Maria Christina Balacania

Maria Christina Elatico Balacania, CC -- Education: St. Paul University Manila (formerly St. Paul College Manila) Bachelor of Arts, Major in Communication Arts, 1997 – 2001 Summary:  Certified DDI Facilitator with 18 years of professional experience in the BPO/Call Center/Shared Services Industry  14 solid years of training expertise in Language, Soft Skills, E-mail communication, Business Writing, Customer Service, American culture and geography, Confidence Building, Coaching and Leadership  Toastmasters International Competent Communicator (CC) Norm achiever  Focused and passionate to add value by motivating and inspiring through excellent training delivery to participants/learners Certifications:  T.I.E.R - Teach, Interact, Evaluate, Review: as a Teaching and as a Feedback Tool (February 2016)  DDI Facilitation Skills - Development Dimensions International (February 2014)  Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt - TELUS International Philippines (August 2012) Career History: Learning Services Specialist at TELUS International Philippines November 2017 – November 2019 - Facilitated 3-day Foundation Skills Training to New Hires - Lead Trainer for process and product knowledge updates for outbound teams serving ANZ and UK lines of businesses - Directly liaised with clients/stakeholders regarding process clarifications from agents in the ANZ and UK LOBs - Provided clients updates on ANZ and UKI outbound LOBs through weekly/bi-weekly business reviews - Created materials or full reference sheets for any process updates from each LOBs - Rolled-out monthly PMA (Product Master Assessment) for ANZ and UKI LOBs - Responsible in creating and executing communication-related projects to aid increase in agents' CSAT and Quality scores - Trained, monitored, and coached agents on ANZ and UK outbound product/process, communication, and other soft skills to set them up for success Trainer (Part-time) at CNC Business Process Services & Management Corp. August 2017 – November 2017 -Facilitated 4-day training sessions on Pronunciation, Grammar, Customer Service, Public Speaking, and Confidence building - Coached and motivated trainees in terms of speaking and presenting themselves to potential interviewers Virtual Assistant/Data Entry Specialist for Alex Theoret June 2017 – July 2017 - Entered financial information to assist client in organizing his tax - Accomplished research work requested by client - Utilized applications like Trello for triaging tasks and sending/receiving soft copies of files including TimeTracker to track work hours Offshore Recruiter at Vista Talent Sourcing February 2017 – May 2017 - Identified qualified applicants for positions through: sourcing and attracting (passive) candidates, was responsible for pre-screening applications and collecting CVs of potential candidates, submitting suitable candidates to Hiring Managers for further screening - Assisted and supported recruiters - Used Applicant Tracking System and online sourcing tools (Google Docs, Spreadsheet, Maps, LinkedIn, Indeed, CareerBuilder, etc.) Virtual Assistant at LED GroHydroponics December 2016 – January 2017 - Created and edited captions for a website that sells various plants, vegetables, and fruit seedlings to effectively gain more traction online as well as optimize its customer-base Freelance Trainer for various clients August 2016 - November 2016 - Created training modules, facilitated, and documented training sessions Level 2 Global Communications Trainer at ePerformax November 2015 - June 2016 - Facilitated, coached, and mentored potential employees for ePerformax’s accounts. Rolled out grammar, soft skills, and customer service modules. Primarily drove the number of hires within the months that she handled her own class by ensuring high entries of “certifiers” every week which are to be endorsed to Enhanced classes Language Trainer at AIG Shared Services September 2013 - November 2015 - Conducted language and communication training to members of the call center and non-call center staff of AIG Shared Services to maintain the standard of English communication required in the organization - Responsible in planning, executing, and evaluating special courses offered to Team Leaders, HiPo employees, and SMEs throughout the organization - Actively involved in the project management team of the Team Leader Transformation project of AIGSS' Operations Excellence body that increased efficiency and organization knowledge amongst the participants – AIGSS Team Leaders - Heavily responsible in the organization and facilitation of Leadership training sessions to Team Leaders and Leadership-In-Training staff which was pivotal in the improvement of coaching and mentoring methods amongst the participants - Conducted TNA per request of Team Leaders/Managers in line with the AFIs of their staff -Organized and liaised with various function heads to further strengthen the Language Program in AIGSS. Learning Services Specialist at TELUS International Philippines September 2010 - June 2013 - Facilitated New Hire Foundation Training that included company basics, policies, values including extensive modules on Grammar. Ensured that new hires are equipped with the required knowledge which would engage and encourage them to perform in the account - Created Communications-related initiatives to assist in agent development for e-mail and chat customers - Developed modules specific to training needs and created game-specific questions for monthly Product Mastery Assessment (PMA) - Sent to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to conduct a 5-day Communication Training to Malaysians, Turks, and Indonesian participants for a special project Soft Skills Trainer at Synnex Concentrix September 2008 - July 2010 - Facilitated 5-day Soft Skills Training to new hire employees and accomplished an evaluation report right after the said number of training days - Facilitated upskill trainings regarding Mispronounced Words, Filipinisms, Awkward Phrasings, Condescending Terms, Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction for deployed/tenured agents - Was sent to the Concentrix Cagayan de Oro site (December 2009 to January 2010, mid-January 2010 to March 2010) to impart her skills in facilitating Call Center Course Workshops including Soft Skills for Basic Product Training Communications Trainer at Powers Interactive (an affiliate of John Robert Powers) March 2008 - May 2008 - Trained individuals in grammar, pronunciation, enunciation, accent neutralization, American culture and geography, call handling skills, and basic customer service skills - Coached trainees on effectively answering interview questions Customer Service Representative at Sutherland Global Services March 2006 - March 2008 - Answered e-mail concerns from UK members of an online auction site apart from being a POC (Point of Contact) for the team in absence of supervisor Trainer (On Call/Part-time) at Verbal Advantage Solutions September 2005 - December 2007 - Trained and coached individuals regarding basic call center knowledge, call handling skills, customer service skills, American culture/geography and interview skills Outbound Sales Representative at Tryon Communications October 2005 - December 2005 - Sold Online Yellow Pages and also assisted in facilitating short training sessions for co-trainees as appointed by our team leader/trainer Domestic Directory Assistance Representative at ePerformax January 2005 - May 2005 - Provided directory, emergency assistance to US and Canadian callers Directory Assistance Representative at InfoNXX Philippines (KGB) November 2002 - September 2004 - Provided directory assistance to callers from the USA and Canada - Listened in, y-corded and coached trainees during OJT Customer Service Representative at C3 Customer Contact Center November 2001 - February 2002 - Provided customer service and support to various accounts - Fixed and reported credits regarding movie tickets purchased on the website Fandango.com Skills & Expertise:     Training Needs Analysis Grammar, Soft Skills, Customer Service, Confidence Building, Personal Development, Culture training Coaching and mentoring Business English, Meeting facilitation, Public speaking and relations, and people skills training  Training and workshop delivery, Team building preparation and facilitation Module and curriculum development, Gamification Andragogy, ADDIE, Project Management Leadership/Management training and development    Modules I can facilitate: Skills Training: Basic Grammar and Soft Skills, American Culture and Geography, ANZ Culture, UK Culture, Facilitation Skills, Empathy in Customer Service, Workplace Empathy, Public Speaking, Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills, Business Writing and Communication Skills, Customer Service Excellence, Phone Handling, Email Writing, English Proficiency, Time Management, Event Management, Workplace Etiquette, Train the Trainer, Coaching and Mentoring, Planning and Organizing Skills, Conflict Resolution Management Self-Development Training: Confidence Building, , Mindfulness in the Workplace, Attracting Abundance and Achieving Goals, Anger Management, Stress Management, Energy Management, Personality Development Courses Taken:  T.I.E.R - Teach, Interact, Evaluate, Review: as a Teaching and as a Feedback Tool  DiSC Training  Reaching for Stellar Service      Developing Others for Stellar Service Giving Constructive Feedback Managing Performance Problems Improving Personal Productivity Resolving Conflict Organizations:  1Up Toastmasters: Secretary (June 2015 to September 2015)  1Up Toastmasters: Sergeant-at-Arms (August 2014 to June 2015)  St. Paul Alumni Association: Member (April 2001 to Present)