The document discusses the development of an English for Specific Purposes (ESP) curriculum for call centers in the Philippines and India by FuturePerfect Business English Specialists (FPBES) for their client, Glocal Financial Services (GFS). The needs analysis conducted by FPBES revealed issues like inability to control calls, limited vocabulary, and lack of cultural awareness. As a result, the ESP syllabus outline developed focused on improving language skills, discourse competence, intercultural awareness, and functional language use within the context of call center duties through techniques like selecting authentic listening materials and developing listening comprehension and discourse tasks.

1. Developing an English for specific
purpose curriculum
for Asian call
Centres.
Martínez, Josedin
Lugo, Airlene
Villafañe, Robinson

2. OThe problem
Poor interactional and discoursal skills and
cultural appreciation of the nuance of what the
customer is saying.
(GFS) was seeking a provider group to supply
English language assessment solutions and an
ESP communication training curriculum for
its global off-shore call centres.

3. The client
Glocal Financial Services
(GFS)
FuturePerfect Business English
Specialists (FPBES)
ESP training
and provider
Countries Philippines and India

4. OAims
O To improve the language competency levels across the
domain of:
Pronunciation
Language accuracy and
range
Discourse competence
Interactive capability within
the context of the call centre.

5. O Theoretical Framework
Genre-based curriculum and
systemic functional linguistics.
ESP Approach (genre analysis)
Sidney School (systematical
functional linguistics)
New Rhetoric (Rhetorical
Genre Studies)

6. O The GFS ESP syllabus outline development.
The communication
audit and need analysis.
The auditing process
included the collection of a
sample of calls from each
account and focus group
interviews with key
stakeholders.

7. O Needs analysis discoveries
Inability to
keep control
of the call.
Limited lexico-
grammatical
choices
Lack of
cultural
awareness

8. O The design of ESP syllabus outline.
Key skills in a successful call
centre service are:
Listening
Understanding linguistic and
cultural nuances of the caller’s
concern.

9. O Syllabus outline design.
Selectio
n of
authenti
c
listenin
g texts.
Discourse
and
interaction
Listening
comprehensio
n tasks
Intecultura
l
awareness
Function
al
language
input

10. OReference
Lockwood, J (2011). Developing an English for specific purpose
curriculum for Asian call centres: How theory can inform practice.
English for Specific Purposes. [Magazine on-line] Available:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/251600707_Developin
g_an_English_for_specific_purpose_curriculum_for_Asian_call
_centres_How_theory_can_inform_practice.