Call Closings & Other

October 2016 1st Issue

Corrections
Welcome to the original The Snitch’s Corner folks! Just when I thought that this piece of advisory would never see the light of day in a
BPO facility, well guess again. Started way back in 2004 when information bits on email blasts by one person were mostly unheard of and
forbidden in the BPO industry, The Snitch’s Corner uniquely provided weekly corrections on language and cultural errors. To kick things
off today, we’ll be tackling a series of mistakes usually committed in business outsourcing.

1. “Before I let you go, Mr. Smith, would you like to do a survey?”
Unless they’re still enamored with the pop ballad song by the local band Freestyle back in 1998, I’m not really
sure how this casual phrase stuck with Filipino CSRs in business calls. All I know is that the phrase is not
business-like and is unfamiliarly ambiguous with Americans. The proper phrase is “Before we end this call, Mr.
Smith, we’d love to hear your feedback - would you like to do a quick survey?”
2. Actually and Basically (pronunciation: akchuli / beysikli)
Most Filipino agents already have these unconsciously delirious fillers stuck in their conversational skills
because of a) wanting to sound good by trying to sound intellectual or, b) imitating people who wanted to
sound intellectual. Honestly, this is serious trouble. These are considered unnecessary words and will make
you sound the other way around. Please do not annoy your American customers - get rid of your fillers.
3. Mr. or Ms. (First Name) e.g., Ms. Jenny, Mr. George…
Obviously, this Filipino speaking practice is very cultural and you’ll hear it much in and around the country.
However cultural – it is never right. You’ll only make this mistake if you’re not conscious of what you’re saying.
Ask yourself: just how difficult is it to use titles with last names? Again, do not annoy your American
customers. Be conscious when you speak; use titles with last names.
- To be continued

GLOBAL LEARNING SERVICES TEAM Marc Adriano

Communications Excellence Lead
 Phrasal Prepositions &
October 2016 2nd Issue

Other Common Mistakes

Welcome to the 2nd issue of The Snitch’s Corner folks! Today, we’ll cover some common vocabulary and grammatical challenges for
Filipino CSRs. I hope these corrections or suggestions will be helpful in your quest for more English language learning. 

1. “With regard to, In regard to, As regards to” – don’t bother.

Believe me, this confusion has plagued Filipino CSRs since the dawn of the contact center industry, especially
on the issue of whether to put the “S” or not. You see, these are all considered standard compound
prepositions (or phrasal prepositions) in old school English grammar and it’s a challenge for Filipinos as
accurate prepositions are somewhat non-existent in the Filipino cultural mindset. For the lost and the restless, I
urge you to use any of the more practical words like about, regarding, or concerning.

2. “By the way”

This has been a challenge for our local contact agents whenever they’re engaged in conversational English with
their English-speaking customers. The phrase means incidentally (or used to introduce a minor or new topic
not connected with what was being spoken about previously). Example: “Thanks for your assistance in
registering me online for my blue Walmart Moneycard. By the way, does GreenDot have other cards to
offer?” If you need to talk about something that’s not a new topic or subject, use anyway.

3. Refrain from ending your statement with “this one” “that one” “those, this, that...”
This practice of Filipinos to casually end their statements or to refer to something as “this/that one” or simply
“this, that, or those...” is so cultural that it usually blows off the minds of Westerners (especially the Americans
who were raised to be fact-oriented and specific on things). The solution is for Filipinos to change their
mindset. Be specific and concrete with what you’re talking about at all times. Don’t be ambiguous, please.

See you next week for another issue, folks!

GLOBAL LEARNING SERVICES TEAM Marc Adriano

Communications Excellence Lead
 Three Auxiliary Verbs &
November 2016 3rd Issue
A Preposition
Welcome to the 3rd issue of The Snitch’s Corner folks! This week, we cover common vocabulary and grammatical opportunities for
Filipino agents. This material aims to help you in your quest for more English language learning. 

1. “I do apologize for the inconvenience...”

Honestly, I’m clueless as to how the Filipino agent became so attached to this particular statement that it
became a cliché to the average American customer. First, the word “apologize” is already a verb, it becomes
exaggerated to add another unnecessary verb “do.” Second, the “do apologize” combination is a bureaucratic-
sounding phrase best avoided in any genuine apology - the auxiliary verb “do” distances the speaker from the
listener. Why can’t we just say “I apologize...” or “My apologies...” or “I’m sorry...” to effect a sincere empathy?
2. “When you withdraw from an/the ATM...”
Filipinos have always found it difficult (most of the time – clueless) determining or using correct prepositions.
In this case for GreenDot agents, one of the most common card scenarios in calls involve ATM withdrawals. If
you’ll be using the verb withdraw in your statement, please make sure that the next word that follows is the
preposition from. (Never make the mistake of adding the word machine after ATM, that would be silly.)

3. “...but what verb follows Did, Does, Do?”

Filipino agents, usually those who never attended their
English 101 classes, forget to use the correct verb tense after
the auxiliary verbs Did, Does, Do. Make sure only present
tense action words follow these emphasized verbs. To
elaborate the usage, please refer to the table:

...to be continued, folks!

GLOBAL LEARNING SERVICES TEAM Marc Adriano

Communications Excellence Lead
 More Issues on Prepositions
November 2016 4th Issue
& Pronoun Use
My apologies as this issue comes a bit late, but it’s better late than never, right? Today, we’ll cover some of the usual vocabulary and
grammatical challenges for most Filipino CSRs. This material hopes to be helpful in your quest for more English language learning. 

1. “Thank you for _?_ informations.”

Aside from TIP, try visiting all other BPO companies in the whole industry and for sure, you’ll hear agents and
supervisors utter this familiar line as a response to customers on calls.
Fact #1: “informations” is wrong , it should NEVER be pluralized (it’s a collective, mass, or uncountable noun)
Fact #2: agents mistake choosing either This, That, Those, or These – of which, the correct use is “the.”
Here’s my advice: just say THANK YOU. Simple, easy, correct, and courteous - zero confusion for any customer.

2. Sole Preposition for “Deducted, Debited, Credited”

Mostly, these financial words are used in Green Dot calls. What follows must and only be the right preposition:
deducted from, debited from, and credited to. Don’t use other prepositions - I beg you, please.
3. Be careful with “your / you’re” and “their, they’re, there.”
You want the truth? (You can’t handle the truth!) Well, the truth is – they should sound the same. However, these
pronouns mean very different things and it’s now up to the agent to use the words in their proper context.
Make sure that your statements reflect the correct situational use for these words. Ask me for more details.

4. Asking for the “email” and the ever “will – going” redundancy usage...
For the sake of clarity and completeness, ladies and gentlemen, please ask for the “email address” and not just
“email;” never assume that Americans are clairvoyants or psychics. Also, please don’t use “will” and “going”
together – either use “I will go to the ATM...” or “I’m going to the ATM” but NEVER: “I will going to the ATM.”
See you next week for another issue, folks!

GLOBAL LEARNING EXCELLENCE SERVICES Marc Adriano

Communications Excellence Lead
 Language Issues As Usual...
June 2017 5th Issue

1. “Kindly” and “Please” - which politeness is correct?

In this case, I’ll let the facts speak for themselves since culture has much to do about the contextual correctness
of the words’ usage, especially in business, which most Filipinos are oblivious about. Please see below:
Usage of “kindly” in the general Global English context (includes American and British):
 it implies a polite instruction, rather than polite request; therefore, it is expected to be obeyed
 it is usually used by a person of authority
 the formality also implies that the person may be irritated, exasperated, or impatient;
 since it is considered in the present era as a formality, it is therefore dismissed as an old-fashioned and
antiquated usage
 The last time kindly was used as common as please, it was 1910. As of millennium 2000, "please" has
become the culturally and grammatically accepted use in all contexts. Thanks to American shows like
Sesame Street in the 1970s and Barney in the 1990s (watch Barney’s Please and Thank you on YouTube).
 Oh, and please DON’T use please and kindly in one phrase or in one sentence – you’ll confuse your CHs.
Since we are a business that serve Americans, what do you think we should use? Your guess should be as good
as mine. So, use please as much as you can with Americans, especially when they give you information.

See you next issue, folks!

GLOBAL LEARNING EXCELLENCE SERVICES Marc Adriano

Communications Excellence Lead
 Language Issues As Usual...
January 2018 6th Issue

(continued)

2. “Would” and “Will” - what will you use?

Obviously, our business in GreenDot involves real time transactions that usually pertain to certainty – not
hypothetical or conditional circumstances. So, if you request your CH for information, you should use Could
you please.. and not Would you please. If it is certain that you’ll make a callback, tell your CH that “I will give
you a callback,” (not would). To be safe in every call, use will, not would, to let your CH know of your
commitment, firmness, and certainty (you should be lucky you’re not using “shall” anymore).

3. “Thank you for patiently waiting.”

As of this writing, this familiar statement has already become an epidemic in TIP. What I don’t understand is
the force of habit of this particular response being used by Filipino agents. Here are some thoughts on why
you should stop using it:
• It is redundant and wordy – you value your AHT, right? Observe brevity and stay on point.
• In American culture, the correct statements should be: “Thank you for your patience.” or “Thank you for
waiting.” But, NEVER together in one sentence (patiently waiting).
• As a standard in the customer service industry, the proper response should be “Thank you for holding” (or
Thanks for holding).
• If you want to apologize for the long wait, use: “Sorry / My apologies for the long hold.”

See you next issue, folks!

GLOBAL LEARNING EXCELLENCE SERVICES Marc Adriano

Communications Excellence Lead