IT is a fact that, for the past several years now, the booming business-process outsourcing (BPO) industry has been a major driver of real-estate growth in the Philippines.
The BPO industry has created an increasing demand for BPO office spaces which is, in turn, fueled by the Philippines’ position as the top call-center service provider in the world. We have already surpassed India in voice operations, and we are coming in second in nonvoice operations. BPO clients from different parts of the globe know this and this is why they are coming in droves to the Philippines.
Interestingly, however, more than fueling the growing demand for commercial spaces, the local BPO industry has created a round-the-clock kind of lifestyle that has greatly affected real-estate developers’ marketing and operational decisions.
The 24-hour BPO industry
One of the most interesting things about the thriving BPO industry is that it has spawned a 24-hour corporate culture that has considerably changed marketing and operational considerations in property development and related businesses. Not only has the industry given life to business districts that used to be alive merely on a roughly nine-to-five basis, it has also resulted in the booming of businesses that cater to the needs of BPO workers.
Retail establishments—many of which operate 24 hours a day—have mushroomed in areas that are close to BPO offices, further increasing the demand for commercial spaces within or around BPO buildings. Office buildings are no longer exclusively leased for BPO operations as developers integrate commercial spaces for fast-food restaurants, coffee shops, convenience stores and retail shopping outlets in the buildings themselves.
This new 24-hour lifestyle is also responsible for the booming of the already vibrant coffee-shop business. We all know that caffeine is an integral ingredient in a call-center agent’s bodily system. Coffee has become such an essential commodity in the BPO industry—for obvious reasons—that more and more coffee shops like Starbucks, Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Seattle’s Best Coffee and Bo’s Coffee have begun to lease commercial spaces in areas that are accessible to BPO workers.
And then there are the numerous 24-hour fast-food outlets that have leased branch sites in BPO-dense areas to serve the needs of contact center employees, whether it be an early breakfast after their night shifts or a quick dinner before they start manning their stations.
The walk-to-work concept
Property developers of residential condominium projects have also begun using the “walk-to-work” concept as a major part of their marketing efforts. We often see property brochures and writeups harping on how it is more convenient for young urban professionals like contact center workers to live in condo units that are just a walk away from their places of work.
This is particularly true for residential projects in popular BPO hubs, like Eastwood City, McKinley Hill in Bonifacio Global City, Makati City, Ortigas Center, Davao and Cebu.
The rise in popularity of townships—masterplanned communities that combine residential areas with commercial spaces, learning institutions and leisure spots—can also be seen as an affirmation of the new-age need to have almost everything one needs in life to be always just a stone’s throw away from where he lives.
Considering this, the “walk-to-work” concept that many townships promise is actually an attractive feature to the BPO workforce. For one, BPO employees would do well to have a home nearby in order to lessen the stress of contact center work as they deal with irate phone-callers and work through the night while most everyone is sleeping. It also affords them more time to actually catch up on their sleep. In short, walking to work can actually be beneficial to the BPO workforce’s mental and physical health.
It’s good to see that the transformation of the urban residential landscape has appropriately taken into consideration the needs of residents and office employees not just with regard to their own condominium units and the amenities that go with them, but also their lives outside their homes. As such, the presence of retail establishments, schools, malls and corporate offices in one’s community has become the crux of property marketing.
As the Philippines continues its growth as the BPO center of the world, property developers will continue providing for the real-estate needs of this industry, particularly the needs of BPO companies and their workers. And this is rightfully so because the business that the industry brings in to the country is critical to our national development.
The contact-center workers may be working while most everyone else is sleeping, but they actually are one major reason most of us sleep soundly at night.