Health Tips for Call Center Agents

The BPO Industry is undeniably thriving in the world of employment. With an abundance of opportunities, benefits, and mass availability, many call center services in the Philippines offer a lot to those willing to take a chance. But at exactly what cost?

When it comes to working in a call center, your shift may vary in order to accommodate international clients on their time-zones, meaning many agents report to work in the dead of night to ensure 24/7 assistance. This notion is known by many as the ‘graveyard shift.’ While this kind of shift, or work in BPO in general, can bring in more clients and more productivity, it can also take a toll on your health as an agent.

Working in BPO isn’t easy because of the constant shifting of your work schedules and the constant use of your voice for over-the-phone assistance. Plus, the unnatural sleep schedule they subject themselves into can wreak havoc into their fitness and wellness. One can say that they pretty much invite a number of diseases to inflict their immune system.

This is the reason why you should take good care of your body from the get-go. Here are some tips you can follow on how you could successfully do that:

1.  Stay Hydrated

This may be the most important tip for all call center agents; you can even consider it as the “golden rule.” Since this job entails the use of your voice to provide over-the-phone assistance to clients, keeping your instrument healthy is a must.

Drinking lots of water is good for your voice and throat. It is not only refreshing; it also does not irritate it, unlike some other beverages like coffee, juice, and carbonated drinks that may be too strong or too sweet. It really is impossible to do wrong while drinking water.

Furthermore, hydrating yourself with water can also flush out toxins that are harmful to your body, enabling you to maintain your optimum fitness and wellness. This is why you should always bring water wherever you go, including to your desks at work. Call center agents should bring a water jug with them so they can stay hydrated before and after every call.

2.  Get Plenty of Sleep

This especially applies to those working the graveyard shift. With you reporting to work late night and clocking out early morning, your body clock and length of sleep may be compromised. To better help you with this, set a sleep schedule for you to follow and make sure you get an uninterrupted “full-night’s” sleep before you go to work.

If you are having issues getting some sleep because of the sunlight bursting through your windows, then you should invest in dark curtains or blinds to cover it up. Or you could simply wear a blindfold to completely block out any light in your room.

By doing so, you could get enough energy to sustain you all through your shift, whether it is in broad daylight or late at night. This will, then, allow you to complete your tasks and stay focused for the duration of your working hours.

3.  Avoid Cigarettes and Other Vices

While smoking may help you relax, too much of it can be detrimental to your health, which in turn affects your performance on the job. If you want, you can try finding other means of relaxing or, if you still wish to smoke, moderate it into your breaks so your time spent working will be as productive as ever.

Also, avoid drinking on the job. Not only will it cloud your judgment at work, it is also a particularly displeasing image to your superiors. As much as possible, you must keep alcohol as something to be enjoyed after work.

4.  Take the Time to Exercise

Since you have half the day to relax and prepare for work, why not take the time to exercise? That rush of adrenaline and energy should help keep you focused, productive, and diligent in handling your tasks for the day.

Even when you are at work, you can still maintain your fitness by taking some time off to stretch your body and move around. This way, you won’t feel drowsy while you are working.

5.  Reserve Your Speaking Voice

At the end of the day when you have exhausted yourself talking over the phone, your voice (and throat) could feel tender and scratchy. Although this may be natural from time to time, it shouldn’t be the case when you are always drinking water.

In order to avoid this, take time during your days off or even after your shift to reserve your voice; this means you have to stop talking altogether, at least for the moment. Don’t abuse your voice because it will likely give up on you. You would not want to suddenly use your vacation days just so you could recover it. Most likely, you want to spend it in a more enjoyable way instead.

Key Takeaway

These tips not only serve to help you, but to enlighten you as well on how to remain in top condition when working in the BPO industry. While working hard to earn may help you in the long run, having good health still remain as key components in every employee in the world of employment and opportunities.