BPO in the Philippines
From Small Beginnings
The growth of BPO in the Philippines opened new methods for increasing productivity and cut costs for businesses in and out of the country. The Filipino’s command of the English language and their familiarity with western culture brought the western world’s eyes on to the small archipelago and became a key player in the BPO industry.
In the early 2000s, small contact centers started popping up in the metro. This provided Filipino’s a great opportunity to earn more than what local employers are offering. Fresh graduates were among the ones who really took advantage of the trend and enjoyed higher pay even without any experience whatsoever. BPO in the Philippines offered very attractive compensation packages that made it more than enough for employees to disregard the time difference and turn their body clocks upside down to align their schedules with thier clients.
Nowadays, working in a contact center is a way of life. It has evolved into a culture on its own and even the more mainstream employees are venturing into it as well. It is now a well-respected industry and there are many institutions that offer call center training (some of them for free) to prepare prospective applicants in their career. The centers themselves are also reaching more and more people. Back then, call centers are only situated within the metro. Now, there are contact centers all over the country.
The effects of the influx of BPO companies are undeniable. In the areas where there are huge concentrations of BPO offices you’ll notice 24-hour convenient stores, restaurants and coffee shops on virtually every corner. Ten years ago, that very same place is practically a ghost town at night. Visit Eastwood city today and you’ll find it hard to believe that only a decade ago, it used to be just a piece of barren land with only a couple of buildings, a convenient store and a big parking lot. It is hard to think about any other industry that can make such a huge impact in such a short period of time.
The processes in contact centers also evolved through the years. In the past, call centers handled just that…calls. Today, almost every aspect in running a business is outsourced. Everything from customer service, data entry, content management, accounting, or outsourced recruitment etc.