Alok Nanda’s Demonstration of Ruthlessness

Call Center. Stats or metrics are the name of the game. Unlike in a manufacturing company where the quality of the output or of a finished product speaks for a worker’s productivity level, the set-up in a call center rely mainly on the tools it created to gauge an agent’s performance. From these tools, the management relies on the numbers it reflects. There shouldn’t be any problem if that’s just the case. The thing is, these tools always require human intervention—a human mind to interpret the digits or characters they display. They call these numbers “stats” that when they are summed up, it can either make or break your career. It is in this respect that you can doubt that at some point that biases can possibly occur. These tools—I suspect—are open for abuse.

This was the case that I saw coming—but didn’t realize it could happen so soon. This manager from India who oversees our calls one night picked on me. His accusation? Poor enunciation. My calls, according to him were unpleasant. Man, if only I can find a word that will best describe his speaking skills, especially in English. He was accusing me of being poor in my language facility! Ahh, I could hardly believe it. Modesty aside, my communication skills needs some polishing I know. But my case is far better than this Indian guy! On normal days, I would take 70 calls in one shift. He based his judgment on the two calls that I handled. But for goodness sake, I am pretty sure that I took care of those calls all too well. He can’t take anything against me. I know my job and I know what I am there for.

While I understand that business process outsourcing companies have the right to set their expectations especially on matters that involve customer satisfaction, that their demands are premised on the long-term plans of seeing the businesses grow, I believe that this is our country and the people who call the shots in the government must step in to check and review if while in the pursuit of commercial interests, the employees’ welfare is also being taken care of. I mean, utmost care is accorded to call center representatives who in most locations are FILIPINOS like ME. I am in my country, in short.

Going back to my story, how does one really measure customer satisfaction? I’ve been with IBM-Daksh for quite some time now and so far I must say that it has afforded me and other employees a great working environment. But like any other institution there is no perfect place because humans form a major part of its organizational structure. I never really got to pay an eye on my company’s imperfections until this Indian employee/manager of IBM-Daksh named Alok Nanda came in.

Before we met him, we were told that he is ruthless, heartless…in the truest essence of these words. We also heard that he is just shrugging his shoulders whenever he learns about these “bad tags” about him, leaving an impression that he is proud and comfortable with his negative image.

We were somewhat incredulous about this until one night; we had our first brush with him—and his ruthlessness. One of his “angels” tipped him that one of my colleagues is being lax while on duty. But this wasn’t true. My colleague was seriously taking calls that time. As easy as snapping his fingers, Alok ordered my teammate to leave, go home and never come back. That simple that it awakened the devils in us. What if that situation happens to me? I thought. Then I recalled him saying, in one of our sessions that he can call the shots anytime. It’s like at his convenience—without any reason at all.

And things didn’t end with just one employee. Other employees just left and looked for new pastures, out of fear and pressure that they’re going to be the next targets of Alok Nanda. At MNL-32, our batch, it is quite blurry why Alok Nanda is aiming his gun on us? Maybe he has reasons that we don’t know but for sure, they’re irrational. Anything that’s without a heart is. That’s what Alok Nanda is. Ruthless. Irrational.

I remember him saying that because he’s the manager, he can do anything. He’s working within his turf. That any of our imperfections can be magnified and can be used against us. Without any warning, we can be pulled out of work. He sets his eye like an eagle—happily expecting in every call that someone gets to commit a mistake, a deviation from the prescribed stat and voila, goodbye to your job!

That night he said that my calls were unpleasant and I had poor enunciation, he sent me home. I feared for my job, not for myself. I can get one anytime but you know, I have learned to love my workplace. I wanted to challenge him to review my work performance in IBM-Daksh and maybe he will be surprised with what he’s going to find out. I never had an issue, as far as previous stats and performance are concerned. I can honestly say that. I have been good to my company, to my seniors, to my colleagues.

He finds pleasure in magnifying other people’s mistake and later working out to axe people from their jobs. That particular night, I was his target. Confident that I wasn’t walking on the wrong lane, I answered back and told him that his assumption was wrong. Maybe that set him off to steam inside. No Alok Nanda can make quit my job because I am performing well. And surely I know that there will be a next time for our face-off. I have to prepare.

Filipino’s are peace-loving, humane and intelligent. We can mingle with anyone, with all races. When not on our soil, we like to comply with rules. Strictly or religiously we do. Well I guess that is common to most people of different nationalities.

With Alok Nanda, his case is obviously different. It’s just that he doesn’t like our batch. We belong to a batch that maybe he can’t find a knack for. So many Filipinos from our batch have decided to leave because of him. He says, he is Indian. And Daksh is an Indian company that merged with IBM-Philippines for the call center business. He feels that this fact empowers him to do anything he wants to us. That as an Indian, the investment made by Daksh to country sets him to a higher level in our society. Once he said “I am investing money on you guys.”

But he forgot, he is on our soil. That’s what I want him to realize. And certainly, I will make him see that. Here, as a Filipino, we must call the shot.