Call centers in PH rate high despite absenteeism

Absenteeism by business process outsourcing employees is higher in the Philippines and in Asia Pacific than the rest of the world due to odd work shifts, a research company said.

But agents in Asia Pacific, especially in the Philippines, are tagged as “more patient” than those in other regions as Asian call centers scored 100 percent in customer satisfaction, higher than the global score of 84.5 percent.

Dimension Data said in a research that agent absenteeism rate in Asia Pacific, which includes the Philippines, was higher at 15.5 percent than the global statistics of 14.9 percent.

“Agent absenteeism is higher in Asia because of graveyard shift. But attrition rate is lower in the region than globally,” Nagi Kasinadhuni, Dimension Data general manager for customer interactive solutions, said.

Kasinadhuni also said traditional contact centers in Asia were slowly being replaced by customer management centers as more organizations focus on expanding contact services beyond telephony and e-mail offerings.

“The evolution of the contact center to a full service customer management center confirms that organizations view contact centers as profit generators,” he said.

The research results show improved service is the top priority commercial driver for contact center. “But navigating this evolution will require a strong focus on process automation,” Kasinadhuni said.

“Smart devices are dramatically changing the communication landscape and enabling customers to help themselves and decide how, when and where they engage,” he said.

Revenue of the local call center industry grew 21 percent annually in the last five years, or from $2.6 billion in 2006 to $6.2 billion in 2010. –Jeremiah F. de Guzman, Manila Standard Today