. But actually joining them to work with them is different.

After a whole day of settling in with my new assignment and location came the part where I will be called “Cool Hand Luke.” Not exactly literally back then but at least now that I already came across the existence of such a moniker in the film. After the official working hours, my “new co-workers” invited me to a betting game of basketball shootout. No worries there because you only need to bet P1 for every chance or round to shoot the ball. I can no longer recall exactly how many participants were there. Maybe between six to nine. That means, my P1 can increase by P5 to P8 for every round or chance if I make the shot.

As my new friends invited me to play the game with them, I can see and feel their sincerity in welcoming me to their home turf while at the same time their eagerness to show me their shooting skills. The game starts and some hit and some missed, including me. However, it did not take long for me to find my range. Sooner, rather than later, I was able to make my first successful attempt. And because I was last in the sequence of shooters, I did not need to wait for others to take their turns and I picked up the bet “pot.” And it was only the start.

Starting from that round, I was able to make my shots and shared the money pot with one or two others who also made their shots. But it was only good for a very few rounds. After that, for a couple more rounds, no one converted a goal, except me. That is when I picked up the whole money pot all for myself for a string of rounds. The logistics officer-in-charge, who was there watching us at the sidelines sitting on a chair leaning his arms crossed on the top of its back part, dumbfounded uttered “you have great hands... you shot the ball with calmness and coolness...”

It was only the first day of my new assignment. After it, we played more shootouts, shootarounds, five on fives and three on threes. And I continued to make my shots and took on the reputation of being a feared and admired shotmaker.

My Updated Resume

Luke Walter Abella Ceballos

Coaco Comp., Sitio Panaghi-usa
Tagunol St. (Rizal Ave. Ext.)
Basak-San Nicolas, Cebu City
Mob. No. 0999-999-9999
Tel. No. 222-2222

Executive Summary

I love writing work and have substantial recent experience in it. I can also work as an accounting or administrative staff of which I also have substantial experience.

Personal Information

Born: October 2, 1977 Cebu City
Civil Status: Married
Graduated: BS Accountancy – March 1998, University of San Carlos (Scholar
-       CHED State Scholarship Program)
Civil Service Eligible: Top 8 in Professional Level Examination in Region VII

Work Experience (2001 – present; age 24 to 37; 13 years) – as of Oct. 2, 2014

Content Writer
(4 Years as of Aug. 30, 2014)
August 30, 2010 – present
Academic Forward Thinking Inc.
6th Floor, Skyrise 1 Bldg., Cebu IT Park

Job Hunting
-- lived in the city for job search
-- did some general cleaning and
   major housekeeping at my parents’ home
(5 Months)
April – August 2010

Accounting Clerk
(1 Year & 2 Months)
February 2, 2009 – March 26, 2010
Theresa Ceballos-Rosell Accounting Services
Marijoy Bldg., D. Jakosalem St., Cebu City

News Writer
(1 Year & 6 Months)
August 6, 2007 – January 30, 2009
CannonCreek Asia, Inc.
Migun Bldg., A.S. Fortuna St., Bakilid, Mandaue City

Freelance Tutor
(1 Year & 3 Months)
January 2007 – March 2008
Students: Grade Schoolers of CIC Mandaue & SRCDS Liloan

Accounting Clerk
(5 Years & 1 Month)
September 24, 2001 – October 31, 2006
SNDC Finance Corp. and Mighty 5 Corp.
Door I, EF Jimenez Bldg., North Road cor. Wireless, Mandaue City

Work Experience and Other Endeavours (1998 – 2001; age 21 to 23; 3 years)

Accounting Clerk
January – June 2001
Ceed Marketing Corp.
Pier 4, Cebu City

Campaign Staff
November – December 2000
Bando Osmena – Pundok Kauswagan
Osmena Residence, Guadalupe, Cebu City

Accounting Clerk
August – October 2000
Visayan Distributors
J. Osmena Ext., Capitol Site, Cebu City

Accounting Clerk
March – May 2000
Sun-Star Management Inc.
Sun-Star Publishing Bldg., P. Del Rosario St., Cebu City

CPA  Board Exam Review

June 1998 – March 2000