eTelecare Philippines

If you have been around the block, you definitely heard about eTelecare.  They started in 1999 in the US and took the front seat in the call center scene here in the Philippines back in the early 2000.  Technically, they are no longer around since they had been bought by Stream Global Solutions but I won't focus on that for the meantime.

Moving on, the company provides a range of services, including technical support, customer service, sales, customer retention, chat and email from both onshore and offshore locations. eTelecare’s first call center went live with inbound telecommunications and financial services programs in September 2000.

The first two sites were in Eastwood City (when Eastwood was still in its infancy) and at the PBCom Tower on Ayala Avenue in Makati City.  I had the privilege of being in both sites back then when I handled outbound calls for a DSL giant in the US.  The sleeping rooms in both sites didn't separate the male employees from their female counterparts so you can just imagine the enjoyment every couple had during breaks which cause them to go on overbreak (hihihi).  They didn't have beds.  What they had were single sloping arched ottomans that would favor couples who really want to get close to each other (at least, that's what I think :) It could really get cozy most of the time and you could blame the air conditioning that is set just about right around 19 degrees (insert naughty thoughts here).

Anyway, in some centers like Sykes, they call it account, some call it program, others call it project but at eTelecare, they call it campaign.  This is where I first encountered spanish-speaking agents (because we serve Latin American customers too).  And you can bet your dirty dollar that all the agents here speaking spanish fluently are our very own chavacanos from Zamboanga.

eTelecare had grown since.  From just two sites, they are now also located all over the country.  They were probably one of the very first who headed to the rural areas to start new sites.  They have a site in Pampanga, Cebu, and Davao aside from sites in Mandaluyong and Muntinlupa.

Honestly, their base salary is at an all time low nowadays but they provide bonuses and commissions, medical and dental coverage, 401k retirement plan (applicable to US employees only), paid time off, tuition reimbursement, paid training programs, transportation allowances, and night premium rates at 10%.  Overall, they have a very comfortable work environment.

In May 0f 2004, Phase 2 Solutions was acquired by eTelecare International. Phase 2 Solutions was the 8th largest independent wireless reseller in the US.  By February 2005, eTelecare International became known as eTelecare Global Solutions.  In December 2008, Ayala Corporation and Providence Equity Partners acquired all of the outstanding shares of eTelecare in the Philippines and all of the outstanding eTelecare American Depositary Shares in the United States.  By October 2009, Stream Global Services has acquired EGS Corporation - the indirect parent company of eTelecare Global Solutions in a stock-for-stock exchange.  eTelecare Global Solutions is now known as Stream International Global Services Philippines, Inc. and is still a major player in the call center/BPO industry.

It's a great company to start your career with and would add credibility to your resume when you plan to search for greener pastures afterwards.  Their training department are full of credible people. I would have stayed longer if not for the lame pay grade. :)

You may visit their career website here: www.etelecarecareers.com The site could already be down though so visit Stream Global's site instead which I will review in a future post.