Call Center Philippine

Spanish-Language Contact Center Solutions May Further Philippines Outsourcing ...

There may be a problem with that, though. The president of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP), Benedict Hernandez, said in a press briefing on Monday during the Association’s two-day annual summit, that while CCAP expects the contact center market in the Philippines to grow 15 percent annually, with revenues growing to $14.7 billion and employment reaching 816,000 in five years,   the country is struggling right now to supply the qualified workforce necessary to hit these numbers.

According to Business World Online , Hernandez said, "We have the opportunity to double [revenues and workforce] in the next five years ... [as] there is an existing and growing demand." Meanwhile, CCAP director Rainerio M. Borja said the Philippines call center industry’s main market remains the United States, accounting for 88 percent of the market, Business World reported.

Given those two facts, it would make sense for the Philippines to further develop its Spanish-language contact centers skills along with the skills of its workforce to staff those call centers. That’s because statistics indicate that the number of Spanish speakers in the United States is growing at a rapid pace.

According to a post on Wikipedia, the 2009 American Community Survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau reported, “Spanish is the primary language spoken at home by over 35.5 million people aged five or older.” It also said “Spanish is the second most used language in the United States.” Similarly, Cuban linguist Humberto Lopez Morales , the head of the association of Spanish-language academies, told an audience in December 2010 that by 2050, 10 percent of the world population will be speaking Spanish, spurred mostly by its growth in the United States. Clearly, U.S, companies that outsource to the Philippines will be looking for Spanish-language contact centers to support the language of choice of so many of its citizens. Perhaps because he is already aware of these figures and may already be working toward a goal of increasing his country’s Spanish-language contact center solutions, Benedict Hernandez said in Monday’s press conference, “We can point to the growth strategies our industry has undertaken to expand to new geographical markets and verticals, as well as extend our capabilities in language support and high-value skills." Hernandez also revealed that in collaboration with the Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Education, CCAP is working to improve curriculum and training programs, and that local industry has succeeded in diversifying its support of up to 17 languages.

High Quality, Low Cost Outsource Call Center | The Philippines ...

For the past few years, Asia has proven its specialization in call centers. The Asian call center market raked $655 million on 2002. Business analysts expect its agile progress in the next years to come. By 2007, its industry, specializing in customer support, is expected to earn $1.5 billion. With this, the customer service industry becomes one of the most significant contributing factors to Asia’s economic growth.

Primarily because of its cheap-but-skilled workforce, Asia has become a favorite destination of North American and European countries in customer service. With its smart and English-proficient customer service representatives, multinational companies can save up to 80 percent in hiring equally qualified Asian employees, compared to their Western counterparts.

Among the emerging industries in Asia, Philippines is one of the recognized global leaders in the call center industry. Philippines has established an edge over Asian rivals. With a low cost labor of $6 to $10 per hour, the customer support market continues to prosper. Its remarkable spread results to its economic growth. In fact, it earned $10.5 million in 2002 and is expected to rapidly increase in the next years.

There are different factors why Philippines dominates the global market in customer service. One is the culture compatibility of the Philippines and the US, an effect of being the latter’s colony decades ago. The country’s education system and many business practices are culturally Western. Moreover, there is an observable similarity with the US commercial code and the Philippines’ mercentile laws. Hence, Western companies prefer the more Westernized Philippines compared to its Asian competitors.

Being known as the second largest English-speaking country is a significant factor as well. With an education system using English as a medium, Filipinos are more English proficient, with its famous neutral accent. Also, Philippines’ access to American media such as television and literature has made Filipinos more familiar with the American accent.

Known for being patient and accommodating, Filipinos are more customer-oriented, giving them an additional edge over its Asian neighbors. According to a study conducted by Call Center Research, an Australian-based resarch firm, Philippines devotes more importance in maintaining its high quality of customer service. In this study, Philippines ranked second to Australia.

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