While India maintains a small lead in call center outsourcing
having attracted $US 4.7 billion in revenue in fiscal 2008, the Philippines
captured $US 4 billion making it the second largest call center outsourcing
player globally.
“The continuing upsurge of call centers in the Philippines is attributed
to high quality service delivered by educated English-speaking agents with
accents similar to their North American callers,” said Howard Kiewe, senior
research analyst with Info-Tech Research Group.
“This lesser known call center
hub is a key contender for many international corporations attempting to lower
their costs through outsourcing their call centers.”
Enterprises that have already opened call centers in the Philippines
include Dell, Citibank, AOL, HSBC, Convergys, Sykes, and Telus. According to
Kiewe’s research note “Contact Center Offshoring: Philippines, the Next Big
Destination?” published in September, most of these enterprises are continuing
to expand their offshore call centers despite the economic troubles in North
America.
The Info-Tech Research Group study was based on data from field
research conducted in the Philippines that included site visits and interviews
of contact center executives, their workers and other industry leaders.
Some study respondents expressed concern for India’s capacity to support
more call centers without incurring higher costs and lower quality of service.
The Philippines makes a strong alternative with plenty of positives related to
opening a corporate call center, but Kiewe cautions that corporations should
not blindly sign on the dotted line without a 360(degrees) business scan to
properly investigate if any offshore market is best suited to their call
center needs.
“Optimal results from offshore call centers, in any geography, will only
come from smart decision-makers making smart decisions,” stated Kiewe.
“Evaluating the current costs, comparing competitors and assessing prospective
vendors to ensure quality service are important stages when making the best
decision for the enterprise.”
