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The Great Wall of China in Mutianyu

The Great Wall of China is referred to in Mandarin as Wanli Changcheng   (10,000-Li Long Wall or simply very long wall) BEIJING, ...

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

C3 Spread the Love


C3 Spread the Love

C3 stands for Customer Contact Channel. They are located at One Bonifacio Technology Tower in Taguig City. And they've been in the country since. They are committed in giving job-seekers and employers alike something to think about?

C3 is not just another call center company. It infuses energy into the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry backed by the experience and the technical knowhow of a team of leaders headed by Andy Sarakinis, vice president and country manager. In a recent press conference held onsite, he shared how C3 came about in the Philippines.


C3 or Customer Contact Channels is a global provider of contact center services unlike any other in the market today. Services include sales, service, performance optimization, reputation management and complete customer interaction management via traditional, web, and emerging communication channels. C3 positively engages and promotes our clients’ brands with every contact we make with their customers. With a global team that is thousands of employees strong, the company is headquartered in Plantation, FL. 

“I was here in the Philippines in 1999 from South Florida to test the waters. Before, 70% of the call center agents were females with the remaining 30% males. Now, it’s 60% women and 40% men. There’s been a shift in the age in today’s BPO agents where the older ones are increasing in number. In 2000 alone, 95% were below 30 years old. To date, there’s an increase in those older than 30, with a few in their 50s joining the industry. Every one of these agents could rise to the next level after three months like one of our fast-rising employees April Torrecampo, who thought she had none of the qualities required of a call center agent, but proved that her latent skill just needed to be harnessed," says Sarakinis.

Human Resources director Crystabel Cardenas, who has worked in the BPO industry with three other BPO firms, added, "A career path with C3 is equated with opportunities for growth. Globally, about 9 out of 10 C3 employees are promoted from within.

C3 offers above industry benefits to its employees and is constantly outfitting its human relations policies to fit the needs of its workforce. Kevin Urrutia, the Vice President of Operations asserts, “When we talk about pay scales among call centers in the Philippines, C3 is at the 80th percentile - meaning if there are 100 call centers, C3 pays higher than 80 of them.”

“Inexperienced agents, those who have no prior call center experience, receive P16,000 starting pay. Those with a degree of experience receive up to P18,000 monthly wage. Plus they receive HMO benefits that they can share with a family member as long as they remain employed. It could be for a spouse or child, parent or sibling. Beneficiaries are named and could be changed at the start of every contract cycle. Lateral transfers are not done here in Manila yet but in our US branches they do,” she continued.

She also shared why C3 is literally different from the pyramid hierarchy of most corporate set-ups. “We are employee-centric and follow the inverted triangle approach wherein the grievance approach is immediate. This is made possible through regular supervisory visits. Our focus is on the entry level; mostly for support people and agents,” she enthused. Crystabel talks from over 13 years of experience in Human Resources dealing with fast-paced, rapidly-expanding local and multinational companies, and it is no mean feat that C3 now is counted as one of the most effective and productive BPOs in the Philippines.

C3 is definitely making an impact in the Philippines’ customer care industry with its own brand of performance optimization. Performance optimization, an element of C3 University, is where re-training for a new field and/or higher position takes place. It is the ‘silver lining,’ as its mentoring process helps employees climb the corporate ladder of success in their work life.

C3 University is an on-line training tool wherein an employee undergoes an aptitude test. Meanwhile, the Cadet-ship Program runs at an average of three months. The term can be extended depending on an applicant’s performance and evaluation rating. These promotion avenues provide the means to step up the C3 ladder.

When C3 opened on Nov 1, 2011, it started with 30 people on opening day. Now, the employee roster has risen to make C3 one of the fastest growing BPOs to date, as evidenced by an ever-increasing human resource inventory and a steady vote of confidence from its serviced clientele.

C3 is also strong on the value that charity begins at home. Cardenas emphasized that “C3's core values include open communication systems, accountability and helping the community through our CSR efforts. By community, we begin with our very own agents. For example, the people serving our pantry must be related to an employee. And as long as they have the support and patronage of our staff, they continue serving us with whatever type of food they make available at the refectory. Also during the Habagat, a number of agents were trapped in C3 and couldn't go home because the floodwater in their respective areas was really high. So our 11th floor recruitment section was turned into a shelter for them and their families and C3 contingency funds were used for logistics."

C3’s other international locations include Guatemala City, Guatemala and Panama City, Panama in Central America; Glasgow, Scotland and Sofia, Bulgaria in Europe; and Dalian, China and Mumbai, India in Asia. Its U.S. locations are in Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Oklahoma, and Texas, with headquarters located in Plantation, near Miami, Florida.

More information can be found at www.c3connect.com and http://jobs.c3connect.com/manila.

The recruitment line: Direct Line 479-7470 / Trunk Line 479-7400. 


CUSINA IDOL 2013


CUSINA IDOL 2013
Congratulations to Marc Justin Tee for winning Php 500,000 worth of kitchen showcase at the recently concluded Cucina Idol held at the GalaStars Culinary Studio of renowned Chef Sylvia Reynoso Gala in Pasig City.
The 26-year old Justin Tee is UP Diliman graduate. He started tinkering in the kitchen when he was barely six years old.
 
His mom is his inspiration.



A total of seven finalists battled it out in the cook off last March 16, 2013. Each finalist cooked one chicken and one seafood dish that they prepare on site. The finalists are required to use Melawares, Perfect Dining, Bestware, Urban Kitchen, Rosseto and Loveramics Products in the plating of their dish.

Prior to selection, the finalists all went through a rigorous screening process after a single receipt purchse of Php 500.0 worth of Melawares, Perfect Dining, Bestware, Urban Kitchen, Rosseto and Loveramics Products.


COFFEE: From Farm to Cup


COFFEE: From Farm to Cup 



Imagine waking up to the smell of coffee and to the sound of songbirds heralding the dawn as the sun stretches its rays across town.  



Can you imagine life without coffee? The irresistible aroma from a fresh cup of coffee in the morning emanating around the house never fails to bring joy into my life. From the first sip down to the last drop of that sticky warmth of coffee on my lips. Ahh, being alive is indeed beautiful.  

 


Unknown to many, I am a certified coffee addict. I love coffee and I feel good when I drink a cup of coffee in the morning.  I get my daily morning caffeine boost every day from Nescafé which is every Filipino's favorite drink since time immemorial. New Nescafé Classic delivers such a rich, flavorful and an irresistible aroma that we love so much. Like you, I enjoyed reading the newspaper and watching my favorite TV program with my morning cup of coffee. 




So you can imagine my happiness when I was chosen by Nescafé ( made by Nestlé) to have a first hand experience to learn the story beyond the cup of every Nescafé coffee.
  

Now, I appreciate my cup of coffee more than ever after our recent visit to the 16-hectare Nestlé Experimental and Development Farm (NEDF) in Barangay Magdum, Tagum City, Davao del Norte. 



NEDF also conducts research and studies on inter-cropping to help farmers identify which crops, aside from the coffee shrubs, could yield the most income.


 

I learned from the slide presentation of JP of Nestlé that next to water, coffee is the second most consumed beverage in the world. And it ranks second to oil in terms of value as a world-traded commodity.



Our Davao trip is very educational. It opened my eyes to a whole new perspective. There is so much more to making a cup of coffee than adding hot water. I got to experience coffee literally from farm to cup. 




We got our hands dirty by planting coffee seedlings within the compound of NEDF.




I learned that Nestlé works closely with farmers and coffee farmers cooperatives. It even conducts FREE classroom training to interested individuals, farmers, investors and cooperatives.



Aside from conducting free training, Nestlé supports coffee farmers through its agronomists who visit coffee farms, inspect the coffee growing conditions, give advice to the farmers, conduct research, and propagate coffee seedlings. It also sells the coffee seedlings/ plantlets at cost  Plus, the prices that Nestlé pay to the farmer at its buying stations are based on the world buying price. I can absolutely say that Nescafe (Nestlé) respects people.




Nescafé (Nestléhas developed the Farm to Cup plan program in order to share information and educate people. When you see the Nescafé label on the coffee jars, you can be assured that the coffee you are buying is completely traceable and of good quality, that Nescafé (Nestlé) paid a fair price for the coffee beans and that you are assured that good farming practices were employed by the coffee farmers. 



A cup of Nescafé coffee comes with so much love and labor. Nestlé makes sure that each cup of Nescafe is a product of a quality process that starts from the coffee farming itself.

 

Nescafé prefers to buy Robusta beans which are rounder than the other varieties, brownish in color and produce a tartar and bitter-tasting coffee with a higher level of caffeine. Because of these qualities, the Robusta beans are mostly used in the production of instant coffee and as fillers in commercial blends.


From specialty brews to instant coffee to the now ubiquitous three-in-one sachets, coffee is easily everyone's favorite drink. And with the proliferation of coffee shops, having a cup of coffee has become a total lifestyle experience.

 

The NEDF not only assures Nestle of a supply of quality green coffee beans but is also a training venue for coffee farmers.


Nestle has nine (9) buying stations nationwide located in key coffee-producing regions such as
  • Tagum, Davao del Norte
  • General Santos
  • Cagayan De Oro City
  • Silang, Cavite
  • Tagbina, Surigao del Sur
  • Iloilo City, Iloilo
  • Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
  • Lipa Batangas
  • Tuguegarao City, Cagayan

Nestlé, through the NEDF, is doing its share in helping resurrect the lost glory that the Philippines used to enjoy as the third largest coffee-producing nation next to Brazil and Colombia.


UNION: Local appliance maker sets its eyes on the world


UNION: Local appliance maker sets its eyes on the world
The Philippines was once known as an importing country. But our country is now quickly establishing a reputation as an exporter of not just agricultural products and semi-conductors but also electrical home appliances.

In order for companies to enter the international market, they need to be able to make products that are at par with the world’s best. Union Home Appliances, one of the country’s top electric fans and small appliance brands, is a good example. Already in the appliances business for more than 50 years, the company recently participated in the prestigious Canton Fair, one of China’s largest trade fairs held yearly in Canton (Guangzhou), China that features a wide array of products and is the most attended, in order to make a splash in the global market.

Being at the Canton Fair officially makes Union Home Appliances the first Filipino company under its category that participated in the esteemed event in recent history. There, the company showcased its core products, all made in the Philippines like electric fans, washing machines and air coolers.

Ben Uy, National Sales Manager of Union Home Appliances, said they decided to participate in the Canton Fair to be able to gain international exposure. “We’ve always wanted to take our products global. While most Filipino and international companies have outsourced their manufacturing to China, we always believed that our country possesses real advantages in manufacturing. Being into manufacturing for a long time, we know our products have a real chance of standing out.”

He noted that during the fair, two of their most innovative products stood out, like the Defender Anti-Mosquito Fan with a built-in heater to ward off mosquitoes, and the Perfect Timing Stand Fan that automatically turns on once the air conditioner turns off. “People saw the innovativeness and the high quality of our products.  We believe they are not just at par but possibly even better than some of the other products displayed in the Canton Fair. We would not have joined if we thought our products could not match up with others.”

Many fair attendees, according to Uy, were also surprised that there were products from the Philippines. There were products from Malaysia, Thailand and India, which had strong government-sponsored representation, but Uy said Union was there, representing the Philippines, despite being a privately-funded booth.  He continued that it was also fun being noticed by fellow Filipinos representing foreign firms who pass by the booth and gush upon seeing the pictures of actress and TV host Kris Aquino, Union’s brand ambassador.

However, Uy emphasized that the biggest benefit for Union in joining the Canton Fair was the change in how the global market perceived the Philippines in general, and Union in particular. He said that taking the Union brand and the Philippines as an exporter in the global marketplace is the first step in their long-term investment. “Businesses from other countries are now starting to see Union—and consequently the Philippines—as a real alternative to traditional suppliers like China.”
Now that they have penetrated the foreign market, Uy said their focus is on countries with the same tropical climate as the Philippines, such as those closer to the equator, who tend to have similar lifestyles and home needs as Filipinos. He mentioned South America as a particular region of interest with great potential for growth.

Because of the success of their participation in the Canton Fair, Uy said they will closely study the possibility of going there again this year and encourages other Filipino-owned companies, including other home appliance makers, to attend as well. With the current strength of the economy, Uy thinks now is the perfect time to take Filipino-made products to the rest of the world because “we have what it takes to stand out.”

“There are 7 billion people in the world. That’s a really big market for home appliances.  We should think big because going global is a real possibility. As we like saying in Union: ‘aim for the stars; even if we don’t get there, we may very well land on the moon,” Uy declares.

Union Home Appliances are available in leading appliance retailers nationwide. For more information, visit their web site, www.union.ph.


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