UP graduates share their Teleperformance story of success

Manila, Philippines—August 2, 2016 – Teleperformance, the world’s leading provider of outsourced omnichannel customer experience management services, congratulates two of its employees, who recently graduated at the University of the Philippines, Diliman.

It is the dream of many Filipino parents to see their children graduate from college. This is not easy, as sending their brood to college is quite an investment. However, financial difficulty did not stop Karla Gonzales, 22, from reaching her dream of attaining a Civil Engineering degree at one of the country’s top universities.

Growing up in a single-parent household, Karla had to help her mom sell vegetables in their small stall in a public market in Parañaque City. This is how her love of math began, as she was mainly in charge of the cash register, doing inventory and packaging their produce for retail.

Karla always excelled in her studies. As a scholar, she graduated 2nd Honorable Mention from St. Andrews School Parañaque. She was also proclaimed as the Andrean of the Year—an award given to the most outstanding student of the school.

Karla admits going through difficult times, as challenges came one after another. When college came, Karla knew what she needed to do—find work to support her family and her schooling at the same time. “I learned from a friend that Teleperformance in Ayala, Makati had an account that caters to students working part time. I applied and immediately got accepted,” tells Karla.

“I was the youngest employee in that account and my supervisor and colleagues at Teleperformance were all very supportive of me. At first, it was difficult to adjust to having two roles, but my supervisors gave me a work shift that suits my class schedule. Together, we made it work!” Karla adds.

Full of determination, she took on each challenge and excelled in them—completing school projects, acing exams while maintaining excellent performance at Teleperformance, even qualifying for her monthly performance incentive and being “valedictorian” of her batch during the training period.

This may sound easy but Karla says it’s far from it. There were times when she wanted to transfer to another school much closer to home. However, her tenacity prevailed. “There was just too much hope and determination in me to finish what I’ve started.”

Karla also explained that her exposure to international clients and corporate setting at Teleperformance taught her to be more patient and confident. “I was able to greatly enhance my communication skills, people skills, and work etiquette,” Karla says.

A story that closely resembles Karla’s is that of Mark Gil Cato, 22, who also recently graduated from UP with a degree in Business Administration.

Having seven children, Mark’s parents struggled to make ends meet. As the eldest child, Mark knew that he needed to succeed to lift his family out of poverty.

When Mark learned he passed his UP college entrance test, he was excited. It dawned on him, however, that college could be difficult especially if financial resources are limited. His dad was a store keeper at the Mandarin Oriental, which closed down in 2014, while his mom did laundry jobs for neighbors.

Mark shares, “I envied my classmates who are born into wealthy families. I saw my parents skip meals so we could eat. I felt their challenges to stretch the limited income and look for people from whom they could borrow money.”

Like Karla, Mark saw an employment opportunity at Teleperformance Ayala. As an 18-year-old, he was hesitant to apply. Nevertheless, he took on the challenge and was hired as a customer service representative for an American account.

“I met various trials at the onset, like in ‘nesting’ (supervised live call) and being re-profiled for another account. I eventually selected a full-time dayshift account and made sure to excel the second time around. My greatest achievement was when I hit my goals while helping my co-workers reach their own targets. During my stay at Teleperformance, I met several wonderful people who taught me things I needed to know about life that aren’t taught in school.”

Mark says that even his classmates in UP noticed that his communication skills improved a lot, especially during class presentation and recitation. He also admits to being more confident after being exposed to the corporate setting. He claims that although the job may be challenging, he was able to harness his problem-solving skills and now has a strong customer service mindset—something that is very important in any business.

Mark even convinced his sister, Prame, to work at Teleperformance. Both of them now serve as the breadwinner of their family, setting the right example to their younger siblings.

Today, Karla and Mark hope to be sources of inspiration to fellow young Filipinos. “Always look for the right opportunities, stay positive, fight for your dreams and never give up!” Karla shares. “Never lose hope. Whatever it is you are going through, you’ll be surprised at what you can achieve if you just hold on to your dreams,” Mark adds.

Karla and Mark are the first in their family to earn their college degrees. Both UP graduates, breadwinners and proud to have been part of Teleperformance Philippines.

Rachel Cacabelos, Teleperformance Philippines vice president for human resource, salutes Karla and Mark. “You are the definition of hard work, talent and courage. Your enthusiasm to succeed in life will surely inspire thousands of young people like you to reach for their dreams. Teleperformance is very proud of you,” says Cacabelos.

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ABOUT TELEPERFORMANCE

Teleperformance, the worldwide leader in outsourced omnichannel customer experience management, serves companies around the world with customer care, technical support, customer acquisition and debt collection programs. In 2015, it reported consolidated revenue of €3.4 billion ($3.7 billion, based on €1 = $1.11).

The Teleperformance Group operates 147,000 computerized workstations, with close to 190,000 employees across 311 contact centers in 65 countries and serving more than 160 markets. It manages programs in 75 languages and dialects on behalf of major international companies operating in a wide variety of industries.

Teleperformance shares are traded on the Euronext Paris market, Compartment A, and are eligible for the deferred settlement service. They are included in the following indices: STOXX 600, SBF 120, Next 150, CAC Mid 60 and CAC Support Services. They also have been included in the Euronext Vigeo Eurozone 120 index since December 2015, with regard of the Group’s performance in corporate responsibility.

Teleperformance began operations in the Philippines in 1996 and has grown to become a preferred offshore contact center outsourcing option. The company employs over 40,000 people in the country and operates more than 29,600 workstations in 17 business sites located across Metro Manila, Antipolo, Baguio, Bacolod, Cebu, and Davao.

From 2012 to 2015, Teleperformance received the Frost & Sullivan Asia Pacific Contact Center Outsourcing Service Provider of the Year Award for its significant performance in revenue management, market share, capabilities, and overall contribution to the contact center industry. In addition, Teleperformance received the AON Hewitt certification as 2014 Best Employer in the Philippines.

This 2016, Teleperformance marks its 20th year of continued excellence and leadership in the Philippines. This milestone highlights the company’s commitment to steadily provide the best employment experience for Filipinos, proactively support the nation’s ICT-BPO sector, and uphold its socio-civic engagements to create a difference in the lives of the Philippine community.

For further information, please visit the Teleperformance website at www.teleperformance.ph or like the Teleperformance Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/teleperformance.philippines

Karla Gonzales and Mark Gil Cato tell their success story as they balance their college studies at U.P. Diliman while excelling as customer service representatives at Teleperformance Philippines