iQor Provides Financial Aid to Employees and Communities in Need Through iQor Qares

iQor — a managed services provider of customer engagement and technology-enabled BPO solutions — celebrates the registration of iQor Qares as a nonprofit charitable organization in the Philippines. iQor Qares is one of iQor’s CSR initiatives, focused on giving back to iQor employees and their local communities by providing financial assistance to individuals facing catastrophic or life-altering events.

“The recent registration of iQor Qares as a charitable nonprofit in the Philippines will expand our ability to help our employees, their families, and our local communities in need. We are inspired by the generosity of individuals and corporations that support iQor Qares’ commitment to making a positive difference in the lives of others. We look forward to helping even more iQorians,” said Fleurette Navarro, iQor’s chief people officer and chair of iQor Qares in the Philippines.

Since 2019, iQor Qares has provided a total of $150,000 employee cases around the world. These donations have helped iQor employees rebuild their lives after natural disasters, care for loved ones in need of medical and end-of-life care, and address housing insecurity, as well as other life-altering events.

Putting people first, supporting local communities

The creation of iQor Qares highlights iQor’s company value of the need to give back, as it encourages employees to support fellow iQorians and their communities. “At iQor, we want people to succeed in their careers as well as in other aspects of their lives. Part of that success comes from providing employees with opportunities to foster interpersonal connections and contribute to their communities. In this way, we are doing our part as Filipinos to keep our bayanihan spirit alive,” said James Down, senior director for operations.

“iQor Qares has provided assistance to 54 Filipino employees, and we have committed to help another 38 more people since registering as a nonprofit in April. More than 25% of iQor employees have pledged and donated to the Philippines, totaling 8,377 PH donors to date and this number is growing! In addition, the iQor Qares steering committee has visited our sites in Clark, Fairview, Dasmarinas, Sta. Rosa, Iloilo, Bacolod, Talisay, and Davao,” said Down.

For the past 25 years, iQor has been a steadfast presence in the Philippines, with 17 contact centers in Cavite, Davao, Iloilo, Laguna, Negros Occidental, Pampanga, and Quezon City. Thus, it's only fitting that, through iQor Qares, iQor continues to actively support the communities where they operate whenever an urgent need arises. iQor Qares remains committed to expanding support in the communities where iQor employees live and work as well as in the surrounding areas.

iQor cultivates a culture that cares

iQor Qares has helped foster empathy and unity among colleagues. As James Down said, “Every iQorian can choose to give one-time or recurring contributions and 100% of the money raised for iQor Qares in the Philippines will help local employees, their family members, and their local communities in need of financial assistance due to life-altering or catastrophic events beyond their control. We can provide financial assistance to any iQorian for three such events during their tenure with us, with a maximum allocation of PHP100,000 per event (and this may be waived with approval). We value our team in the Philippines, which makes up about 80% of our total global operations.”

iQor Qares creates a sense of unity among colleagues and sustains its charitable activities, via one-time and recurring donations from iQor employees, quarterly fundraising parties, auctions, and other activities.

“I’m proud to share that every iQorian cares for their colleagues, whether it’s a team member next to them at work or in their community. Even before iQor Qares was established, we have stories of people passing the hat for fellow iQorians, helping out in any ways they can to ease others’ financial burdens. With iQor Qares, we are able to expand our existing commitment to taking care of one another,” shared Michael Oliver Dela Pena, vice president for operations.

Donate and learn more at iQorQares.com today.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Call Center People

The call center industry is largely a tough place to survive in. Most find it hard to adjust with schedules, regulations and general demands of working in an organization where efficiency is vital and team work is essential to reach target goals.

In one interview I attended a few years ago, I was struck by a statement by the interviewing director which really summed up what a call center is. He said the industry is simply a "business of effective communications". It really made sense. We are in the business of talking, encouragement and team work. These are the 3 factors where my 7 Habits of Highly Effective Call Center People revolve around.

These 7 points I'm about to deliver below are not only applicable to a certain group of individuals within a call center organization but it encompasses everyone in order to be a cohesive unit that delivers results.

I. Comes to work everyday - As simple as it is, it is also the hardest thing to adhere to. Working in a call center, all people experience some form of stress and in varying degrees. It may sound funny to some people, but adhering to schedules yields a lot more positives than some people realize. Coming to work and being there for your co-workers and managers lightens the load of everybody concerned. It also gives everybody a chance to interact with one another, help and motivate each other. In the long run, this habit can boost camaraderie and teamwork while realizing that anybody can count on everybody to be there for support.

II. Enhances morale - Working as a team in a call center setting is like attending a support group. Ideally, Managers help everybody down to the agents, supervisors help managers and agents in one way or another, agents help managers, supervisors and each other in a complete circle where accessibility should be a direct line. Simple realization of this ideal situation should already be a morale-boost by itself. Actively enhancing confidence is an attribute not inherent to everybody. They say leadership by example is the way so this means in order to foster a supportive environment, leaders must show the way. Care for your employees translates to better service for your customers in return.

III. Resolves issues completely - Handling a leadership role in a call center setting occasionally involves pacifying noise. Noise is any internal or external factor that acts as a disruptive element affecting agent-customer interactions. As important as you regard each and every customer interaction to be concluded in a satisfactory manner, leaders also need to make sure they eliminate noise or at least keep it to a minimum level as much as possible while committing to resolve any pending issues in a timely manner. Satisfied employees translate to satisfied customers. It’s as simple as that.

IV. Always updated - The call center operations floor is an environment of ceaseless change. Most changes in policy and procedures come from the leaders and cascade to rank and file. Ensuring each and every soul is on the same page and checked for understanding eliminates the possibility of confusion that can possibly escalate to a bigger problem. To be an effective person on the ops floor means each and everybody will have to play an active role in making sure everyone is kept abreast with changes.

V. Sets goals and aspires - a major responsibility of a call center leader is to guide employees towards a clear and defined path towards a more meaningful and personally fulfilling endeavor. People that manage people need to aspire for a better future for their team members. In the same light, employees also set goals for themselves and aspire to be better in their chosen careers. Constant coaching, well-documented progress reports and personal awareness helps ensure everybody is in the right direction. Being aware that you have a goal and somebody is helping you reach it is one way to get the best obtainable performance from everybody.

VI. Participates, Cooperates and Suggests - all three are bunched in one concept because they fall under one key factor which is effective communications. Suggestions, participation and cooperation to resolve an issue are 3 things that are not only seen within team interactions but should also be seen within an agent-customer interaction. Encouraging creativity to solve problems within a working environment also fosters your front liners to be resourceful in their approach to solve customer issues. Many companies have gained more customers and retain existing ones because people who solve their customers' concerns have been innovative in their approach.

VII. Recognizes - getting recognition should always be part of any working environment. Sadly, this is not the reality we see in every office. You may find a group of people feeling left out and unappreciated. Though most would agree that credit should always be directed where it is due, failing to at least acknowledge a few, no matter how small their contribution is, breeds an attitude of indifference towards your goals and worse to customers. People are motivated in different ways. However, failing to recognize contributions can unravel a team working towards a goal. Small and/or occasional pats on the back wouldn't hurt. Celebrating small successes is a call center best practice that plays a major role in getting the best performance from everybody.

You may have noticed that the points I mentioned above all seem like they have one thing in common. In fact, you are correct. They all seem to have one common thing or share a common goal. This is precisely an analogy I want to include in this article. Like these 7 habits of highly effective call center people, everyone within a call center organization shares a common goal, should have the same things in mind and improves each other for better understanding. In a call center office, people interact with customers only as good as they interact with each other.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Call Center People

The call center industry is largely a tough place to survive in. Most find it hard to adjust with schedules, regulations and general demands of working in an organization where efficiency is vital and team work is essential to reach target goals.

In one interview I attended a few years ago, I was struck by a statement by the interviewing director which really summed up what a call center is. He said the industry is simply a "business of effective communications". It really made sense. We are in the business of talking, encouragement and team work. These are the 3 factors where my 7 Habits of Highly Effective Call Center People revolve around.

These 7 points I'm about to deliver below are not only applicable to a certain group of individuals within a call center organization but it encompasses everyone in order to be a cohesive unit that delivers results.

I. Comes to work everyday - As simple as it is, it is also the hardest thing to adhere to. Working in a call center, all people experience some form of stress and in varying degrees. It may sound funny to some people, but adhering to schedules yields a lot more positives than some people realize. Coming to work and being there for your co-workers and managers lightens the load of everybody concerned. It also gives everybody a chance to interact with one another, help and motivate each other. In the long run, this habit can boost camaraderie and teamwork while realizing that anybody can count on everybody to be there for support.

II. Enhances morale - Working as a team in a call center setting is like attending a support group. Ideally, Managers help everybody down to the agents, supervisors help managers and agents in one way or another, agents help managers, supervisors and each other in a complete circle where accessibility should be a direct line. Simple realization of this ideal situation should already be a morale-boost by itself. Actively enhancing confidence is an attribute not inherent to everybody. They say leadership by example is the way so this means in order to foster a supportive environment, leaders must show the way. Care for your employees translates to better service for your customers in return.

III. Resolves issues completely - Handling a leadership role in a call center setting occasionally involves pacifying noise. Noise is any internal or external factor that acts as a disruptive element affecting agent-customer interactions. As important as you regard each and every customer interaction to be concluded in a satisfactory manner, leaders also need to make sure they eliminate noise or at least keep it to a minimum level as much as possible while committing to resolve any pending issues in a timely manner. Satisfied employees translate to satisfied customers. It’s as simple as that.

IV. Always updated - The call center operations floor is an environment of ceaseless change. Most changes in policy and procedures come from the leaders and cascade to rank and file. Ensuring each and every soul is on the same page and checked for understanding eliminates the possibility of confusion that can possibly escalate to a bigger problem. To be an effective person on the ops floor means each and everybody will have to play an active role in making sure everyone is kept abreast with changes.

V. Sets goals and aspires - a major responsibility of a call center leader is to guide employees towards a clear and defined path towards a more meaningful and personally fulfilling endeavor. People that manage people need to aspire for a better future for their team members. In the same light, employees also set goals for themselves and aspire to be better in their chosen careers. Constant coaching, well-documented progress reports and personal awareness helps ensure everybody is in the right direction. Being aware that you have a goal and somebody is helping you reach it is one way to get the best obtainable performance from everybody.

VI. Participates, Cooperates and Suggests - all three are bunched in one concept because they fall under one key factor which is effective communications. Suggestions, participation and cooperation to resolve an issue are 3 things that are not only seen within team interactions but should also be seen within an agent-customer interaction. Encouraging creativity to solve problems within a working environment also fosters your front liners to be resourceful in their approach to solve customer issues. Many companies have gained more customers and retain existing ones because people who solve their customers' concerns have been innovative in their approach.

VII. Recognizes - getting recognition should always be part of any working environment. Sadly, this is not the reality we see in every office. You may find a group of people feeling left out and unappreciated. Though most would agree that credit should always be directed where it is due, failing to at least acknowledge a few, no matter how small their contribution is, breeds an attitude of indifference towards your goals and worse to customers. People are motivated in different ways. However, failing to recognize contributions can unravel a team working towards a goal. Small and/or occasional pats on the back wouldn't hurt. Celebrating small successes is a call center best practice that plays a major role in getting the best performance from everybody.

You may have noticed that the points I mentioned above all seem like they have one thing in common. In fact, you are correct. They all seem to have one common thing or share a common goal. This is precisely an analogy I want to include in this article. Like these 7 habits of highly effective call center people, everyone within a call center organization shares a common goal, should have the same things in mind and improves each other for better understanding. In a call center office, people interact with customers only as good as they interact with each other.