MANILA, Philippines – Harte Hanks (NYSE:HHS) lauded the Philippines as one of BPO-call center destinations in the world with a good labor market and described the Filipino workforce as “eager, with a strong work ethic and imbibed with a culture of customer service.”
The American firm issued the statement ahead of the opening on Thursday (April 21) of its BPO-call center at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Complex, in Pasay City, a move that would integrate the company’s existing primary and two secondary locations in the country.
A local outfit, Pinnacle Real Estate Consulting Services, had said the Philippines remains the top destination for IT-BPO firms given the educated talent pool, excellent infrastructure, cost competitiveness, and adequate government support for the industry.
In a published report, they projected the BPO sector may soon overtake dollar remittances from overseas Filipinos in terms of revenues given the continued strong demand for office space.
Harte Hanks’ Philippine subsidiary employs over 2,000 BPO-call center agents, majority of whom, are assigned at Harte Hanks’ main office, in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The company had announced that it would be hiring hundreds of Filipino IT-marketing specialists for its MOA facility.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Harte Hanks, whose clients are mostly from North America, said that its Filipino employees are fast learners and are culturally aware of Americans with whom they most often work.
Figures showed that in 2014, the BPO sector registered $18.9 billion in total revenue and is forecast to grow between 15 percent and 18 percent for 2015. The industry is expected to further grow this year with revenues projected to hit $25 billion.
According to Pinnacle, revenues from call center firms and outsourcing centers could soon grow faster than inflows from overseas Filipino workers.