WITHOUT a doubt, the Philippines has entrenched itself as the powerhouse in the business-process outsourcing (BPO) sector.
Proof of such high confidence in the skills of the country’s work force is given credence by industry-leader Teleperformance, which has decided to establish its biggest global operations in the country.
With an almost 40,000-strong homegrown talent, Teleperformance Philippines managing director Travis Coates is all praises for the Filipino personnel working for the BPO firm.
“Filipinos are hardworking, dedicated and extremely talented in terms of work ethic and acumen. They are some of the best people I’ve worked with ever,” Coates declared in a recent interview with the BusinessMirror in the company’s Makati City headquarters.
Coates also expressed confidence that Filipinos at Teleperformance can handle the challenges posed by the eventual rise of artificial intelligence (AI) into the country as they could respond to the tasks that are given to them.
“Resiliency is one the best traits of our Filipino staff. They have always risen to the challenge, taking them head-on without hesitation. They shouldn’t be scared to dive into new opportunities,” he pointed out.
Coates then cited the work done by the locals as a key factor in the company’s impressive growth in the last four years.
From 2012 to 2017, Teleperformance was the recipient of the Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific Contact Center Outsourcing Service Provider of the Year Award for “its significant performance in revenue management, market share, capabilities and overall contribution to the contact center industry.”
In addition, its Philippine office received multiple accolades last year, including “Outstanding Employer” and “Outstanding Community Project of the Year” by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, the “Top Employer of the Year” at the Asia CEO Awards, as well as “Outstanding Volunteer” by the National Economic Development Authority. The company also received the AON Hewitt certification as Best Employer in the Philippines in 2014.
This year Teleperformance will celebrate 22 years of operations in our shores. The milestone will highlight its commitment to provide the best employment experience for Filipinos, proactively support the nation’s information communications technology sector and pursue its socio-civic engagements to create a difference in the lives of communities nationwide.
A passion to serve
BEING affiliated with the BPO front since the 1990s, Coates is quite familiar with the industry’s operations and procedures. As a veteran in the business, he can easily relate to the challenges being experienced by a new agent on how to handle clients.
The Teleperformance executive traced his beginnings in the business by doing part-time call-center work back in the United States—particularly in Utah—while studying at the same time. He eventually decided to embark on a regular employment in the BPO industry and from then on, established his career there.
Coates credits his father for having developed his work ethic and for teaching him a lot of sound business practices that have helped him build a bright future for his profession.
“[My father] saw the opportunity I had been getting to be able to grow with the company. I think that made him proud,” he recalled.
After successful stints in Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, D.C, Coates went back to Salt Lake City and joined the Teleperformance team as an account manager for three years from 2006 to 2009.
After his Utah posting, he was assigned to the Philippines in 2009 and worked for two years as one of the leaders of client services. He flew back to the US and, for a time, was assigned to Florida and Louisiana to handle the operations of a recently acquired company toward its transitioning into a Teleperformance office.
After his delegation in the two states, Coates was asked to head the company’s Philippine operations.
“I was super excited when I got the opportunity to come back. Honestly, I didn’t want to leave…when I was here the first time, but it was one of those opportunities [I] can’t pass up on,” Coates remembered, as he then looked forward to reconnect with the people he worked alongside in the two years he was in the country.
Building work-life balance
WORKING in the BPO industry may not be a walk in the park for some. As such, Coates explained Teleperformance provides members of its staff the essential facilities, such as gymnasiums and playrooms, to make work pleasurable.
The company also stages events and programs to encourage its people and teams to drive their performance levels higher.
Furthermore, the work force is also provided with career-progression programs, so they can have the chance to map out their career paths within the company among its different areas of business.
“We are not just handling people who answer voice calls, e-mail and chat. We also have a big work force in technical support. I think our corporate structure really gives people a chance to spread their wings and build their career that would benefit them,” Coates pointed out.
Being in a competitive sector, Coates mentioned it is important for Teleperformance to continue to heighten internal skill levels, as well as the capacity building of its human capital.
This means the company is pulling out all the stops to maintain its high ranking in the industry as it experiences a transformation with the entry of new technologies, such as AI, big data and cloud technologies, among others.
“We have leadership-development programs that are constantly pushing our teams through. [T]he company is also looking for opportunities in its frontlines for people to take on more complex transactions and, ultimately, address more difficult customer-type situations,” Coates explained.
Teleperformance’s managing director believes AI will have an impact in BPO; it is just a matter of when and how: “We certainly, as a company, have invested in partnering with different AI companies.”
For him, it means being at the forefront of thought leadership with clients and talking to them things that they could be doing differently with their customers.
Furthermore, he claimed maintaining its low attrition rate in the last five years has enabled Teleperformance to maintain a lofty position in the BPO environment.
As a people-centric firm, Coates maintained Teleperformance is quite aware that the longer the employees stay and build their tenure in its fold, the company is assured they can deliver top-quality services for their clients and their customers.
At the end of the day, he deflects the credit to the hardworking and talented Filipinos for their stellar performances.
“I am just the lucky guy in the barong tagalog who gets to stand on the stage to receive the award on behalf of our people,” Coates declared.