Another face of globalization
On Friday I got to visit PCCI which, if I understood correctly, is the largest calling center in Africa. It's employees include 1,400 of the best and the brightest of Dakar. Inside the building is considered for all intents and purposes to be Paris. They operate on French time. When they call they take a French name and a Paris number shows on the caller ID.
The supervisor who showed us around hid nothing from us so much so that I wondered if it was really important that we hear about all the painstaking details of the computer system they use to enter their contracts. Some of it was very interesting though. For instance, all telemarketers are divided into teams and the teams are displayed along with member names and how many sales each has made. Bonuses in the form of DVDs and other gifts are an additional incentive to perform well.
In addition to telemarketing they provide technical support to cellphone owners and they can give driving directions for cities that they may have never visited. According to those who showed us around it has been a wild success and the next move is to expand into the US and Canadian markets. So who knows? The next time you get a call from a telemarketer it could be Bouboucar Guèye in Dakar.
The supervisor who showed us around hid nothing from us so much so that I wondered if it was really important that we hear about all the painstaking details of the computer system they use to enter their contracts. Some of it was very interesting though. For instance, all telemarketers are divided into teams and the teams are displayed along with member names and how many sales each has made. Bonuses in the form of DVDs and other gifts are an additional incentive to perform well.
In addition to telemarketing they provide technical support to cellphone owners and they can give driving directions for cities that they may have never visited. According to those who showed us around it has been a wild success and the next move is to expand into the US and Canadian markets. So who knows? The next time you get a call from a telemarketer it could be Bouboucar Guèye in Dakar.