Philippine BPO, Australian Business: Bridging The Divide

Aside from being favorite destinations of a host of migrant cultures, Filipinos and Australians have a lot more in common than meets the eye. For example, both groups have a deep love for the humorous, and whereas the humor of each may be at different ends of the spectrum, they are quite similar in the sense that both verge on the striking and the slightly unusual. Filipinos, whether they admit to it or not, love slapstick and self-deprecating jokes. That’s part of their sunshine charm and penchant for grand gestures. Australians, on the other hand, go for the drier, the more ambiguous and the slightly ironic, like calling out “Hey, Shorty!” to a tall man walking by. Apparently, Filipinos and Australians have a special place for the peculiar. Filipinos will walk for miles to pay homage to a statue that sheds tears of blood, while Australians have been known to celebrate dead horses. Over time, the migrant cultures effected diverse values in both Filipinos and Australians. Australians can be very direct– much more so than Americans– while Filipinos are famous for being among the most hospitable and accommodating lot in the world.

Top: Makati City, Philippines, at dusk. Bottom: Sydney Harbour Bridge, Sydney, Australia.

These observations are not to disparage either country’s culture but rather to point out why a symbiotic relationship between the Philippines and Australia is not only possible but can be very successful, judging from their similarities and differences. These things bode well for both groups. Their individual traits are complementary to each other, one of the main reasons why for some years now the two countries have been engaged in a mutually beneficial relationship that is evident in the steadily rising number of call centers in the Philippines that handle the customer service arm of Australian firms.

Beyond the cultural similarities and complementary traits, a Filipino and Australian partnership is strategically sound for a host of other reasons. For starters, there’s the time difference, which ranges from none (the Philippines shares the same time zone with Western Australia during the Australian summer months) to just two to three hours depending on whether Australia is on Daylight Saving Time. Definitely advantageous to both countries because this lets Filipinos enjoy almost-regular office hours, while at the same time saves Australian clients the additional night shift differential required by the Philippine labor laws to be paid to employees who work at night to accommodate American clients.

A Filipino with a Philippine tarsier, an endangered species.

Filipinos, aside from being the friendly people that they are, are known to be intelligent hard workers. Filipinos are also very able in speaking the English language with a neutral accent, hence just the briefest orientation and they’re good to go, saving the client much time and money. Other than a brief familiarization course on Australian culture, history and geography, Filipino customer service representatives are immersed in the job in the shortest amount of time between getting hired and moving on to “the floor,” which is call center jargon that means “to be in the production area,” with very good results.

It’s no small feat either that a high percentage of Filipino customer service representatives are college degree holders. This is a group that has discipline and patience deeply instilled in them, always a plus when one is tasked to handle customer concerns from thousands of miles away which is without a doubt more difficult than doing so face to face where you have facial expression and body movements to help you gauge how best to respond to a customer.

An Australian guy playfully boxing with a kangaroo. Since 1891, the Boxing Kangaroo is often seen in Australian popular culture.

From their end, Australian firms have come to trust Philippine call centers because their customers are often appeased by how courteous and helpful Filipino customer care agents are. Most customers call in irate but end up quite pleased with the patience displayed by these phone representatives. In the same way that they can be straightforward with their complaints, though not profuse and effusive with their thanks, it’s not a rare occurrence for Australians to ask to speak to a supervisor just to sing an agent’s praises at the end of a call.

Open Access Marketing is now handling three Australian accounts and the number is growing. Another good example of trust in the Filipino capabilities is Call Design, an Australian outsourcing firm that specializes in contact center technologies. Call Design is making the Philippines its hub for their customers WORLDWIDE. Australian branches of international banks send their customer service functions to the Philippines because of the dynamic and constant upgrades of infrastructure in the country which Filipino outsourcing firms and the Philippine government invest heavily in. But most importantly because of the combination of abilities Filipino agents possess. It’s not just the English they speak and the way they handle complaints with manners and aplomb, but it is that, on top of all those things, Filipinos are well-versed in commerce and have a deep understanding of resolving issues through technology. “Text Capital Of The World” not for naught after all! This savvy is hard to ignore, and the world is well-advised to take notice. The Filipino-Australia teamup is a study on how opposites attract and can in fact be more similar than not. Now that is what we call high style synergy.