I once said to myself, “I will NEVER work in a call center”. As what the saying says I ate what I said. Working in a call center is an option for those professional who can’t be paid enough revenue for their line of interest. Take an instance, Nurses. We, nurses, if given a chance to work in western countries will surely live in green pastures. Good pay, good house, revenue – good life. Working in a Philippine hospital after graduation cannot repay what I’ve spent for my college years. Thus, we retreat in certain field that we weren’t supposed to be in – call centers.But what are the edge of Nurses and other professionals in call center industries? Nurses know how to speak English, as we can’t serve foreign hospital if we aren’t good enough to speak in English. Second, nurses are empathetic by heart; I supposed. Part of psychiatric nursing, we were taught that for us to experience what our client/customer/patient is experiencing we need to put ourselves in the patient/client/customer’s shoe for us to feel what they feel and for them to come down from being irate or too emotional. And lastly, nursing as a profession is a 24/7 job same like call center industry.
For the past few years, Asia has proven its specialization in call centers. The Asian call center market raked $655 million on 2002. Business analysts expect its agile progress in the next years to come. By 2007, its industry, specializing in customer support, is expected to earn $1.5 billion. With this, the customer service industry becomes one of the most significant contributing factors to Asia’s economic growth.
For the past few years, Asia has proven its specialization in call centers. The Asian call center market raked $655 million on 2002. Business analysts expect its agile progress in the next years to come. By 2007, its industry, specializing in customer support, is expected to earn $1.5 billion. With this, the customer service industry becomes one of the most significant contributing factors to Asia’s economic growth.
Primarily because of its cheap-but-skilled workforce, Asia has become a favorite destination of North American and European countries in customer service. With its smart and English-proficient customer service representatives, multinational companies can save up to 80 percent in hiring equally qualified Asian employees, compared to their Western counterparts.
Among the emerging industries in Asia, Philippines is one of the recognized global leaders in the call center industry. Philippines has established an edge over Asian rivals. With a low cost labor of $6 to $10 per hour, the customer support market continues to prosper. Its remarkable spread results to its economic growth. In fact, it earned $10.5 million in 2002 and is expected to rapidly increase in the next years.
There are different factors why Philippines dominates the global market in customer service. One is the culture compatibility of the Philippines and the US, an effect of being the latter’s colony decades ago. The country’s education system and many business practices are culturally Western. Moreover, there is an observable similarity with the US commercial code and the Philippines’ mercantile laws. Hence, Western companies prefer the more Westernized Philippines compared to its Asian competitors.
Being known as the second largest English-speaking country is a significant factor as well. With an education system using English as a medium, Filipinos are more English proficient, with its famous neutral accent. Also, Philippines’ access to American media such as television and literature has made Filipinos more familiar with the American accent.
Known for being patient and accommodating, Filipinos are more customer-oriented, giving them an additional edge over its Asian neighbors. According to a study conducted by Call Center Research, an Australian-based research firm, Philippines devotes more importance in maintaining its high quality of customer service. In this study, Philippines ranked second to Australia.
Aside from English proficiency, many Filipinos are also knowledgeable in other languages as well. Spanish, for instance, has some resemblance with the country’s first language, Filipino. As a colony of Spain over 300 years, Filipinos have noticeable potential in developing European languages, especially Spanish. This then should assure the country more business from non-English-speaking countries.
While India’s “cheap but good” labor pool dominates Asia, the Philippines is quickly catching up with its intrinsic edge over its competitors. More than the lower cost of operations, Philippines has a lot to offer with its good infrastructure and strong governmental support, not to mention its adept workers globally known for its skills and technological capabilities. As the popular saying goes, quality over quantity.
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