Call Center companies start setting-up branches in provinces

By Bobbit Mariano

MULTINATIONAL call center companies which successfully able to put a strong foothold in doing a multi-million dollar business in Metro Manila are now setting up branches in the provinces, maintaining its smooth momentum in the business process outsourcing expansion.

But the two main questions have risen regarding centers’ consideration of doing business elsewhere. One, does BPO companies are already experiencing labor shortages, and that they are now facing problems of finding highly qualified customer service representatives? Secondly, is it more cheaper to put up a call centers in other areas.

The answer to the first question might be true. Considering the regular participation of different call center firms in various job fair now a days, still few people are submitting their resume at the Human Resources personnel. It can be meant that the ‘cream of the crop’ or those who can communicate English language better have long been taken by BPOs.

Thus, new players who are aspiring to position themselves in having a slice of the BPO market share in the Philippines are allegedly resorting to poaching other employees, offering a much bigger offer, usually doubling the amount than others. In simple terms, newcomers are offering like PhP23,000 starting salary compared with only PhP12,000.

In birds eye view, BPOs are now at the middle of stiffer competition of looking for good talents. The recruiting process in Manila is so strict that some established call centers have resorted to transfer instead to the southern provinces such as Cebu and Cagayan de Oro. Other BPOs also found a golden workforce in Baguio, Pampanga and Subic in Olongapo. Companies may also find out that, in the end, it might be cheaper to do business in the provinces.

Alas, Manila is also becoming slow in supplying a growing labor market of call center agents due to many applicants ‘poor English’ and computer knowledge. The government, meanwhile, cannot be expected to improve the skills of the labor force.

On the other hand, as certain BPO, say, in Shaw Boulevard in Pasig is accepting and testing 40 applicants for every two hours or 320 people a day, only 5–10 percent of hopefuls are reaping the reward of employment. So, why not move to south and north of the Philippines in order to meet the labor demand?

In the end, happy days of BPOs are here to stay as well as the answers to the dilemma of unemployed people in provinces. This is because call centers were able to set-up branches like that in Baguio. Surely, BPO go to where the fish are and put their much-needed investment in some provinces, and some big fish needed in call centers have been caught up for use.*