Random Thoughts

I was glad to be granted vacation leave after Christmas and until New Year. Before I went on vacation leave I already knew I will be on a training right after the first week of January 2016. What would be the training for?

Towards the 3^rd week of November our team captain got sick and was on sick leave for two weeks. Last week of November, our floor coach manned our team huddle.  Management has given each team a floor coach. The floor coach guides us whenever we encounter questions about internet and optic television when customers call in. Due to wide coverage and some intricacy on internet issues, management determined, we new trainees on this field still need assistance. 

The last week of November, tech department received an email training is underway.  At our huddle our floor coach asked if anyone from our team would like to undergo the training. He asked for volunteer, to which no one volunteered.  On my way home after work shift, I had an afterthought.  I sent the floor coach a message saying I am volunteering. He confirmed getting my message the following the day, I reported for work.

Optic Television Training

I survived a day shift that was from 8am to 5pm in view of our optic television training. For several years I have been on night shift or early morning shift at work.  Day shift to me is a bit of challenge. My place of work is not far from where I live but the traffic jam and the wait to get a ride is not easy. 

I take public transportation going to work, a jeep and a sixteen seater van.  I cannot afford a car which is good. I do not have to worry paying for a parking space where I live.  I do not have to worry about the car maintenance. Most of all I can take a nap on my way home on days when traffic jam is pretty bad.

Middle of June my team mates and I were on internet training. The optic tv training followed shortly. Optic tv training lasted for about a week the 6^th of July until the 10^th. It was classroom training, call listening, and we got to see some equipment like the set up box, gateway WIFI extenders, etc.  The most exciting part was passing the exam after the training. 

A Call to Remember

 We enjoyed pizza, break time from the training.. 

Our classroom training for ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) is done. ADSL training in layman’s lingo is simply internet training. My team mates and I underwent two weeks classroom training for us to be able to handle calls from customers having trouble with their internet. Before the training we support residential home phones and satellite televisions. We make sure to trouble shoot with customers before dispatching a tech. This is to avoid possible charges in case the trouble is on the equipment of the customer or an overlooked inside wiring issue. We work for a Canadian company, technicians charge hefty sum of one hundred dollars.

I kind of got dizzy trying to decipher all those initials and tech terminologies yet my confidence I would say is above and beyond. Some of these tech terminologies are DSLAM, HDM, DNS, IMAP, SMTP, MAC address, IP address, attenuation and many more. Not to mention the different brands of computers, operating systems, gateways and modems. I do not have a formal education in computer. Thanks to my youngest brother and his wife for pushing me to learn this machine. I was able to get the hang of the machine by learning on my own.  Now, I am a tech support for internet. Great!   

  

A Whole New World

Mid Feb this year the account I was into, announced they are closing their Manila Call Center. I felt sad for a while. It was the very first account I had, ever since I worked with a Call Center. Our office had the account for almost ten years. No one would ever thought after so many years we are going to lose the account. Luckily the company I am working for have several captive accounts. I was endorsed to other account. Passed the interview, started training 21^st of March.
 

My first account was an electric provider in the United States. I had work as a Customer Care agent for five years. A service agent, until I passed the Lead training for escalation. As a service agent I handle all types of calls. Be it an enrollment, billing and other residential electric inquiries from the customers. When the account announced they will close their Call Center in Manila. I thought maybe I would be endorsed to the account handling same customer care concern.

Pictionary

Ever tried playing the game? Try it, the whole family will enjoy. How is it played if you have not tried it yet? It is simple. Draw an image and let your team members guess your drawing. If they guessed the drawing, your team wins. You may agree with some condition on how to play the game among yourselves. Some condition could be that the other team could steal in case your team mates are unable to guess the drawing. 

Pictionary is a guessing word game by using a card. This was designed by Robert Angel and first published in 1985 by Seattle Games Inc. In the absence of the card you could agree to write on a piece of paper the object to be drawn. To make it more exciting for the players, you may agree on a particular topic. Topics could be movie titles, places, events, phrases etc.

The Busy Bee

It rained last Friday night at around seven in the evening. I guess some employees from day time work stayed late at their office for a while. It was to elude from getting wet. I went to the place I used to wait for a ride, one and a half hour earlier. It takes only fifteen minutes from same waiting area to get to the office.

Surprise! Hordes of people waiting to get a ride!!! The line was too long!

I decided not to line up with them and looked for a taxi to take me to work. Double unfortunate events, there was no taxi passing by without heads at the back or beside the driver seat. I sent text message to my team captain I will be late for my training. 1 arrived at the office an hour late. I used to stand up or asked questions to the training officer to keep myself awake. 

Cups of coffee did not work. The training concluded at seven in the morning, Saturday. We enjoyed boxes of pizza and a cake from our colleagues who celebrated their birthday during the training.