BPO growth spurs increase in fast-food chain outlets in BPO centers

MANILA, Philippines — The robust business process outsourcing (BPO) industry has fueled growth of the country’s fast food chains that proliferate in areas near BPO centers.

Binalot Fiesta Foods Inc. (BFFI), home of Pinoy favorites wrapped in banana leaves, is one such franchised business that links it success with the BPO industry.

Binalot chief executive officer Rommel Juan said Binalot franchisees Cookie Escondo, Nap Casibang, and Maz Uno, whose stores are located right at the middle of the Ayala BPO hub, are enjoying strong growth. They serve a variety of multinational expats and Filipino call center agents employed by BPOs.

“We are finding more commercial sites beside BPOs and we see the industry growing even more. Because we see parallelisms with the BPO industry and the food industry, we know that it will complement each other. This industry is definitely one where the Philippines have an advantage. Filipinos are naturally caring. We do not argue with our customers. It shows the Filipino’s natural hospitality, warmth, and quality of service,” Juan said.

It came as no surprise when Binalot, who’s known as a Pinoy green fast food, partnered with BPO giants Accenture and SPI Global.

In a corporate tie-up agreement, a Buy Now, Pay Later system was introduced. Clients can now order their favorite eco-friendly banana wrapped dishes, have it delivered, and pay after seven days. This Bulk Service Orders and Delivery (BOSD) scheme is perfect for meetings, seminars, and corporate parties.

With a strong network of 38 stores nationwide, “Binalot foresees more outlets to open and provide trademark Pinoy service to call centers this year,” Juan said.

He said the BPO industry in the country will continue to grow because the Philippines is the third largest English-speaking country in the world, next to the US and UK.

“The Philippines is an obvious choice for foreign companies looking for a country to host its overseas outsourcing operations,” he said.

Aside from less expensive operational and labor costs, the Filipinos’ close cultural relations to Westerners, English proficiency, and high information technology literacy also proved beneficial in being a competitive destination for BPO or call centers.

Now considered as one of the fastest growing industries, the call center industry has been dubbed a sunshine industry by the government.

According to the call center directory of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), the Philippines now has 1,140 call centers in 32 key locations with the business valued at an estimated $150 billion.

Despite recent efforts to pass an anti-outsourcing bill in the US, thousands of American-based customer service positions are still being outsourced.

In a report published by USA Today, the Philippines’ call-center industry recently surpassed India’s as the largest in the world.

In the past year alone, the call center industry grew by 21 percent to $ 6.2 billion and had a work force of 344,000, overtaking India as the call center capital of the world. It is expected to double its growth to $14.7 billion and expand employment to 816,000 by 2016.

And with such expansion, other sectors are also experiencing prosperity from the sunshine industry.

The food sector, for example, is thriving alongside BPOs.

As more BPOs are set up, more industries grow around it because of the great demand for food and service in call center hot spots. –Philippine News Agency, InterAksyon.com