My Resignation Letter

Presenting.....ladies and gentlemen,  my much-awaited resignation letter. To bumhood and beyond!!! I tried to be nice as possible on this letter although it screams "F*ck y'all. it's about time i leave this sh*tplace" in the background



May 15 2009



Raymond Galapon
Program Manager
Sutherland Global Services
Total Corporate Center, Taguig City Philippines


Dear Sir:
This is to formally announce my resignation from my current position as a Customer Service Representative for the PayPal North America account effective today, May 15 2009.

In light of this situation and as per mandated by the rules and regulations I had signed upon joining this company I am required to give thirty (30) days of notice starting on the date specified which should provide the company ample time to transfer my responsibilities to another employee.

Although my time with the PayPal North America account has been, on the whole, quite satisfying and productive, for a while now I have become less satisfied with the work situation mainly because of the new location of the company which is making it increasingly difficult for me to be productive and accomplish goals set by the account. Please feel free to keep in touch any time should you have any questions regarding this matter.

My experience with Sutherland Global Services and with PayPal North America has been very worthwhile. I appreciate having had the opportunity to work with your company and I wish you and the organization continued success.


Sincerely,


AXXXXXXXX (My Name, X'ed out for decency purposes)
Block XXXXXXX (My address)
+63917XXXXXXX (my cellphone number, as pointed out naka-globe ako)
XXXXXXXXX@suth.com; XXXX@tpa.ebay.com (my company email)

Mr. paypALicious

May nakatuwang pangyayari ngayong araw at sa di sinasadyang pagkakataon ay tinanganghal si AL bilang (tentenenen!drum roll please) 2nd Runner Up for the First Ever Search for Mr. and Ms. Paypalicious 2008.
Initial Reaction: HUWAAAAAAATTTTTTT? Wat da ep!!!

Pre-Peagent Eklat: Ang contest na ito ay pakulo ng lecheng Fun Club na walang alam kung hindi mang-istorbo ng mga agents sa floor. Every team sa floor plus the Senior Agent team would a have a male and female representative to well, represent (duh!) their teams. Initially, our reps should have been Shey and Congressman, pero sa kasawiang-palad, nag-resign na si Kongressman at nangibang-bansa so, laking gulat ko nalamang nang ang pangalan ko ang sinend ng team as repsentative. Ayoko talaga pramis! Over my dead malnourished body noh! Eventually napapayag din ako ni Boss at ng team na sumali. Partner ko nga pala si Lyn, na super hot paypalicious mama ng team (yeahbah!). Akala ko naman voting lang siya but to my dismay, may pageant pala siyang kasama. Punyemas talaga. Dapat nga naka-leave ako kanina kaya lang hindi in-approve ni boss kasi nga may pageant. Ayus lang kasi in-UPTO niya naman ako ng Thu-Fri shift ngayong week at off ko ng Sat Sun, so ayus lang!!! hehehe.

Pageant Eklats: Ang aga ng call time, 3:30 am don't they know that my shift won't start until 5:00 am pa kaya at di siya OT! In the spirit of Filipino Time I decided to be fashionably late. Umayon naman sa akin ang universe dahil 30 minutes akong naghintay ng tricycle na masasakyan papuntang bayan, good thing mabilis yung bus at jeep na nasakyan ko papuntang office. Boss was incessantly calling me, pero the hell bahala sila! Sapilitan naman ito. At ayun nga, pagdating ko sa floor ang mga contestants ay todo get up! May costume at theme pa silang nalalaman; may futuristic, may cowboy, may goth, may parang prom lang. As in to the highest max talaga! At ang suot ni AL: Long sleeves na tinupi, maong pants, sneakers, that's it. So kailangang may theme kayo ng partner mo, and since wala kaming maisip ni Lynn we decided to be...CALL CENTER AGENTS (complete with headsets) Oha! Pinag-isipan talaga ang theme, di bale dadaanin na lang namin sa Face Value, Projection at Confidence. (hell yeah!)

Ayun! Kailangan pa lang rumampa rampa. Adik. Rumampa si AL, dinaan sa kapal ng mukha at apog pero natutuwa naman talaga ako kasi nung kami na yung lumabas, ang lakas ng audience impact hahaha! Ganun talaga! Audience impact pa lang panalo na. Natabig ko pa nga yung blinking lights, kasi naman paharang-harang siya. Mala-Miriam Quiambao at project pa din kahit napahiya. Anyways I think nakadagdag yun sa confidence points ko. (weh!)

Imagine my surprise when they called me as one of the five finalists and by the way more than 16 pairs nga pala yung kasali kasi maraming team sa floor. Aba! clueless pa kunwari nung tinawag! Walanghiya!!! Nadaan sa "kapal muks" talaga.Leche! Hindi naman ako gwapo tulad nila at ni wala ngang ka-effort effort on my part to dress up. Also, yung long sleeves na sinuot ko super lukot na lukot na, bwahaha hinabol na ako ng plantsa. Sayang di kasama si Lyn sa finalists pero ayus lang yun.

At ayun pa! May Question and Answer with the Vendor Manager, none other than Mr. Exx Maramara. Ang tanong kay AL: (I'll try to remember kasi may memory gap na ako)

HOST: How do you feel right now?
AL: Nervous and scared.
Boss Exx: My question for you AL, is what does it take to be Mr. Paypalicious?
AL: HUH! *clears throat* good question sir. (aba kumakambyo pa si AL). What does it take to be Mr. Paypalicious? Well to be Mr. Paypalicious you have to embody the word PayPal. You have to think eat and breathe PayPal. You also have to be confident, even if you don't have the looks to be Mr.Paypalicious you should have the confidence (patama sa sarili yan! ahahaha). Just like in your calls, even if you do not know what your saying to the customer you have to be confident about it to make a good impression. And also you should always be on top of your game. That's what it takes to be Mr. Paypalicious.

(Mental notehabang sumasagot: Syemay ang daming tao! Ayokong tumingin kay Boss Exx. Kinakabahan ako. Sige go lang ng go wag kang titigil! Bawal mag-tagalog. Nakakagutom. Inaantok na ako. Petix time 'to AL, mas ok 'to kaysa mag-calls)

After the Q&A gusto kong magtago sa cave at lamunin na ng lupa.

Siguro, nabaduyan yung mga judges sa overdressing part ng ibang contestants kaya napili nila ako kasi naman, as in parang normal get-up lang: walang effort. At mataas ang percentage ng voting: 40%. Nagbigay si boss ng P500 PHP kaya ayos at naghuhulog kami everyday for the funds and for that puwersahan ito. And syempre sino ba namang hindi mamamangha sa aking pang-Ms. Universe na sagot? World Peace. At iyun nga in fairnes nanalo si AL. Nakakahiya naman kung ako pa yung Mr. Paypalicious? Hindi ako gwapo saka ibigay na ang price sa agent na super karir sa get-up. So 2nd Runner-up would do. Paano pa kaya kung nag-effort ako at nag-preppy look? Malamang first na ako hehehe.

Ang saya ng experience na ito. Most embarrassing moment sa aking slum book pero deep inside nakakatuwa siya. Natuwa din naman ako sa suporta ng aking Boss! Kahit bugnutin siya I saw the effort and her support to Lyn and me. Yung mga team mates ko na nasa 9th talagang nag-unbreak pa at after voice para i-cheer kami. Si Ate precious, si Gem saka si Rio. Si Mareng Genah talagang siya pa nagtiklop ng long sleeves ko. At ang aking iba pang team mates na super suporta, salamat talaga. (Yuck! parang thank you speech)


isa lang ang masasabi ko:


Bwahahahaha! I'm so Hot! Paypalicious hot!


Side Note: Pag-uwi ko feeling gwapo pa din ako kaya lang nung nasa tricyle na ako. nahulog yung ipod ko at since may butas yung tricyle na sinasakyan ko, swak siya sa road. Talagang umuulan pa at bumaba ako sa tricyle just to get my ipod. Buti na lang walang ibang dumadaan kung hindi, wasak wasak ang aking mahal na eehphod! Although walang scratch ang LCD at likod dahil may protector may chipped surface na siya sa gilid. Damaged na siya waaaah pero fully functional pa din. Grabeh! Ikamamatay ko kapag may nangyari sa kaniyang masama.
(panisinin ang chipped surface sa picture)


this is Paypalicious AL
signing off...


(wow! feelingero talaga)

A Day in the life of AL

10 minutes 'til log-in time at heto si AL aligaga dahil ngayon lang nangyari ang 10 minutes pa lang eh hindi pa siya nakakalog-in. Usually he comes in 1 hour early and 30 minutes before avail time his tools are all set-up. He likes his efficiency, his tactic and methodology and those things are also what his supervisor likes about him. Pero ngayon, nalate siya. For some bizarre reason nalate siya at nasira ang perfectly planned itinerary niya. First he woke up late, then tumirik yung jeep na sinakyan niya papauntang bayan (nyeta! bakit pa kasi nag-jeep) and then pagdating sa bayan walang bus. Weird, he thought at pagdating sa Cubao it took him amost 15 minutes to ride an Ayala-bound aircon bus. These are the things he does in order to get to work. Some people may cringe at the very thought of commuting on a public vehicle in the wee hours of the morning, pero sanay na si AL. For some weird f*cking reason the universe conspired on making him miserable that day. Pero cool lang siya. He decided long ago, to just let everything take it's own course, be the water that flows with the tide. Syempre hindi dapat mawala ang composure kahit hectic, ika nga grace under pressure. One of his philosophies is to look composed and calm in the midst of calamity, which is usually everyday.

Feeling ni AL unkept nanaman ang kanyang buhok, pero what the heck! Never namang nag-matter sa kanya ang kanyang indifferent look. Quick "hi's" sa mga team mates at naghanap ng available station sa bay. Maraming nagtanong, anong nangyari sa kanya kahapon and then naalala niya na umabsent pala siya kahapon. At syempre, iba ang alam ng madla sa totoong nangyari at totoong dahilan why he decided to stain his perfcet attendance. Again, what the heck. Punched in in time, good he thought. At least no further salary deductions. Pull up citrix...breathe. An error message popped up. He's used to these kinds of things and his analytical mind prompted him to do the next logical thing...try it again. After several failed attempts naka-connect diyan. Punyetang server talaga. And then here comes Zarah na may daladalang 3 bagong team mates.

"Ayan si Al! Diyan kayo lumapit", then Zarah left. Zarah talaga...adik.

A confused look struck on Al's face. It took his neurons at least 10 seconds to process the train of thought. He introduced himself simply as Al, their team mate. Their immediate supervisor is on rest day so walang mag-aasist sa kanila. The new team mates introduced their names but as usual selective ang memory ni AL, in short hindi niya naalala ang names nila. He would just ask for their names and log ins later on, ang importante ay maka login sila dahil magfa-5 o'clock na. Mga kawawang nilalang, unang araw sa floor at walang supervisor. At dahil the team looks up to AL, he decided to switch to his valiant knight-in-shining armor, yun bang tipong there to save the day. At ayun nga, walang pakialam kahit hindi muna siya maka-log in. Naghanap ng 3 available stations malapit sa bay. Checked if the Avaya phones are suitable for NA use, tokens, headsets...hayz. Kahit hectic Al enjoys the rush of helping friends in need. He likes the feeling of being looked up to as someone who's mature and responsible and everyone who can count on. Once the new team mates are setteled, he began to think of his own, and like a buzzer beater he scores just in time. Saktong 5 am ang log in. It took him another 10 minutes (lagot sa NR) to pull up the necessary tools to make his 2 monitor screens look like an oversized jigsaw puzzle. Some people find his screen cluttered, but it has been insanely puposeful to him during his stay in PayPal.

Time to take in calls.

"Thank you for calling PayPal! My name is AL. may I have your name please?". He does his everything to lower down his voice during his opening spiel without sounding sleepy or bored. May tendencies kasi na kapag his usual pitch eh mapagod nanaman nang di oras ang vocal chords niya at pumiyok siya sa calls (which happens...a lot) or pagkamalan nanaman siyang babae ng bobong Kanong kausap niya. Blah Blah Blah. He only has to listen to a few keywords and he knows what the customer's problem or what he's yapping about. Click agad sa admin tools to navigate the page. Alam na ang resolution kahit walang kaharap na Knowledge Base. Astig di ba? Sabi nga ni Precious for 5 months magaling na si AL. Marami ding nagsasabing magaling siya sa calls and he has awards and some Kudos to back it up. he just takes every comment in stride since he doesn't want people to think that he's a smart ass. Besides sanay na sanay na siya sa fake humilty routines eversince college. Siya ang walking Kbase, Ambie-kuno, pseudo-SA at CS questions ng team. Kahit mga mas tenured pa sa kanya nagtatanong pa sa kanya at pinipilit siya ng boss niyang mag-apply ng SA Post (Senior Agent). Pero para kay AL, he is still not worthy since he has to surpass his standards he set for himself. U.P. has taught him to surpass the highest of standards which is of himself.

During calls he hears his seat mate Lyn saying profanity to the customer while on mute. natawa siya and he does the same, mas malakas at malutong pa siyang magmura. Isa sa mga traits na gustung gusto ni AL sa sarili niya ay ang kanyang innate talent for obscene language. Walang patumpik tumpik kung magmura ng p*tang ina. Some people cringe but some people like that.

[to be continued]

Bittersweet

'Dun sa last post ko ay matumal ang motivations natin noong mga nakaraang araw..
pero ngayon...
presenting (drum roll please)

Certificate of Recognition for being the 3rd Top CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) Performer on Phone plus Starbucks GC and Pin

Actually, kahapon daw 'yan in-award pero absent ako (sikretong malupit kung bakit) at binigay lang kay Whea ni Boss Matet (with silent "t" sa dulo) para ibigay sa akin. I actually like the pin, and I have to beat the living daylights out of Whei just to give me that, can you believe holding the pin for ransom? Hehe. I wouldn't even bother on commenting about the Starbucks Gift Certificate. I mean....duh? Hindi man ako caffeine addict, ang price naman niya 'tol, ano mabibili ko diyan di ba? Straw lang 'ata. Pero the effort and thought is very much appreciated.

It's actually refreshing to be recognized for something you do good at. These past days, sobrang hard bottom ang mga CSAT's at mga calls ko. Biruing 6 na VERY DISSATISFIED comments at ang running CSAT ko ay 81.58% for a total of 53 surveys. Initial Reaction: 53??? Saan naman pinaghuhugot yung mga surveys na 'yun? Mga 'Kano talaga, pag hindi satisfied ang lakas ng loob mag-comment pero pag sobrang satisfied sa service mo tipid sa comment, swerte pa nga kung magko-comment siya.

I noticed right now na yung habit ko (na na-acquire ko lang din sa pharm), ang pagiging GC (read: grade conscious) Oc-Oc (read: obsessive Complusive) nung nag-aaral pa ako ay magandang disiplina sa sarili. Hindi naman pagiging "crab" ang maging conscious sa stats dahil it's part of the job. Besides ngayon mas OK maging GC sa mga bagay bagay dahil may karampatang pay di tulad nung college pa ako na ang pagiging GC ay pakikipagpaligsahan lang sa mga cronie crabbie kong classmates sa peyups.


Hindi man ako Top 1 or kahit walang trophy, nothing beats the feeling of being recognized. I love the feeling lalung lalu na pag may KUDOS ako sa customer at kino-congratulate ka ng madla. At the end of the 1-hour call, kahit flagged ka na ng kung sinu-sinung floor walker diyan at pulang 2 digits na ang AHT mo, when the customer says that she really appreciated the help you've done, and she can't thank you enough for the assistance you've given and how you are simply the best and how you made her day...it's a good warm feeling inside. it's a realization that "hey, maybe I'm doing something right and something worthwhile here". Corny no? Minsan masarap din naman ang feeling ng alam mong kahit things didn't actually turn out the way you wnated them to be, you are actually helping someone miles away from where you are and you are actually making a difference and leaving a little mark on their lives. (Note: Oha! ang lalim no? na-inspire talaga ako sa CSAT training eh..hehehe)


Hay! nakakatuwa talaga ang trabahong ito. Roller coaster ride ika nga. Minsan gusto mo nang itapon ang telepono dahil sa kabastusan at kawalang modo ng 'Kano mong kausap pero minsan matutuwa ka din naman sa kanila. Aamin ko na minsan nagtataka na ako kung bakit ganoong katanga ang mga customer ko pero naisip ko din kung hindi sila tanga...wala akong trabaho, di ba? Some may look at call center jobs to be at the very bottom of the corporate tier, but hey...for those people who think like that, try kaya nila! Although some white-collar junkie from Ayala Avenue might give the demeaning stare when he knows you're a call center agent, just think that

CALL CENTER AGENTS DO HELP PEOPLE AND TOUCH THEIR LIVES.

The Monday Blues

Noong estudyante pa ako normal na ang pagkakaroon ng monday sickness o di kaya ay monday blues. Ito ay isang psychological (at minsan ay pathophysiological) manifestation ng katamarang pumasok. Nariyan ang hindi makabangon sa higaan, mabigat na lakad para ayusin ang sarili at minsan pa nga ay biglaang pagsulpot ng sakit, be it normal sickness kagaya ng sakit ng ulo hanggang sa mga exotic na diseases tulad ng whooping cough o rockymountain spptted fever. Di ko mawari na kahit pala sa pagtatrabaho ko ay ma-eexperience ko ito.




Weekends ang day off ko dahil panalo ang team namin sa shift bidding sa floor (way to go Team Rockets!) kaya kaisa ako ng madlang working class na day-off tuwing Saturdays at Sundays. Masaya naman kapag day-off kasi kumpleto ang angkan namin tuwing mga ganung araw. Pero ika nga ni Bette Midler "good things never last" kaya ngayon ay Monday na naman at nilalabanan ko ang sakit kong katamaran. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ako biglang tinatamad pumasok, kaya tuloy marami akong kaltas sa sweldo dahil sa late at lost hours (abangan na lang natin ngayong cut-off dahil nakadalawang lates na ako...birthday ko pa naman huhuhu). Dati rati ok lang naman pumasok sa trabaho, hindi man ako overly excited ay kahit papaano ay looking forward naman akong pumasok at mag-calls. Nauubusan na siguro ako ng motivations para pumasok. Hindi kaya nagsasawa na rin ako sa trabaho ko? O baka napapagod lang ako. Burned out na siguro ako sa 6 months kong pagtatrabaho. Kaka-regular ko pa lang nung May 27 at entitled na ako sa full benefits ng kumpanya. Mukhang tama ang sinabi ng kuya ko sa ate ko dati: "hayaan mo siya magsasawa din yan" . Nagsasawa na ba talaga ako? Ang ikanakatakot ko ay baka iwan ko din to bigla bigla tulad ng ginawa ko sa pag-aaral ko. May tendencies pa naman akong maging impulsive at padalus-dalos sa mga desisyon ko. Siguro parte din ng pagkakaroon ko ng Monday Blues ay ang mga recent changes sa trabaho; natanggal ang mga tier 2 kong kasama na nagpapaganda ng stats ng team, aalis na si Boss Matet (astig pa naman siyang boss! nooo!) at saka naglilipatan na ang mga kasama ko sa PayPal AU. Ang daming nangyayari ngayong buwan. Di lang iyon, sobrang baba ng CSAT's (Customer Satisfaction Surveys) ko; kung dati bilib na bilib sila sa akin at palagi ako nasasama sa Club 100 ngayon ay sobrang bagsak ang running CSAT ko (83.something na lang the last time I checked). Isama mo pa dito ang sobrang taas kong AHT (Average Handling Time)! abot bubong sa taas! Hay nako talaga!



Dati rati madali akong makahanap ng motivation para pumasok. Nandiyang iisipin kong malapit na ang sweldo, malapit ng mag-day off, marami akong bagong natutunan sa bawat calls at kung anu-anu pang motivational excuses pero ngayon parang nauubusan na ako. Pero ngayon, hay...(malalim na buntung hininga)





All of us have bad hair days. i'm just hoping this won't turn out to be a bad hair decade...



Pahingi ng motivation!!!!