Communication Challenges in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Industry: Input to English for Specific Purposes (ESP) for BPO Agents
Main Article Content
Keywords
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Industry, call center agent, communication challenge
Abstract
A plethora of Filipinos who work in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Industry face communication challenges in interacting with Americans. This study identified the oral communication challenges that deviate from the standard American English. The results were used as basis for input to English for Specific Purposes (ESP) program for BPO agents. Six trainees/agents working in the BPO industry were purposively selected based on the following criteria: lower than 90% quality evaluation scores given by the onshore quality analysts, exuded communication challenges on their calls, have been working in the BPO industry for at least one year, and are part of the three-week nesting process. Results revealed that the oral communication challenges of the trainees/agents are focused on pronunciation, syntax, and phrase/sentence construction. Thus, assessment and evaluation of varied teaching methods and techniques must be done to address the challenges in English proficiency.
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Visconti, K. (2012). Beyond English: The key skills BPO need. Retrieved from http://www.rappler.com/business/13699-what-key-skillsare-needed-to-work-in-bpo
Volz, B. (2014). Filipinism - Words that must be avoided to improve English proficiency. Retrieved from http://simpleenglishielts.blogspot.com/2014/03/filipinism-words-that-must-beavoided.html
Chanco, B. (2017, January 30). Our future in digital. Philstar Global. Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/business/2017/01/30/1666644/our-future-digital
Chua, F. (2015). The Philippines has become the call-center capital of the world. Retrieved October 23, 2016, from http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-philippines-economy-20150202-story.html
De los Reyes, R. (2011). Watch your English: Practical grammar at your fingertips! RA delos Reyes management consultancy
Friginal, E. (2009). The language of the outsourced call centers. Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
Lockwood, J. (2009). English in the Philippine call centers and BPO operations: Issues, opportunities and research. Retrieved from http://www.futureperfect.com/uploads/lockwoodforeyprice2008.pdf.Lockwood, J. (2010a). What causes communication breakdown in the call centres? The discrepancies in the BPO workplace training and academic research. InG. Forey & J. Lockwood (Eds.), globalization, communication and the workplace (pp. 204–218). London: Continuum
Mercado, G. (2012). BPO revenues soon to overtake OFW remittances. Retrieved from http://www.philstar.com/business/2016/01/03/1538601/bpo-revenues-soon-overtake-ofw-remittances
Sari, E. (2016). Interlingual errors and intralingual errors found in narrative text written by EFL students in Lampung. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/96b7/0d162663d2fada40ed908a39d2d1d14f2bed.pdf?_ga=2.220212632.1606578608.1585701278-256572380.1585193783
Schelmetic, T. E. (2012). In multilingual call center operations, understanding the language isn’t enough. TMC net Contributor. Retrieved from http://www.tmcnet. com/channels/bpa/articles/313772-multilingual-call-center-operations-understanding-language-isnt-enough.htm
Visconti, K. (2012). Beyond English: The key skills BPO need. Retrieved from http://www.rappler.com/business/13699-what-key-skillsare-needed-to-work-in-bpo
Volz, B. (2014). Filipinism - Words that must be avoided to improve English proficiency. Retrieved from http://simpleenglishielts.blogspot.com/2014/03/filipinism-words-that-must-beavoided.html
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Published
Jun 26, 2020
Article Details
How to Cite
Bugay, M. A. (2020). Communication Challenges in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) Industry: Input to English for Specific Purposes (ESP) for BPO Agents. The Normal Lights, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.56278/tnl.v14i1.1502
Section
Research Article
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