Since its early beginnings over two decades ago, the Philippines has grown into the world’s largest and leading call center outsourcing destination. Sixty percent of all outsourced business comes from US-based companies, including some of the largest, best-known brands in the world, such as Amazon, Google, Nike, and American Express. These multi-national corporations have been entrusting their customer, tech, and back-office support to the Philippines for years, and for good reason. BPO companies in the Philippines are the top choice for call center and back-office outsourcing, and especially for omnichannel support.
“There are many factors that have contributed to the global success of call centers in the Philippines. One of the primary ones is the outstanding English proficiency of the nation’s call center agents. With the country’s English fluency at well above 97%, call center agents in the Philippines are in a unique position to provide an exceptional customer experience. In fact, Filipinos speak more like Americans than citizens of any other country in Asia,” says Ralf Ellspermann, CEO of PITON-Global, one of the Philippines’ leading mid-sized call centers.
Another advantage of call centers in the Philippines is the close cultural ties the country enjoys with the United States. In fact, call centers in the Philippines and the US have been compared to one another due to their cultural similarities, which is not surprising, since the Philippines was previously an American colony for close to 50 years. “This close cultural affinity to the US makes call centers in the Philippines a great fit, especially for US clients who want to provide excellent and seamless customer experiences,” says Ellspermann.
Another reason call centers in the Philippines are so successful is the highly skilled and educated labor force. The BPO industry has had a major impact on education in the Philippines, which is proven by the many well-trained call center agents coming from universities all over the country. It’s also worth noting that call centers are among the highest paying jobs available to Filipino graduates, which provides additional incentive to the best and brightest.
Companies also find call center outsourcing in the Philippines to be a great choice because the business processes between US-based organizations and business process outsourcing (BPO) providers in the Philippines are strongly similar. In fact, call center programs implemented for US clients are typically modeled after successful US companies already using BPO services in the Philippines, such as Google and Facebook. This makes it easy for Filipino call center agents to get up to speed on new contact center projects. This also ensures the agents are highly trained, callers receive a world-class customer experience, and call center metrics are reported accurately.
Of course, another important reason call centers in the Philippines are the preferred choice is because the cost of outsourcing contact center programs is much lower than maintaining call centers in the US. On average, outsourcing customer support services to the Philippines is half the cost of similar onshore programs. Call centers in the country also offer a more flexible and agile call center workforce. Ellspermann says, “Ultimately, call centers in the Philippines can provide clients with an exceptional return on investment without any loss of quality or performance. Provided, of course, that companies partner with premium outsourcing providers.”
Finally, call center outsourcing receives active support from the Philippine government, at both local and national levels. The Philippine BPO industry is a primary export sector for the country and is a major segment of the economy. In addition to business-friendly policies, call centers in the Philippines receive additional incentives for hiring college graduates, including grants for job creation and tax holidays.
The Philippines’ call center industry has been growing rapidly for over two decades now, and there is no sign of it slowing down anytime soon. “With unbeatable call center agent quality and great business incentives, call centers are the country’s leading industry export and are the top choice for companies of all sizes all over the world,” concludes Ellspermann.