I’ve been working as a contact center agent for an American company based in the Philippines for more than a year now. We specialize in survey and research. I have encountered different types of people, learned different views and opinions, and felt different kinds of emotions while doing surveys. Our job is described as “market research interviewer”. It might sound pro, but in the world of BPO, some find it as the worst, low-earning contact center job available in the Philippines today. Aside from that, you are more likely to get cursed at and threatened by rude people who don’t want to be bothered be this kind of calls. Your optimism can just fade away in a snap.
I never thought I’d be working as a call center agent because I used to hate the idea of calling people without their permission and that I also used to hate my accent before. I mean, I could speak English but it’s not my first language. I stutter at times and just eventually run out of words. I easily get intimidated by those who can speak it fluently. Nevertheless, I am here now and I love it, and this one's kind of different.
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| www.leadformix.com/ |
Having this kind of job requires a great patience. Some might think that it feels like hell talking to mean and ruthless people – an incremental way of suicide. (LOL)
Well, I beg to disagree. What others don’t realize about being a market research interviewer is its essence. One fundamental part of selling is marketing. You can’t just go and sell your products without targeting the people who need them. You need to start with marketing first. That’s where we come in. We do the research to identify which part of the community needs a certain service, what issue concerns them most, what type of people would most likely use a particular product, and what our clients can offer. We serve as the bridge to a better communication and understanding between our respondents (customer) and our clients. From there, data are gathered and analyzed to determine the problems and come up with a feasible course of action.
Well, I beg to disagree. What others don’t realize about being a market research interviewer is its essence. One fundamental part of selling is marketing. You can’t just go and sell your products without targeting the people who need them. You need to start with marketing first. That’s where we come in. We do the research to identify which part of the community needs a certain service, what issue concerns them most, what type of people would most likely use a particular product, and what our clients can offer. We serve as the bridge to a better communication and understanding between our respondents (customer) and our clients. From there, data are gathered and analyzed to determine the problems and come up with a feasible course of action.
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| http://ianchadwick.com/ |
There was this one time when I got assigned to a certain project that surveys subscribers of some mobile networks in the States. I got to interview a Hispanic customer who tried her best to answer my questions in English, for me to find out that she was having a hard time talking on the phone because of a bad connection. This was what she said in verbatim, ”I can’t hear well. Line is choppy. I’m calling my family in Mexico. They can’t understand me. Please help me with this”. The fact that the survey could take more than 25 minutes, I tried to comfort her the best way I could. Not to the extent that I would break the rules, but just enough to make her feel that her concern was being taken care of. After all, it was all I could do to repay her kindness and patience in taking a lengthy survey. It somehow gave me a purpose there.
Another instance was when I talked with an elderly man for a survey that concerns the seniors and retirees. I was so surprised that despite his age he doesn’t have a health insurance, which is very important for old people especially those who are living alone in a country like America. I felt bad for him. He also said that his pension was not enough for his daily needs, and that he even gets his food from food stamp (a small document that is given by the American government to poor people and that can be used to buy food). That poor man has to live alone after his wife died and that his kids already have their own family. My tears fell down unnoticeably. I couldn’t contain my emotions after hearing that from him. I wish I could do something. But at least that time, he had someone to share his grief with.
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| www.jantoo.com |
The survey I consider the best was when I was assigned to a project that talked about the U.S’ economic sanction against Iran. I got the chance to interview a native Iranian who grew up in Iran and migrated to the United States to live "the American dream". The man was very smart and opinionated. He turned a supposed 9-minute survey into more than a 30-minute, almost-a-TV-show interview. The topic included an alleged discrimination among the Iranian community in the United States; a very sensitive topic that followed after the Iranian government announced that they're developing a nuclear program. The world quivered because of its possible threat to other countries. The U.S, particularly, condemned this action of the Iranian government as they might use it to create nuclear weapons to support terrorism; a fear that grew after receiving a series of threat from ISIS (a terrorist group in the Middle East). To my amazement, this guy seemed to be more than just a terrorist to me. He was kind, accommodating, and patient. He told me about his feelings toward their government. He said that the people of Iran don’t want any of these plans. He also added that what is wrong with their country is their government itself. He explained a lot of things that the ordinary people could not imagine by just listening to the news and what the media usually reports about. “If you just get to know them, Iranians are one of the friendliest people in the world,” he said. I was shocked when he said that he never felt discriminated by the Americans eversince he migrated to the States, nor did it happen to his close friends and relatives, not even after Iran’s nuclear program issue.
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| https://ougaz.wordpress.com/ |
During that interview, I came to realize and this has been my perception since I was a child, being a Moro myself, that these people are not terrorists but victims of stereotyping. That whatever those violent extremists do to other people, the Middle Easterns, in general, don’t deserve to be treated as one. The real terrorists are those stereotypes who feed on the innocent people’s fear of discrimination because of cultural and racial differences. People who think that if a certain type of person hurts another, his group or his kind is as terrible as him – people who live by the concept of generalization. This man who willingly took the survey with me is more than just the bad person other people believed him to be. He was more humane, more just, and more real compared to any other words we use to describe a terrorist. One thing I also noticed when interviewing Iranians is that all of them are well-educated. Most of them are post-graduates and some are degree holders. Quite impressive for a terrorist, isn’t it?
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| http://nl.123rf.com/ |
I have experienced a lot of rejection and most of them are rude ones. Once, I reached a guy who was like a police investigator. He interrogated me after I delivered my introduction. He asked for my social security number. Being an interviewer, we are prohibited from giving such information. Even if I wanted to, I just couldn’t because I honestly don’t have one! :D He will never find me there for I am not an American citizen. I don’t even memorize my own Philippine Social Security number. LOL! I also encountered an irate old man who said that he was tracking my IP and he’s gonna hunt me down. It actually scared me. I was afraid that he might look up for my “phone name” or alias and that he would find a person in the U.S. with the same name I am using. Imagine what kind of disaster that could be!
Every day we encounter different types of language barriers and I must say, this isn't the problem at all. Language is a tool to communicate, not a measure of knowledge or a limit. Our main problem is misinterpretation... of one's intention, of a certain situation, and of a simple word or action. A little misunderstanding can lead to more complications when a statement, information, feeling, or opinion gets corrupted or relayed inaccurately. A simple altercation can become physical or worse, a war between families, friends or countries. Everyone has a right to be heard and every story has two sides. So, better hear both before concluding. Right?
Anyway, that's pretty much my experience as a market research interviewer. Thanks for dropping by! :-*
Every day we encounter different types of language barriers and I must say, this isn't the problem at all. Language is a tool to communicate, not a measure of knowledge or a limit. Our main problem is misinterpretation... of one's intention, of a certain situation, and of a simple word or action. A little misunderstanding can lead to more complications when a statement, information, feeling, or opinion gets corrupted or relayed inaccurately. A simple altercation can become physical or worse, a war between families, friends or countries. Everyone has a right to be heard and every story has two sides. So, better hear both before concluding. Right?
Anyway, that's pretty much my experience as a market research interviewer. Thanks for dropping by! :-*
DISCLAIMER: The name of the company or people included in this post were not mentioned for privacy concerns. In case of revelation of the company’s identity, the views and opinions expressed in this writing do not reflect those of the company, its employees or its management.
