Blind get shot at call centers

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has initiated efforts to make call center technology accessible to the visually impaired with the help of a software company and a management consulting firm.

Five members of the Philippine Blind Union and Resources for the Blind Inc. last week participated in the DSWD’s “Call Center Training for Persons with Visual Impairment” workshop at the department’s Knowledge Exchange Center.

The skills training project, conducted in partnership with Noda Software Philippines Inc. and People Sparx Inc., taught participants customer service, data entry, phone listening, verbal communication, building relationships, problem solving and multitasking.

Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman lauded the five trainees for successfully completing the training, saying they did not allow their disability to be a barrier to achieving their goals.

The DSWD is planning to partner with the Department of Labor and Employment and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority for the implementation of the program.

“I envision in the long run that because of the success of the skills training project, this will be cascaded to the DSWD’s 16 field offices so we can accommodate visually impaired individuals at the grassroots level,” Soliman said.

Noda, a leading developer of software solutions for call centers, provided the computer software for the training, while People Sparx, a management consulting firm, trained the participants in English proficiency.

“We are in the process of talking to companies that need call center agents or customer representatives. We will make sure they will be employed after the training,” said Noda manager Jess Gaerlan.–Julie M. Aurelio