Well it has finally happened. The Philippines is now at the top of the BPO industry as the leading Call Centre service provider in the world…. beating India by 50,000 consultants/agents. There are 400,000 Filipinos versus 350,000 Indian call centre agents. So if someone from the United States, Europe or Australia calls a customer service number, chances are the call will be answered by a Filipino.
So what made the Philippines the number one service provider of call centre agents?
Compared to India - who was the leading outsourcing country in the world - companies now choose the Philippines specifically because of their English communication skills and their cultural heritage that is so deeply westernised.
Companies such as Convergys, Accenture, Sykes and AT&T – to name just a few - have invested in call centre facilities in the Philippines.
When budget cuts became the driving force behind a change to outsourcing, India was seen to be the best country to invest in. In fact, they have been the undisputed leader in the outsourcing industry for some time. However, when you consider some of the barriers to outsourcing - such as communication, language and cultural background - the Philippines does come out as the better choice.
To start with, Indians use idioms which can be quite difficult to understand - especially by Americans. It helps that Filipinos are taught English from as early as the first grade and watch a lot of American television as they grow older. Add this to the fact that the country used to be a US colony and you have an Asian country with a very westernised culture that fits well with the outsourcing market they cater for.
Filipinos themselves are known to be very hospitable, hardworking, patient and deeply compassionate - which makes them very well suited for customer support roles.
In terms of salary comparisons, India is still the lowest, but the difference isn’t much. Indians earn USD$250 a month while Filipinos earn USD$300. This difference seems to be justified, however, when you compare their points of difference.
Though India is still the leading source of software development outsourcing, the Philippines is now the new go-to place for call centre services. This reveals just how companies are consider the strengths of different countries when it comes to the various outsourcing genres.
For further information contact:
Bruce Mills
Joint CEO & Director
3W IT Consulting | IT Contracting
Free Call: 1300 857 773
P: +61 7 3897 3009 | F: +61 7 3102 6280 | E: bruce.mills@3w.com.au | W: www.3w.com.au
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