Get Ready Everyone!!! The Call Center Guy Is Going To Podcast
Ok guys, been spending the last couple days working out how to podcast and I think that I about got it down. The first person I will have on the show will be Aaron Mellick from Green Global Solutions about seat leasing in the Philippines.
Shit I Deleted The Monitoring Folder On My Hosted PBX
The other day I was downloading the recordings from my server which I do about every day for the last 6 years and some how I managed to delete the monitoring folder where all the recordings are saved. So I contacted my pbx hosting company and they tried to help but did not have an answer because they did not have an Elastix guy on staff. I tried dicking around with it and got it almost working at least I thought and then no it was still not
working. Then I went on the Elastix forum and asked for some help and BAM a day later a guy replied to me post and solved my problem.
So this is what you have to do in case you delete your monitoring file in your hosted pbx or Elastix server.
Log in to your box with winscp or any ftp program and go through the folders like normal Var/spool/asterisk/ and where monitor was you are going to right click on the bottom of the page and then you are going to create a new folder named the same thing monitor. Once you have created it then you are going to have to right click on it and make sure it’s owner is asterisk not root or it will not work and then save it and you are good to go.
Make a couple of phone calls and see if your recordings are there.
Managed Asterisk Hosting For 20 Bucks A Month
Thanks to one of the readers I just found a managed Asterisk PBX for 20 dollars a month, Thanks and please keep giving your input.
This company is called Host PBX and here is what the offer for $20.00 dollars a month.
There is a link above and to the right if you would like to sign up for Hostpbx
- PBX – $19.95 a month “no set up”
- DID’s and 800 numbers all over the US and Canada
- $1.99 a telephone number (USA and Canada)
- DID’s in 43 counties like UK and Australia
- 1.9 cents a minute
Now from what I under stand this is a managed solution but not 100% sure but from what I’m told it is and if it is for 20 dollars a month Sweet. One of the things I like about it to is you are getting your termination from there you local DIDs and even your 1-800 numbers. So you are getting every thing you need and only paying one company AND it’s managed meaning if some thing goes wrong they are there to fix it.
1.9 cents a minute is ok if you are a small business and I’m sure that you can get batter rates if you are using higher traffic.
I don’t know how they are billing it, in 1/1 6/6 30/60 or 60/60 most likely its 6/6 but you never know.
Like I said in my other post I have no plans on changing hosting companies from RENTPBX but if you are not a geek and need some help setting up your phone system for your small business or call center then this might be the ticket.
Also it looks like they only offer day time US support because I tried to call them and it said there hours were 9am to 5pm EST but I could be wrong but if you are running in the US I guess it don’t matter any ways but always nice to have some one there to help you if some thing is wrong no matter what the time is.
Exlastix Hosting For $9.95 A Month
I was surfing around on the internet looking at some of the news companies out there that are offer Elastix hosting and I came across a new one called VR. What I liked about this one right from the start was that it was only $9.95 a month for a simple hosting platform that would work great for a small call center or business and give you the high end features to make your company look allot bigger then it looks.
This package comes with
- 254 MB of Ram
- 10 GB of storage
- 300 GB of transfer
- 1 dedicated IP
- Full root access
All just for $9.95 a month.
I did contact this and ask there sales team if there have any type of support and they did not we only offer hosting which means if some thing happens you might be shit out of luck or going to have to pay some type of Elastix person to help you if some thing goes wrong but for the most part you should be ok.
Elastix hosting for $9.95 a month
I have to say that I use RentPBX which has been nothing but good to me and has also been there to support mean when I need it even though really they should not offer me that for just $19.95 a month. I don’t plan on changing hosting companies any time soon for just $10 dollar saving but if you are a tight ass might be some thing for you.
Links are inside the article if you are interested in having a look or signing up.
If you are new to Elastix and hosting then I would suggest that you read this while you are setting up your Hosted PBX Elastix with out tears This is a guide that will help you set up and under stand how Elastix works.
Back Up Internet For Home Based Agents
There are allot of companies starting to use home based agents because the cost is allot lower then outsourcing to a company in the Philippines.
BUT BUT BUT
One problem you have is the internet that most of the agents are using is not that reliable compared to other countries like the US, UK and the AU. You can have your agents get back up internet but most of them will not do it because it will cost them more money and if the internet is down the agents will more then likely be like FREE day no work.
If you want to have a really good up time I would suggest that you get your agents to buy USB modems, you can get them from about any carrier but you want to make sure you get the one that has the best coverage from where they are at. They cost about 20 dollars and you can buy load cards for about 10 dollars that will last a while in case there internet goes out. All they have to do is plug it into there computer and then they are back up live.
Also you can have them pay for it, some thing like 5 dollars a month until its paid for or what ever you like.
This is not the best option but the only option that will keep your staff working in case some thing happens and it will happen so better to have one and not need it then need it and not have it.
Call Center List
I for got to give everyone this a couple of months back.
One of the major things people ask me about that are new to the all center business is where can I get my phone numbers to contact people. There are allot of pleases but all range from high to low prices but this company I found a while back so far has be the best price for what you get.
You can get the whole US consumer list for only $599 which is a STEAL!
Thing that you have to under stand is the leads are not scrubbed through the DNC, thats another service you are going to have to pay for but if you are only having a couple people telemarketing I think you might be ok but always better to be safe.
Vicidial Hosting for $20 Dollars A Month WTF!
I talked to the owner of the company I use to host my Elastix pbx the other day and he said they added Vicidial to there hosting plans for the same price as what I pay for PBX hosting which is $20 dollars a month. I have seen allot of companies offering the same thing from an where to $120 dollars to $70 dollars a month but now you can get it for only $20 dollars a month.
This is not a manged system or service, it’s for Vicidial hosting only! You might be able to get a little help from there support but I would not guarantee any thing. If you are going to sign up then you might want to already know how to use Vicidial just to be safe.
I love working with Rentpbx and have nothing but good things to say about them.
Click the link to sign up or more information.
living In The Philippines For Cheap
I just finished one blog about the Philippines not being cheap but nowg I’m going to talk about leaving in the Philippines for cheap if you are a single guy. i might contradict my self but what the hell.
If you live in a far away place from Manila you are live for really cheap if you are just a single guy because allot of things in the province are cheaper then in Manila.
“If you have a family it will cost allot more”
When I first got to Manila the dollar to Peso was about 1 dollar to 55 peso so we were rocking but later on it dropped to 43 which sucked. I lived in Ortigas in a place called City land Mega Plaza in a studio for about 250 dollars a month and maybe around 200 dollars for my power and water ect and then going out and buying food was about 300 to 400 dollars a month and I was living on about 1000 dollars a month.
There are allot of cheap places or bars in the Philippines but you gotta know when to go when its happy hour because you will save allot of money, some thing like buy one take one, most places around 5pm to 8pm to get the best deals. Try not to eat out because you will spend allot more, buy food at the store and just make it at your house and if you are working then make a lunch that you can take with you. If you want to get out of town you can take a bus to pretty much any where for about 5 dollars but you are going to have to do some research online to find some cheap places to stay. If you want to buy a car, you can get a cheap one for about a 1000 dollars that should do just fine when you need to get out of town if you don’t like to take the bus.
One thing when living in the Philippines that happens to about every one I know is they get married because the girls are good looking and there are allot of them but a couple of things you need to know. You might be going to a strip club and meet a girl there and fall in love but you gotta under stand most of them are in it for the money or to get out of the country, try to find a girl that has a job or a business, some one that can support them self’s so you are not always there paying for every thing. You gotta remember that there are a shit load of girls in the Philippines. So if you fall in love with the first one you meet hold off and keep looking for a long time tell you find the right one.
Also don’t fall in love with your maid!
When a Filippina girl gets an American boy friend there family thinks they are set, some thing like they can come and stay any time they want and that couple be the brother, the mother and the sister at the same time and they might even say we are only going to stay a night and then a month goes by and they are still there. Or you are going to get a bunch of the relatives hitting you up for money for bull shit reasons and the first time you are going to be ok little Johnny is sick and he need to get some medicine and you are going to be like cool no problem I want to help, how much you need and at first they will be like 2,000 Peso and you are going to be like 50 dollars that’s it, hear you go but then word is going to get out to the other family remembers that you are giving or loaning money then your fucked. You gotta have thick skin or you are going to get taken over and over again, no matter what you hear allot of it is going to be lies.
If you are living out side of Manila you can get about 30% cheaper on about every thing but the only problem is there is not going to be much to do unlike living in Manila but its up to the person at the end of the day.
Also I know I’m going to get allot of Filippinos reading this so I want you to all know I’m not saying any thing bad about the Philippines, just educating people that might not have been there before or going there.
Cost Of Living In The Philippines?
I have been leaving in the Philippines for about 8 years now and I gotta say its not as cheap as everyone thinks it is, the only thing that is really cheap in the Philippines is pretty much labor.
I have been comparing prices in the Philippines and the States the last couple of days and when you look at things like shopping for food or clothes to wear the cost in the States at times are cheaper or a better price. You can get a bunch of cheap junk like shoes, watches, hats and DVDs but its all junk cheap as shit which will only last a week to a month at best but when you get some thing from a real store in the Philippines a real branded name price is going to be the same if not more then the States or country you are from but you are going to be buying a quality product that is going to last you longer.
If you want to live the life style of a local Filippino for sure you can live very cheap, some leaving on less then 200 dollars a month but in allot of peoples eyes from other countries they would not enjoy it.
I’m just rambling so your just going to have to go with me.
Renting a house here is pretty cheap, you can get a house or a condo from any where from $200 to $5000 dollars a month depends on your standards.
Power cost more then the states, we have two aircons going only pretty much at night and some times during the day and our bill is around 220 dollars a month which is a joke.
Going to the store to buy food for my family of 4 is about 100 dollars a week, what you would be spending in the States.
Beer is cheap in bars but when you are buying from a store or a 711 its just a little bit more then the States for good beer.
Hotels are about the same as the States if not more, one time we stayed in a 4 star hotel that was a shit hole on the beach for about 175 dollars a night. Some places in the States are charging any where around $50 dollars a night.
Going out with friend for dinner at an ok place is about the same price as the States, about 10 dollars a person.
One thing that is really cheap in the Philippines is Taxi’s compared to the States, BIG TIME.
I will tell you one of the things that I love about the Philippines is every thing you need is so near every thing VS living in the States you have to go to many places to get a couple things instead of just one giant mall.
If you are living in the Philippines, I would suggest saving all your receipts for a month and then total them up and see what you are spending while living in the Philippines and compare them to what you spent where your from. It will be shocking! Or maybe I’m just spending to much money.
Everyone comes to the Philippines to outsource because of the labor cost but other then that cost is about the same unless you are living below your means.
Jew Ninjas In Call Centers Brokering
I ran into a couple of people that I have met in the past some being old friends, some being old agents, some being brokers and some are just plain old assholes. Sorry if I missed some of your emails over the weekend, I will make it up to you.
Mike emailed me a couple of weeks back asking me if I know about brokers and commissioned based campaigns and I said yes “RUN LIKE FUCK” pretty much meaning that they are almost all shit and the chances of you getting paid for is slim to non and I have even heard of people asking for the call center money up front so they can get the campaign which is complete bull shit. I talked to a very nice broker the other night and he said that he had over 20 centers running one campaign that is commission based and I wasssssss shocked and I was about to believe it because there was a call center running 20 seats on it. I started to think and look at this guy, all these seats and the way he dressed can this be true? but then again then the way people dress can deceive you , because I have one friend that dresses in shirt hiking boots and cargo pants which is really well off but anyway this guy was saying he is living about an hour away from Ortigas and that his rent was only 8500 Pesos which is like 200 dollars ok now bells starts ringing in my head but I think I knew it before I saw him, but the guy is a very nice guy so I have nothing bad to say about him other than I really did not believe everything that he was saying because it sounded like he should have been balling. I have met other brokers that seems good and I would consider him as a friend. But still offering only commission based campaigns, “OK STOP HAMMER TIME” I get a shit load of people or companies offering me commission based campaigns about 2 a day but its all scamming bull shit. Now back to my other friend, he seems to be doing well and dress pretty nice but a little older maybe about 55 or 60 but a good guy, we go back about 6 years and someone that I might think about running a campaign for AAAAAAAAAAA no but nice guy.
For all you new call centers out there one of the fastest ways that you can get clients is call your friend from around the world and let them know what you are doing and tell them to ask around to see if they know anyone looking to save something like 50% on their cost by outsourcing. Please please don’t waste your time trying any commission based campaigns because the chances are not very good, look for campaigns that are on an hourly rate around 8 to 10 dollars an hour which is good money for any starting call center.
I have got a lot of campaigns from friends or people that I have met both from home and online. As far as online not in a gay way but got campaigns and made money one friend got me a 50 seater inbound!
Long story short, don’t do commission based campaigns it will bite you in the ass in the end, ask your friends and also work on putting up a website and market it.
