How Philippine Call Centers Save The Day For UK BPOs

It’s the end of the week. Let’s take a breather from dissecting what ails the Philippine outsourcing industry and what will propel it to unfathomable success come 2010, and just allow ourselves a pat on the back for a job well done.

The Philippine outsourcing industry accounts for 15% of the world’s market share according to Dow Jones. Definitely impressive for a relative newcomer with a tight labor pool. That makes us the third-largest outsourcing industry on Earth, on the heels of India and Canada. The bulk of that 15% is made up of voice services. Where customer service is concerned, the Filipino customer service representative is king. Recently it is not only the US and India that sing our praises. Of late, the United Kingdom has become an avid fan.

So why are we considered the best by the stiff upper-lipped UK? It’s not because we speak the Queen’s language with flowery aplomb– it’s actually India who does that. We will always say “stroll” instead of “meander” and “tv” instead of “telly.” We’re American that way, thanks to our close decades-long ties with the US. Neither do we satisfy the Brit’s sensibilities by having adapted their clipped and posh accent to perfection, although if push comes to shove, we will leave out the Rs with relish. UK admires our high quality education, our fluency in English and affinity to the US market to be sure. But what they actually find “endearing” (for lack of a better word) about us, that which actually saves the day for them more often than not, is our ability to extend the human touch through the phone lines, across oceans, to the clients of our clients.

One of these very satisfied clients is Northgate Arinso (NGA), a business process outsourcing firm based in the UK which is also one of the top five HR software service providers in the world. They have a presence in 31 countries and for them to choose the Philippines as their hub in the Asia-Pacific region bodes well for the country’s voice service industry and an invitation for other such multinational companies to follow suit. NGA stands by the Filipinos’ “psyche of service.” NGA scripting is limited and so it is up to the Filipino customer service rep’s ability to manage the ire of callers and to turn a bad situation around. The Filipino rep’s track record is obviously impressive.

The thing about Filipinos is, we have the capability, nay, the tendency, to genuinely empathize with customers. The Filipinos’ warm and ebullient nature reverberates through to customers. NGA noticed that this natural tendency of Filipinos to be accommodating has not only pleased customers but has also positively affected personnel at their other centers to do the same. The recent Typhoon Ketsana wreaked havoc on the country but the outsourcing industry did not register a lag in terms of missed calls, thanks to a dedicated workforce that braved the storm. Those in the know know that it is far more expensive to gain new costumers than to keep the existing ones happy. Having your call center in the Philippines is, in short, getting value for your money.