It is one thing for a company to proclaim that it ‘loves’ its employees, but another thing entirely to walk the talk.

Valentine’s Day may traditionally be the time to show people how much you care, but Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) firm C3/CustomerContactChannels (C3) takes the principle of V-Day to heart by making a company culture out of it.

This “love fest” is seen the moment one enters company headquarters—posters strewn across the company walls proudly declare, “Love what you do,” “Love coming to work,” and “Love the difference.” And if that is not enough to convince a visiting client or guest, the employees themselves are the best reflection of the company’s love-centric culture. For an organization that operates mostly at nighttime, the atmosphere teems with a vibrant energy that can only come from people who genuinely enjoy what they do, respect who they work for, and thrive in their work environment.

A Culture of Positivity

For 22-year-old Keshia Faculin, a fresh college graduate, learning about C3’s core principles cinched her decision to work for the company. “C3’s culture best reflects its core values of accountability, open and honest communication, and recognition of people and community—when I saw this, I felt that this was a company that’s not all about business, but also one I can see myself growing in,” she shares.

A born-again Christian, Faculin regularly conducts bible study groups outside of work. “I disciple people and teach them how to lead their lives in a positive way, to be vibrant in spite of challenging circumstances,” she shares, adding that this aspect of her personality is something she feels her company genuinely supports. “In C3, I get to help out people with their concerns. So, aside from being of service in church, I can also do that at work. It totally coincides,” she says.

For call center supervisor Dennis Escobar, it was the fact that C3 is a growing company in the Philippines that drew him in. “It’s the hope of a new culture, a different environment,” he admits. “I didn’t like how things were handled in my previous company—they were quite rigid when it came to their employees. The call center culture I grew into was good, but people would change as they went up the ranks. With C3, the bosses here are different. They listen to you, they treat you as family, and they ask for your input before making a decision. My past company would never ask for my take on the company’s operations. Here, we have an open door policy that is neither abused nor exaggerated. I feel that what I say matters,” Escobar says.

A Caring Employer

More than being an environment that injects fun into the workplace—C3 regularly holds monthly raffle draws, sports fests, and parties to further engage its 1,800-strong workforce—what makes the company’s average attrition rate significantly lower than the industry average is the management team itself.

Comprised of call center veterans that have been in the BPO business since it started in the early 2000s, C3’s team of executives has served the industry as agents themselves who experienced firsthand the negative aspects of the sunrise industry. “Where we came from, there were so many concerns coming out and nobody would listen. The average attrition rate for most companies would be ten to fifteen percent (10 to 15%) every month. But ours is just at three to four percent (3% to 4%) attrition. That’s a very big difference. Only when you show people you care do they become better employees on the phones when they talk to their customers,” says Kevin Urrutia, Director of Operations at C3.

Since people tend to spend more waking hours working than doing anything else, work happiness plays a huge role in overall happiness. More than providing opportunities for its employees to grow and stay motivated, C3 adds depth to this principle by reaching out to its people beyond work.

When the recent heavy monsoon rains struck Metro Manila, a number of C3 employees were left stranded; some even had their homes flooded. “When the habagat (monsoon rains) came, our office was converted into a ‘relief center’ for employees and their families,” shares Escobar, adding that it further added to the family atmosphere the company wants to cultivate. “We had grandparents here, kids and even yayas (nannies). The pantry was open 24/7; there were concession areas, shower areas, etc. It was basically letting employees know that we’re all family here,” says Escobar.

Apart from providing for its employees’ needs, what really struck Escobar was the physical presence of management during the storm. “In most companies I’ve worked for, during storms, you’d never see the bosses. They’d come up and send food, and that’s it. But here in C3, all the bosses were here physically, checking up on people. When we had agents who got stuck in Pasig where it was flooded, it was the managers who drove them from their homes to C3. Our country manager even offered his house for an agent,” Escobar shares.

Indeed, it is one thing for a company to proclaim that it “loves” its employees, but another thing entirely to walk the talk. “Many of our competitors try to do it this way, but it really boils down to execution and sincerity. You can always say that so and so are your values, but if your employee feels from the very beginning that he can’t even talk to his manager, then that automatically tells him that what you’re saying is a lie,” explains Urrutia.

At the end of the day, the golden rule still holds true: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Treating people the way you would want to be treated creates more positive results. “For us, it’s all about presenting them opportunities for growth, giving them the right support and training to develop and move up, and showing them that when you work for a company, it should be the other way around—the company should be working for you,” Urrutia asserts, ending that, “it is all about transparency, open lines of communication, and living up to the company’s core values. Once employees see all that, they realize that C3 is not just all talk. It walks the talk.”

The company announced that it is actively seeking to hire over a thousand new customer service agents.

C3’s hiring surge will support clients in the telecommunications, healthcare, and social commerce industries in preparation for increased call volume through 2013 and beyond.  Although the majority of the positions are for customer service representatives, management positions are also available.

“We are looking for people with patience and enthusiasm. If you think you are that type of person, we have a great opportunity for you at C3,” said company president and COO Rick Ferry.  “Our company is growing rapidly, and each position offers opportunity for advancement.”

The company’s offices are located on four (4) levels of the building it occupies and is equipped with the latest in computers and facilities, including rooms for resting and four (4) cafeterias.

C3 also provides activities and opportunities that enable its employees to reinforce company camaraderie, as well as career advancement.  These include bazaars, vacations as rewards for accomplishments, sports fests, tree planting, museum trips with family members, financial wellness seminars, etc.

Career advancement is provided through the C3 University platform, which focuses on self and career development curricula. The free program is open to all employees regardless of their tenure. Those who are willing to attend classes in their spare time for career and skills enhancement undergo particular courses that fit the level of skill that needs to be enhanced.

The company serves the energy and utilities, financial services, healthcare and insurance, telecommunications and wireless, and travel and hospitality verticals. It offers forward-thinking customer management solutions for medium to large-sized companies in a wide-range of industries, servicing sales, performance optimization, reputation management, and end-to-end customer interaction management.

C3 is looking for applicants with prior contact center/customer service experience, but will consider candidates with customer service expertise outside of the call center. Interested parties can apply online by visiting Jobs @ Everise CX | C3