Philippines as call center capital of the world

MANILA, Philippines – Call centers began in the Philippines as plain providers of email response and managing services. Operated by a company, a call center is an extensive workspace that serves as a telemarketing venue where the products and services of a particular company are being promoted to clients by call center agents, often called customer care specialists or customer service representatives.

For many United States companies, the Philippines is the country of choice for call centers not only because of its less expensive operational and labor costs, but the Filipinos’ close cultural affinity to Americans, their English proficiency, and high information technology literacy also proved advantageous. Thus, the country is a competitive destination for call centers.

Now considered as one of the fastest growing industries of the Philippines due to its great expansion over the last 10 years, the call center industry has been dubbed a sunshine industry by the government. The Call Center Directory of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) reported that the Philippines now has 788 call centers in 20 key locations. The Philippines is a top Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) destination for the estimated $150-billion business process outsourcing industry.

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has reported that the country is fast emerging as the call center capital of the world. The Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) stated that the Philippines has already overtaken India in the number of call center employees this year.

Last year, there were about 300,000 employed Filipino call center agents. This year, the number increased to 350,000, compared to 330,000 in India. The country’s call center revenues are expected to reach $5.7 billion this year, $200 million higher compared to India’s $5.5 billion. The industry not only boosts the country’s economy, but has become an answer for employment and an option for many Filipinos.