Oct 192016
 

The year has not yet ended but I believe that the most used word in the country this year is “change.” Now, how you view change, whether as something to be feared or as a challenge to improve, will determine how you respond to it and how it, in turn, will affect you. One industry has charted its own course this year amid this sea of change. The Information Technology and Business Process Management industry or IT-BPM has thrived in the last 20 years to become one of the country’s primary economic drivers with more than one million full-time employees (FTE) and more than $22 billion in revenue as of 2015. The industry is on track to meet its 2016 goal of 1.3 million direct employees and $25 billion in revenue.

Mar 272016
 

THE PHILIPPINES is now the call center “capital” of the world, Moody’s Analytics said in a recent report, displacing India as Filipinos prove to be a better option for skilled workers in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, but faces a crucial government transition, with continuity of anti-corruption efforts hanging in the balance.

Apr 262015
 

The work force is vital to any company’s success. This is one reason why most companies, especially those in the service industry, make significant investments in the training and development of their people. In the case of a business process outsourcing (BPO) company, well-trained employees allow it to deliver excellent service to its clients worldwide. However, for BPO companies in the Philippines that are registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and avail the 5% gross income tax (GIT) incentive, the deductibility of the training expenses as part of direct cost from the 5% GIT has not been clearly addressed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).

Apr 062014
 
'Accent' matters: Philippines acquiring 70% of India call centers

A building in Manila occupied by a call center. Rajesh Pamnani MANILA, Philippines — Most voice and call center businesses in India are transferring to the Philippines due to Filipino workers’ more “neutral” English acccent, among other reasons, an Indian business group said. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) said that India is losing 70 percent of all incremental domestic business process outsourcing (BPO) businesses, particularly call centers, estimated to be worth $30 billion in foreign exchange earnings. “Philippines … has become the top destination for Indian investors, thus the need to reduce costs and make operations leaner is increasingly becoming significant across the BPO industry,”  Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat said in a statement Sunday. Citing Assocham’s study, Rawat said that the Philippines has an advantage over India due to its large pool of “well-educated, English-speaking, talented and employable graduates.” Rawat said that only 10 percent of graduates in India are qualified to work in call centers and training could take a considerable amount of time. About 30 percent of graduates in the Philippines, on the other hand, are employable. “Employees in Philippine call centers speak English fluently with a neutral accent which is what customers look for and that is something missing in Indian accents and that is a prime reason why BPO business is thriving in that country,” Rawat explained. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 “Cultural proximity to the US together with availability of talented manpower are key reasons Read More …