Author Archives: 123outsource

Do your employees get distracted surfing the web?

January 4, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Leadership | Leave a comment

It is common for employees to become distracted. There are many forms of distraction at home and in the office. Social media and web surfing in general are two of the most common forms of distractions. But, if you work in an office with many people mulling around, that can be distracting as well. Hard workers can get distracted by their email account as they often want to keep it up to date every five minutes.

Offices vs. Working From Home
If you are trying to focus on getting work done, it is better to be isolated from any people, animals or other distractions. But, most offices are not designed for this. Working in an office makes it easier to get coaching from others, work on group projects or attend meetings. Working in isolation makes it easier to focus on getting work done. I personally work from home and I get a lot more work done than most others. This is true partly because I work with a sense of purpose, but also because I have developed patterns for efficiency over the years.

Managing Distractions
As a manager, it might be a good idea to restrict the use of the internet at work. If it were possible to cut people off the web, that would be one solution. Another solution is to tell them that they are forbidden from using the web for anything other than job assignments. It might be good to monitor people’s computers to see what sites they are visiting on the web as well. However, there is a unique twist you are not thinking of.

Lunch Breaks Decrease Distracted Working
Workers who work too long without taking proper breaks tend to become mentally agitated. Their circulation will be deficient if they don’t walk around much. They might also be hungry if they work too much without eating. But, their minds will experience what Buddhists call “Monkey Mind” after a while as well. Having a lunch break, having a change of scenery, or socializing can decrease distractions. But, having a lunch break is also a great opportunity to catch up on personal emails, Facebook, and other social media. If workers can get the internet out of their system during a generous lunch break, they might function a lot better throughout the day!

Summary
Personally, I would not allow a worker to surf the web during work time because they might get very distracted and the efficiency of their work could really suffer. However, reading an article during a break might make sense. It is more sensible to get your eyes off the computer screen and take a walk. We spend far too much time in front of computers and it is really bad for our eyes, neck, shoulders, and overall circulation!

It’s those little quirky things you say on social media.

January 4, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Social Media | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Many of us social media, and we all use it our own way. Twitter wants us to interact in meaningful ways. They would like Twitter to replace the telephone one day. Of course that will never happen because Facebook has already replaced the telephone, email, and mental telepathy. But, if you want to get more followers on Twitter, you have to please the Twitter gods. They like it when you interact.

Most people write incomplete opinions or one word replies to photos or articles. The key to using Twitter effectively is gaining people’s attention and getting them to like, retweet or comment on your comment. So, what are the secrets.

1. Provide a context in your comment. Sometimes those reading your feed will have no idea what you are talking about unless they click on the original post. That is why it sometimes pay to write a:

RE: Thais in #space
Do they have #Thai massage up there? Make sure the massage #oil doesn’t float around!
#ttot #travel

2. The RE: helps people understand the context, so they will understand the meaning behind your comment or joke. But, it helps to be quirky or funny. You will gain more on Twitter by being selective about what you comment on. Wait for some post that you really have something meaningful to say. And work at your response. You might go through a few versions of a possible response until you find one that fits and is catchy.

3. Tags help your comment get seen on feeds. If you use some popular and contextually relevant tags, you could double or triple the quantity of people who will see your comment.

If your comments get good interactions, Twitter will introduce more followers to you. So, it pays to be thoughtful, interesting and quirky. Sometimes dumb questions that are so dumb that they are funny do the trick.

RE: Mushrooms known to cure cancer
I had a mushroom w/a friend yesterday. Does that mean I won’t get cancer?

Comments that are so dumb, that they are funny can be very popular with Americans. After all, the movie Dumb and Dumber(er) did well here. So, will your lame jokes, especially if you use the tag #lamejoke. So, good luck on Twitter, and may the Twitter gods be with you!

It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a Call Center!

January 3, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Humor | Leave a comment

PASSENGER: Hello? Hi, I need some snacks over here in h-1

AGENT: H-1, isn’t that a type of visa?

PASSENGER: For you maybe, but for me it’s my seat number. I’m kinda thirsty here.

AGENT: For root beer press 1, for ginger ale press 2, for coke press 3, for Pepsi press 4, for lemonade press 5, and for liquor press 6.

PASSENGER: They always wait till the last digit for the most relevant information. Gee, I thought I was talking to a live person. Tell you what. Skip the booze. Make it 3 for coke.

AGENT: Sorry, but we’re temporarily out of Coke.

PASSENGER: Okay, then 1, I’m in a root beer type of a mood.

AGENT: Okay, your root beer will be delivered to you in approximately…. oh, please hold.

(5 minutes later)

PASSENGER: Where’s my root beer? I’m completely dehydrated here.

AGENT: Sorry about that. I’ll need your 16 digit credit card number to purchase this transaction. Due to budget cuts, we’re only giving away Coke for free — and yes, that’s the one thing we are out of.

PASSENGER: Okay, I’m desperate. Now, what about movies?

AGENT: We have a choice of movies tonight. But, would you like to book your ground transportation? We can bring a printout for you and you can use it to get a cab at the airport without waiting and yes — without being put on hold.

PASSENGER: You are speaking my language. I’ll order a cab right now.

AGENT: Okay, I’ll get you a cab from LAX to your address in Century City. Will that be okay sir?

PASSENGER: Super.

AGENT: There’s just one thing

PASSENGER: Not the thing where you put me on hold again?

AGENT: You are really psychic.

SARAH: (ring ring) Hi, I’d like to know who the guy is in H-1.

AGENT: His name is Roger and he’s very thirsty.

SARAH: Well, is he cute?

AGENT: I’m a guy, but I’m gay, and I would say that he’s semi-cute.

SARAH: Well, like what’s his number?

AGENT: I can arrange for you to meet him, but I can’t disclose his personal information any more than his name.

SARAH: I meant on a scale of one to ten.

AGENT: 6. And if I wasn’t gay… 5.

SARAH: Oh, and Where are you located?

AGENT: Sorry, I can’t disclose that.

SARAH: Really, I just heard the captain’s announcement on your end of the phone. Are you on the same plane as us?

AGENT: Oh, well, we’re not in India any more… so, I guess I can disclose my location. I’m just west of Los Angeles, near the Santa Monica Pier… okay, now more closer to Malibu.

SARAH: You’re funny. So ask Roger if he wants to meet me.

AGENT: Got it… (ring ring) Hi Roger. Sorry about putting you on hold for a second time. That is kind of our trademark over here. If you want to meet a foxy blonde press 1, if not then press 2, if you’re not sure then press 3.

PASSENGER: You’re not all out of foxy blondes, are you?

AGENT: No. Just Cokes.

PASSENGER: Okay, why not? While I’m waiting for my root beer I might as well. “1”

AGENT: If you want the foxy blonde to come to your seat press 1, if you want to go to her seat press 2.

PASSENGER: Okay, 2.

AGENT: Disclaimer: if your root beer arrives while you’re out of your seat, it might have to be returned.

PASSENGER: Just deliver a note to the girl’s seat number for “Roger.” Now, what’s her seat number?

AGENT: To learn the girl’s seat number press 1, and then enter your credit card information again.

PASSENGER: You guys are such opportunists!

AGENT: Yeah, but it sure beats Match.com — and is so much faster too. But just like Match, when I ask you about how your relationship is going, you can say that it’s all up in the air.

PASSENGER: Good point… oh here’s my root beer. Okay, here’s my credit information — again.

AGENT: Now you’re ready to visit your new girlfriend in Q3 — an aisle seat. Oh, one more thing.

PASSENGER: Let me guess, you’re going to try to get me to use my credit card for a 3rd time to buy her a drink?

AGENT: Not exactly, but I like the way you think. We were going to try to sell you a pass to the express bathroom after you finish your drink. There’s is a really long line for the regular bathroom and the captain is about to turn on the fasten your seatbelt sign.

PASSENGER: Okay, this is getting to be the point where I hang up on you, but first let me see if I like the girl.

AGENT: One last thing. If you do want the pass to the bathroom, for number one, press 1.

I asked the spirit of Steve Jobs for business advice & this is what he told me!

January 3, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Tagged | Leave a comment

I run several small web directories. It is not so similar to what Steve Jobs was involved with, but it involves automization and computers which is Steve Jobs’ passion. My psychic has no trouble communicating with departed spirits. We do this regularly, and there is nothing creepy about it. Normally we communicate with my guru(s), but this time I wanted to pursue a dream of mine. I read an article about entrepreneurs having a board of directors just like large corporations did. I thought this was an interesting idea, but didn’t know how to go about it. Getting a bunch of fancy experts in a room together was not only cost prohibitive, but impossible. But, then an idea dawned on me. Why not make a list of departed business geniouses and tap into their consciousness? We did not only that, but we also tapped into the consciousness of living people like Donald Trump and even the collective consciousness of Google which was really interesting. So, yes this really happened, and no, I’m not making this all up. Here is what Steve Jobs recommended to me:

(1) Do most of my work myself
I was shocked. I thought he would instruct me to delegate like most other business geniouses would. But, this was not his idea. He wanted me to automize my business to the point that I could run the whole thing with one hand tied behind my back. With programmers being the unpredictable and undependable types they are, I told him that on my budget it is hard to control these guys. But, I will try because Steve has a solid idea.

(2) Outsource to the Philippines
Steve liked the idea of outsourcing phone tasks to the Philippines. He liked using online chat and online forms instead of using a phone. In fact he recommended that I don’t use a phone at all for my business. I explained that we already had a lot of automation and that my customers preferred the personal touch more than half the time. But, Steve thinks the way he thinks based on what he thinks is cool. Perhaps I could train my customers into using purely online systems with a little coaching!

(3) Hiring help
Steve said that the type of people I’m hiring now are not disciplined enough. I need people who are smarter, more committed, and harder working with good communication skills. I’m not sure I can get all this on my budget, but it doesn’t hurt to shop around.

(4) Pricing
Finally, Steve Jobs said that I needed to raise my minimum prices for services. I agreed that my prices were too cheap, but his minimum price idea was not far from where we are now, so it all seemed very reasonable.

(5) Parting Advice
The most interesting thing he mentioned was that he wanted me to learn programming myself. I am not a technically minded person. But, knowing about coding might help dealing with the programmers. He also wanted me to read about great leaders in history going back to the 1500’s which sounded amazing. I think I’ll read about Thomas Jefferson, Macchiavelli, and Donald Trump as they are all very interesting to me.

Communicating with the spirit of Steve Jobs was very interesting. Since I can sense spirits, I saw how focused and intense Steve was and I liked that. He actually came to my room after my session with the psychic was over to stare at my computer screen and see exactly what it was that I did all day long. He only stayed for a few minutes, but it is flattering that a great spirit would take so much interesting in little old me! I think my session with Steve was very interesting. His answers were completely unexpected (other than the obsession with automization) and I am so happy that he spent a little time with me today! As it is my goal to have a real board of really smart people, I will continue to channel information from other brilliant individuals and organizations to see which strategies are popular across the board and to get some diversity in opinions. Each of the entities we asked through my medium gave very different advice and very unique tips which made me very happy and a little confused too!

We all like to think of ourselves as fair, but are we really?

January 3, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Leave a comment

I sat in the court-room thinking that I would be a fair juror on the trial only to be asked to leave. What a relief! I didn’t want to be trapped for nine days on Jury duty anyway. But, would I have been completely fair, or not? After all, the defense Attorney pointed out that I had had many bad experiences with cops. Was I unconsciously biased?

But, how do our biases affect us in the work place? Are we biased against people because of how they talk, behave, their educational level, or their race? The answer is that we are all biased. Even if we try to be even-handed and fair. How many of us are really fair? And does the fact that we feel that others may not be fair to us affect how we treat them?

How do we detect our own inner biases and how do we fix them? When hiring, you might see some resumes and have some interviews with applicants. The problem is that if any of the applicants remind you of people you have hired in the past, you will be sure to judge them based on those other people. Is that really fair? On the other hand behavioral recognition is important. If you spot a behavioral trait that can lead to disaster, your bias might come in handy.

How can you condition yourself to see past the personalities, the races, and the genders? Is there a way to have more performance based assessment of people? Or perhaps that is once again wrong. Maybe our biases are our subconscious’ secret way of guiding us to success and avoiding threats and problems.

In the end, I would say that compatibility is the most important aspect of hiring. Putting aside how good people are at their work, if they don’t get along with their boss and coworkers, it is all in vein. Becoming an expert at compatibility seems to me to be the most important aspect of hiring, and perhaps your biases might help you in this respect if you ask yourself the right questions.

Would I want to be stuck on a four hour car ride with this person?
If the answer is yes, then you might be able to endure some tough situations that arise in the work place and have a relationship that lasts!

The Fedex Kinko’s Outsourcing Nightmare

January 2, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Outsourcing Articles | Leave a comment

Okay, this nightmare was not so bad, and Kinko’s was very nice about fixing the problem. My issue is how this problem happened in the first place.

I am a regular client of Kinko’s for book publishing. I like the way they can do a fast publication of 100 or so copies of my course that I sell. They give me a very attractive vinal backing and spiral binding with a clear cover. My customers like it and it gets the job done cleanly. I have been using Kinko’s for decades, and they have been my book publisher for about five years not without issue until quite recently.

I dropped of an order for my book. They got the specifications, did a scan of the materials and gave me a price. Unfortunately, they did not scan the back of the 58 pages in my original. So, they published 70 books that had page 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, etc. Every other page was skipped. I can understand that all of us make mistakes from time to time. But, how is it possible not to check your work before you send it to your outsourced printer? And how is it possible that your outsourced printer would do $700 of work without double checking to see if any pages are missing, let along half of the pages. Yikes! You don’t need a PhD in printing to figure this one out. I was also not given a chance to check their proof. I didn’t think it was critical as they had never blundered before. I thought I was dealing with professionals here.

In any case, I had to go back a second time to give them the original again. This time they gave me four proofs which were all correct. They will have the 70 copies done by tomorrow and shipped to their location by 10am. I also got 30% off. So, I am not too upset. But, seriously, a one minute double check of the work would have saved Kinko’s $500 in damages! How do they train their people I ask?

The other issue I have with Kinko’s is that they are always understaffed or tightly staffed. The problem with being short-staffed is that there is less slack time to double check work, get proofs out, and get work done on the spot. It would be easier for me if they could do the job in house and just let me come back after a few hours to pick up the work. Nobody does it this way, but that is the easiest for the client. The other problem is that you generally have to stand in line and wait for 5-20 minutes per order. If they had more staff, there would be less waiting, faster output, and fewer mistakes. Oh well. They are not a bad company by any standard, but they could be better in my opinion. More training, more staff, and more double-checking. These are the same criticisms I make about everyone including my own company!

The man who thought small

January 2, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Motivation, Success | Leave a comment

He thought about pennies & ended up with pennies
I once knew a man who thought small. He is quite intelligent, more than most with a technical degree and excellent mathematical skills. He was very strong in certain types of thinking, but had a serious imbalance as he couldn’t function with other types of thinking which were less “logical.” He thought about calculating everything in a world where nothing is certain. He thought about pennies when he should have been thinking about dollars.

He lost his fortune
Despite a successful lifelong career in hi-tech, this person retired with pennies. After he sold his house, he had a fair amount of money. But, the money was spent on living expenses and post-career educational expenses which in my mind is not a good investment. Education can be the most worthwhile pursuit as it is a key to a good career if you do well in school. However, the expense of school doesn’t make sense if you are at the end of your career.

What you think about you get
This person watched pennies his entire life, and then blew a lot of his fortune at the end of his life. The moral of the story is that he thought about pennies and ended up with pennies. Most gurus in India will tell you that what you think about you become. I thing about business all day long and have since childhood. I became a business person with a lively business. Others think about girls all day long and end up with multiple girlfriends.

Your brain is limited
In this world, our minds can only accommodate a finite amount of thoughts which we can successfully act upon. Some people can get more done in a 24 hour period than others. If you are penny foolish, you might lose a lot of money which you can’t afford. So, if you are broke, then spend a certain amount of time thinking about pennies so you stay afloat, but don’t spent all of your time thinking small. Devote a percentage of your brain cells to thinking bigger, otherwise you are guaranteed to end up with only pennies.

Even successful people can get dragged down into thinking small.
I have done well with my business and have good savings. But, when I get a chargeback I get upset. In the long run the charge back is not going to hurt me. It is a small amount of money. But, I feel cheated which is what ticks me off. Additionally, I hate paying for parking. I will spend $50 on dinner without flinching. But, paying $8 parking seems like a rip off. In this respect I think very small. I would rather walk ten blocks and get my shoes dirty than pay a valet.

Summary
Don’t be penny or pound foolish. I just got an email from someone who wanted to tell me I owed $81.47 instead of $84. He sent me ten emails on the topic. I told him that I appreciate his contributions, but I don’t have time for this nonsense. I have other things to take care of. Sure, I care about $2, but the ten minutes I lost looking at all of his nitpicky emails cost me $10 in lost production not to mention a headache which I can’t stand. If you never see the big picture, you will never become part of the big picture. Count your pennies, but mind your dollars first!

How long will your reputation last if you don’t do what you say you’ll do?

January 2, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Marketing | Leave a comment

Most of us reading this blog are in business. We are all aware of how annoying or exasperating it is to work with someone who doesn’t do what they say they will do. It is so basic and so elementary to know that you should keep your word. Yet many of us in business don’t for one reason or the other. Some are too busy to do what they promised. Others forget or just don’t care. Some are frauds and intentionally don’t deliver on promises.

This applies to threats too. If you run a business and have rules for conduct and someone breaks the rules, do you keep your promise to penalize them? If someone pays you late and you have a $25 late fee do you wave the late fee? If you do, nobody will take your policy seriously. I run a directory and threaten to take people offline if they don’t login regularly. I keep my threat now, but I didn’t use to. The minute I kept my promise, people started logging in religiously.

It is busy running a business, and sometimes we forget about very basic things like keeping in touch with critical people and keeping our promises all the time every time. If you don’t, people will lose faith in you and then you will not have a business for long!

If Google ran a hotel, what would it be like?

January 2, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Tagged | Leave a comment

If Google ran a hotel, I can picture people parking in a faraway parking lot and being shuttled in some futuristic type of a shuttle through a long expanse of grass, unusual trees, and bizarre animals. There would be indescribable technical appraratus beside the road that nobody would be able to make sense of. It would be like being on an alien planet without leaving planet earth — perhaps.

Advanced Check In
When you got to the hotel instead of regular check in, I can imagine that guests might swipe their credit card and scan their ID. Then, a choice of rooms would be visable from a computer screen, and you could choose rooms and get your smart-key. Upon arrival at your futuristic room, you would then choose your breakfast from yet another virtual computer screen that uses touch technology. Do you want bacon, eggs, granola, or yoplait? There might be many choices, and you could also choose the delivery time.

Virtual Systems in the Rooms
It would not surprise me if the beds were also computerized for softness preference. Rooms would probably have high speed wi-fi, but there might be an amazing business center on the main floor too with huge screen computers that run really fast. As a convenience, yet another virtual system would be there to help you choose activities, restaurants, and map them. Perhaps the instructions could be downloaded onto your i-phone in three seconds or less as well.

Room Service
Many hotels have you put your glasses and plates outside your door when you are done. This is dangerous and unsightly as people might trip on them. I get Google would have a small indentation in the wall for two feet where you could put your trays and then close a cabinet door. The staff would be electonically notified that there are contents in your cabinet. And at check out time, the staff wouldn’t knock on the door until a computer system had been notified that you have left. Perhaps the door would input a record that it had been closed with aheat sensor to verify that you were actually outside the door when you closed it. Or perhaps the front desk would have a place where you could swipe your card one last time to get a printout of your receipt upon leaving. Many hotels put a receipt under the door the night before guests leave, so at express check out, perhaps the only printout would be an acknowledgment of departure. In either case, the entire procedure would be very streamlined and smart!

Other Features
Since noise and smoking are such a problem at many hotels, I’m sure a Google hotel would have sensors to immediately detect if someone had been bad by lighting up a cigarette. Additionally, if people were slamming doors or talking too loudly in the hall, noise sensors would be programmed to alert the front desk. Day time noise limits would be a little more flexible than at night, but there would be strict guidelines for peace and quiet so that guests could enjoy themselves.

Breakfast Downstairs?
Not everyone wants breakfast in their room. Some people prefer to go downstairs. It is nice to have the option. I can imagine futuristic carts carrying coffee dispensing machines, pastries, and other goodies. I can picture more touch screens asking you if you want latte, cappuccino, or mocha. There might be humans manning these cards, or perhaps they would be multilingual robotic carts.

More Robotic Carts
It would be a huge convenience if a robotic cart helped you lug your luggage from your car or from the shuttle to your room. But, if it could move on its own and know where it was supposed to go, that would provide a nice hands-off experience for the guests. But, what if the cart would also make small talk too? Disney has this technology now, and Google might too!

The Hotel Restaurant
I can’t imagine the algorithm Google would use for it’s wine list, but it sounds intoxicating. I wonder what types of foods they would serve. Probably stuff nobody has ever heard of from medieval England and perhaps a few Tibettan delicacies as well as sandwiches. No doubt Google would probably have experimental dishes on the menu every week just to get analytics on how popular each dish was including commentary. That way the menu could be constantly optimized and might even change at different times of the day or week depending on what was popular at that time. I can’t imagine what people would eat there, but a Google restaurant is definitely something I would like to try!

Appointment Setting

January 1, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Keyword | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

If you are looking for an Appointment Setting Call Center, try 123outsource.net. We have many call centers listed around the world that specialize in appointment setting. Our call center categories are divided into inbound, outbound, chat support, email support, technical support, lead generation, order taking, and more.

Most of the call centers listed with us are in Manila, Makati City, Cebu, or in various parts of India. So, if you are looking for a Manila Call Center, Makati City Call Center, Cebu Call Center or India Call Center, you have come to a place with a lot of hiqh quality and up to date selection.

Call center contracts for appointment setting can really vary from company to company. Some will allow you a one or two month contract while others demand a year. There are a few that will allow you to book services one day at a time as well if you prepay them. We recommend interviewing the actual call center agent before hiring any company. If possible, try them out on a small appointment setting project before committing to a long term call center contract.

The advantage of having a 3-hour lunch break

January 1, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Management | Leave a comment

Many companies want to cram in as much week as they can during a day. But, there are disadvantages to this too. Being in too much of a hurry and not breaking enough can lead to increased stress and distracted work behavior which is very detrimental to output.

Workers who take a quick lunch break and work almost eight hours straight become very distracted. Many of them surf the web at work, or are just in a state of mental chaos. Many articles about work behavior that I have read stress the importance of taking breaks. After 51 minutes of mentally intensive work you should take a break according to one article I read. For repetitive tasks, the breaking schedule might be less critical, however, repetitive tasks can dull your mind making you less capable when you have a thinking task.

Taking a lunch break is a great time for workers to catch up on Facebook, emails and other social media. If you don’t give them an opportunity to catch up, they will probably doing it on the clock which is bad for your work schedule.

Personally, I feel that the American work ethic is based on being in too much of a hurry, being too demanding, and not replenishing yourself. Additionally, American workers are very disengaged which exacerbates the situation making them even more distracted. A long lunch hour allows people to mingle with others, make new friends, try new restaurants, and refresh their brains while out of the office for an extended period of time. I feel that having a two or three hours lunch break is not a bad idea if you are willing to stay late and if you are not going to miss any critical phone calls or meetings.

However, what if you answer calls during lunch? What if you take your work with you? You are still replenishing since you are out of the office. You could still have that ten minute power discussion with your supplier. Most people would say, “Sorry, I can’t talk now because I’m at lunch.” Then, when you get them at work, “Sorry, she is on another call.” You might have to try six times to reach someone. What a pain. But, by being willing to take meaningful calls, you would afford yourself the opportunity to take long lunches and still be productive and available!

Long lunch breaks are common in France and other European countries. They add a sense of culture and meaning to life which Americans will never have. My personal habit is to have a very quick lunch, but a very lazy dinner. Perhaps, I should have a nice mid-day break. But, I’m always behind the eight-ball with work. Maybe I need to find a way to be ahead on work and then have a more flexible schedule…

I would write more, but it is time for my lengthy dinner break! After I return, I’m going to work until 1am!

A Call Center that offers technical support for defective cats

January 1, 2015 by 123outsource
Categories: Call Center | Tagged | Leave a comment

There are all sorts of specialties in the call center business. Some do hard sales, others do incoming service while many do technical support for the latest computers and software packages. But, who do you call when your cat becomes defective? 1-800-333-meao! This call center is located in Makati City in the Philippines and specializes in helping cat owners with their various problems.

CALLER: Hi, my cat is acting weird and I don’t know what do.

AGENT: Well, what did your cat say?

CALLER: She seems to be asking a question. She sniffed my computer and said Meao with a rising tone as if she was asking a question.

AGENT: Hmm, what did her tail do when she was asking you this question?

CALLER: It was curled at the end, kind of like a question mark.

AGENT: I see. It seems that your cat is confused based on the shape of her tail. Cats say a lot with their tail and their body language. Did you try explaining what the computer is for and why you were using it?

CALLER: Oh, I never thought of that. Maybe it was the new software I downloaded.

AGENT: That is interesting because our last caller’s cat warned him that he downloaded a virus and needed to quarantine it, but he was too dumb to understand what his cat was saying.

CALLER: Well, I hope you have an animal psychic who can communicate with cats like a “cat whisperer.”

AGENT: We actually do, but he can only communicate with Filipino cats. The culture is too different for cats in the United States. The food, activities, and the kitty cat mentality — you understand.

CALLER: I understand exactly.In any case, I’ll explain to fluffy what I’m doing. Thanks for being there!

AGENT: My pleasure. If you have any other issues with your cat, just call 800-333-meao!

CALLER: I will

CAT: Meao!!!