Philippine call center company Infonxx recently renamed itself as KGB. The new name is not an acronym but if you think it sounds familiar, you’re right. They got their new name from that defunct Russian security agency.
In a recent conference call, Infonxx co-founder and CEO Robert Pines, explained the changes in their company name and their goal to be the number 1 directory assistance service worldwide.
What caught my attention was why they changed their name to KGB. According to a source, a lot of people often mistakenly pronounce Infonxx as “in-fonks” instead of the “info-n-x-x”.
The new name, KGB, was chosen partly because it’s “intriguing” just like the Russian intellegence agency it was named after.
KGB (Infonxx) is a US call center company specializing in directory assistance with offices here in Makati (RCBC Tower) and Sta. Rosa, Laguna. They’re the leading directory assistance service in the UK and also plans to enter other markets such as the Philippines and other Asian countries.
To learn more about Pines and the success of Infonxx in United Kingdom, check out this 2003 story from the Telegraph UK.
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LOL!
It’s a good thing the Cold War is over, otherwise, no one would trust to call the KGB for assistance.
You have to give credit to the PR team or whoever came up with the idea, this is surely one good way of generating buzz for your company.
I wonder how the Russian government would react once they get wind of this.
according to my friend it supposed to mean “KGB” knowledge / info provider etc.
118-118!
Makes sense — the Russian KGB is a like the CIA.
lame if not very sensationalists. i can’t see the connection between a call center and a “committee of/for state security” which can warrant a name patterned against one of biggest intelligence of the cold war era. why not pattern it against israel’s mossad instead since that is said to be the most efficient covert intelligence agency in the world.
ciao!
@erin, your reaction is exactly what they wanted — to get the buzz going. and looks like it’s working.
Hello.. Thank you for calling Komityet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti), my name is Boris. How can I help you today comrade?
LoL… wonder if my friend would want to use that spiel.
Harhar Dyun!
gusto talaga nila mapag usapan! haha
I wonder how their employees feel about this. Call center workers are already having a difficult time making their “profession” sound like a legitimate long-term career but imagine. Hi, I work for KGB. Ha ha, I know.
@yuga, yeah if they believe that any publicity is good publicity. i think i am oldschool in believing that a company wouldn’t willingly associate itself with a covert, communist organization.
i agree with BrianB because if ever i will work for a call center, that would be the last place i would submit my resume.
here is another scenario running in my head: an american company outsourcing its helpdesk getting a call from CIA/DHS because intelligence says that they are dealing with the KGB.
oh well, if it floats their boat then i wish them the best.
ciao!
?! Yugger?!
it should be.. “According to PRETTY source..” LOL.
Well I guess you guys are right. The company is riding on the name recall of the defunct Russian intelligence agency. It didn’t have to mean anything literally… just like big companies like google in the US, Orange and even Virgin in Europe. It’s just a brand…In the US and Europe where apparently an agency or something once made a study, when asked who do they trust or call immediately when they needed information, among the names given, most respondents answered kgb. Apparently, it’s a trusted name when it comes to information (or intelligence) which is what INFONXX now kgb is getting into. It’s spreading its wings into a much bigger market, the retail and other information related businesses, not just directory assistance.
The name is definitely quirky. And people here in Manila or the Philippines who know about THE KGB are gonna think twice about its namesake kgb (small letters). But for those who have an open mind and those who see the big picture, maybe they should check out kgb philippines. It seems like an exciting phase for the company.
Oh well, what else do you know?
i heard the story…uh uh no comment! LOL?!
good name change in my opinion well thought out get the public intruiged in what it is even tho it is just giving you info not taking it
can terminated employees of infonxx still be eligible to apply in kgb?
infonxx or kgb… whatever you may call it… if the company pays good then hell yeah go for it… i think thats the most important thing you’d look into… whats with the company name if you’re underpaid anyway
@roinaldo baret. I don’t think they can re-apply. As they’ve noticed, Infonxx just changed their name to kgb. It doesn’t mean that they have changed their database.
@erin. common sense my friend. before you even apply in a particular place. you should at least find out what they do and at least study a brief background of their business right? If i was to choose. I wouldn’t hire you.
Cheers
i’m from sta. rosa city.
when a friend who applied at infonxx told me about this, my first reaction was “ha???”. I honestly think the namechange is cheap and too trivial. it’s a cheesy attempt at getting attention and i seriously doubt that the name kgb will boost their corporate image. the old russian spy agency is gone anyways — it’s history. and curiously, does the name kgb actually relate to the company’s line of business? arrgh!.. i don’t think so.
if you’re an employee there, would you proudly say “I work for the kgb” ? Well, you could tell, with a little trivial humor, about kgb being a contact center and not an espionage agency. but i don’t think the new name gives impact to the level that you could somehow be proud about it.
what if i failed for the second time of taking exam?when will be the next try for me?
pines doesn’t have a fucking clue about his business or certainly the internet. my daddy owns his ass. i work for the guy and he is a total punk.
if he would listen to me he would know what to do in this space. i am a tisch after all he ought to kiss all our asses.
goodevening sir/madam,
this is my contact no. 0906-5495634.,
sorry for the wrong no. whose on my resume.
im a applicant on your company. thank you and goodday
Yes, its name is similar to the Russian Security Agency. But kgb simply stands for “knowledge generation bureau” which is a very interesting name. you should check the ads at kgbkgb.com and you’ll find it very interesting.
I am Interested in applying as a directory assistance agent, are there still any vacancies? Are you still hiring call center agents?
david tisch, mr. robert pines is a multi-millionaire. he sure knows what he’s doing because his business is expanding. he was my former boss and all i can say is that he’s a great guy. you wouldn’t know he’s very rich because he’s very low profile.
KGB really sucks…………
I hope i can get another job after my previous tl gave me the lousy training.
KGB- Knowledge Generation Bureau.
Bread and Butter- 411 of Sprint, Comcast, Viaero, Virgin Mobile, Cox, CableVision etc.
They lost the Dominos Pizza Account because their client never renewed the contract.
But they have the Pizza Hut/WingStreet account already taking orders from Texas, Indiana, Wisconsin, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kansas and MIssouri.
Any one else want to apply D.A. for 411?
Here are the requirements:
* 35 seconds average call processing time.
* 100% Quality (How you became a good dog to your boss and customer).
* You must forget that there are holidays.
* You must Know how to hold your Pea for a maximum of 3 hours.
* You must have your own car especially if you are going to work in Sta. Rosa Call Center.
* Be ready to be Americanized or else you will talk to a racist.
Enjoy your calls American Dogs!
American Call Center Agent – earning $12-$18 per hour ($960-$1440 per 80 hours and make it 160 hrs per month). So a total of $1920-$2880 per month.
Pinoy Dog American Call Center Agent- P83.39 per hour = $1.7353285762148236474155278507855 X 80 hrs working time = $138.82628609718589179324222806284
$138.82628609718589179324222806284 (multiply it by 2) = $277.65257219437178358648445612567 an agent earning here in the Philippines for a month. Compare it with an American Agent salary doing the same job.
Correct me if I am wrong with this computation.
i’m not quite sure how you figure at the american call center that we make $12-$18 an hour! but we are quite a bit less then that, the average csr makes approx. $9.75! which american call centers are paid that much? i’m interested in relocating! no csr at the kansas call center makes that!