No cause for call centers to shift focus, says CCAP
By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 03:46pm (Mla time) 07/26/2007

MANILA, Philippines -- While President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself has urged the business process outsourcing (BPO) to focus on higher-value services, there is no cause for call centers to "refocus," according to the head of a local industry group.

In her State of the Nation address last Monday, President Arroyo urged the country's BPO sector to focus on higher-value outsourcing work such as accounting.

That, however, does not mean call centers should be moving out of voice services anytime soon.

"There is no conscious effort from our part…just because the President says something like that," said Raffy David, director of industry group Call Center Industry Association of the Philippines (CCAP), composed of more than 30 call centers.

"We are primarily focused on doing what we do well which is voice and other contact center based services like chat and email support," David added.

In a phone interview, David made clear that CCAP need not refocus its direction and that call centers remain the BPO industry's biggest revenue earner.

"The industry is not saturated and there is demand to keep the industry going even beyond 2010," David said. Arroyo's term ends three years from now.

Adding to the demand coming from the United States is the migration of call center operations by Indian companies in the Philippines, David said.

The country's call center industry employs more than 200,000 agents at present. CCAP is targeting to raise industry talent to 500,000 workers by 2010.

David acknowledged perennial industry issues such as the shortage of skilled workers and rising wage levels.

"We have been aware about issues like shortage of talent and as an organization, we are doing something about it. We are already in full swing with our own strategy," he said.