Call-centre workers to receive 'Kiwi' training
Telecom's call-centre workers in the Philippines will be trained to talk like New Zealanders, learning slang words and mastering the Kiwi accent as part of a move to outsource 250 jobs.
Telecom, which has announced it will axe the call-centre jobs in New Zealand and shift them to Manila, will put the new employees through a two-month training session.
Once completed, some would sound like "authentic Kiwis".
British-based Rob O'Malley, whose company employs more than 3500 call-centre workers in the Philippines, said the results were often "staggering".
"You wouldn't know they are in Manila. You would think they are in an office somewhere in Auckland that's how good they are.
"The call-centre workers have to be the real deal and do everything better than if they were in New Zealand. Someone from the Philippines with no training would struggle to understand someone with a strong Kiwi accent, straight off the street."
Telecom spokesman Mark Watts said the training would also give workers information about New Zealand's customs, geography, education, sports and events.
"Call it a crash course in the Kiwi experience," he said.
Training also included listening to New Zealand phone calls and a "virtual backpacking" exercise that took workers around the country, learning how to pronounce the names of cities and towns.
Mr O'Malley said criticism that call-centres in the Philippines were poor quality and a way for companies to save money was true several years ago, but the standard had now changed.
Companies were attracted to outsourcing work to the Philippines because Filipinos spoke good English and would do the jobs for lower wages.
But call-centre workers in the Philippines still earned above the average wage, which was more than nurses, but lagged a long way behind pay rates in New Zealand.
The jobs were highly sought-after, with Mr O'Malley's company employing one person for every 25 applications it received.
Office space in the call centres was roomy because real estate was cheaper. Workers were also highly valued by employers.
"It's a booming industry. The Philippines' economy has not had much going for it and this has created a lot of opportunity."
But Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union national secretary Andrew Little had heard mixed stories about working conditions in the Philippines and thought it was "dodgy" for Telecom to take advantage of the workers.
"It is a low-income country with a poor economy. It's not a good look for a big corporate to take advantage of that. Low pay, long hours it doesn't sound like much fun."
BUSY SIGNAL
Kiwi call-centre workers
Salary: $35,000
Hours per week: 37
Annual leave: 20 days a year
Source: Trade Me Jobs and CallCentre People Ltd
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