To achieve sustained growth, contact centers in the Philippines should maintain high quality service standards, a noted international customer service expert said.
“It’s no secret that a significant fraction of the country’s revenues in offshoring and outsourcing comes from the call center business,” said Ron Kaufman, also a best-selling author and customer service expert. “With advanced equipment available to practically anyone, the real battle ground would not only entail the fastest Internet connectivity, for instance. It will also focus on the response time and output given to the client as well.”
The Philippine call center industry is expected to top $ 4.3 billion in revenues this year or about two-thirds of the entire business process outsourcing market in the country and sustain 30 percent annual growth, according to a report released by the Contact Center Association of the Philippines during its annual Call Center Conference and Expo last month. CCAP projects that such growth would translate to 50,000 additional call center jobs this year.
“In a service-oriented industry, it is really the people who drive the business. And by simple logic alone, one is but compelled to accept the fact that there’s no amount of technology, or any piece of equipment for that matter, to compensate for inefficient or uncaring staff,” Kaufman said.
Call centers should not abandon their commitment to excellent service, which is an integral part in building strong relationships with clients, Kaufman said. He added that call center companies should build excellent rapport with suppliers and vendors and strategize on satisfying customers to achieve and sustain growth.
“And this is not restricted to the call center industry alone,” said Kaufman.
The Philippines is poised to capture 10% of the global O&O market by 2010, with total revenues of local providers forecasted to hit US$ 12 billion. By the end of 2008 alone, BPAP expects Philippine-based providers to reach approximately US$7 billion in total revenues.
“What all these figures depict is a bright future for this business,” said Kaufman. “Most of the technological requirements are there. That’s already a given. What needs more focus is having people in call centers satisfy clients.”
Kaufman will present “Secrets to Superior Service” in a one-day lecture at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Makati City on August 21. The seminar will focus on customer service principles necessary in enhancing service-oriented relationships.
Kaufman is the author of UP Your Service! and Lift Me UP!, two book series that led to the establishment of the “UP Your Service! College”—an integrated educational program for enhancing customer service and building a “superior service” culture.
###
About the Ron Kaufman
Ron Kaufman is an internationally renowned educator, distinguished motivational speaker, and founder of UP Your Service! College. The acclaimed author of the UP Your Service! and Lift Me UP! book series, Kaufman first gained international recognition through his educational Website where he regularly uploads his award-winning UP Your Service! newsletter along with his video lectures on how organizations can build a superior service culture—the fundamental building block for ensuring first-rate customer service. He has conducted numerous training programs around the globe for clients including government agencies, multi-national corporations, and regional firms in the fields of financial services, manufacturing, and entertainment, to name a few. Kaufman is a graduate of Brown University, with post-graduate studies in London, France, and Berkeley, California.
No comments:
Post a Comment