subject: India-philippines Battle For Bpo Supremacy [print this page] When you are gearing up to topple a superpower, youd better start preparing from a very early stage! Thats the mantra on the mind of the Filipino call center sector. The government of Philippines is much charged up with their rising prominence in the BPO sector. The global network of clients and customers are taking note of their work in call center services. Most surveys and conferences are billing them as the next big thing in business process outsourcing. Customer service experts are putting their money on Philippines to replace India at the top spot. The summit is still far away off because Indias huge geographical and economical size will be working in their advantage. Lets take a closer look at where the two countries stand with respect to each other.
When it comes to the big telemarketing projects, India takes the cake. The clients that they have in their kitty have been with them for some years. The call center services in India have satisfied their expectations. The cost-effective budget is also responsible for telemarketing services in India to flourish despite opposition. On the other hand, Philippines is a rising star. They are making good progress in grabbing projects from USA and Europe. But they need better exposure at the international level. They have to be proactive in pitching for customer service projects. Since they are going to cut into the revenue earned by India or some other preferred BPO destination, they have to work doubly hard to convince the clients that they can do it.
In terms of call center services, Philippines seem to have a better edge. This is primarily because the country is more suited, in terms of lifestyle and culture, to work in the American market. Telemarketing or customer service is something that you cannot find much success in unless you are aware of the life that the customers lead. When you do that, you can relate to the customers and understand what they are looking for. Thats where the Filipino BPO agents can beat their Indian counterparts. The accent is another area where the Indian answering service agents dont score much. Clients would prefer that their telemarketing services are done by agents that their target customers can identify with. That is why many mid-level companies are heading to Philippines rather than anywhere else.
Finally, when it comes to technology, both are placed at an even keel. India has the budget to keep pace with the new innovations in BPO technology. The call centers here are cash rich and can invest in web-enabled or other new-age software to make work smoother. The Philippines sector also invests quite a sum of money in technology. The work culture there allows for better innovation and experimentation. The customer service agents are allowed enough responsibility to take decisions while dealing with clients. They are trained to decide for themselves rather than wait for the supervisors to advise them. This makes the inbound call center department easier and more efficient. That is something that satisfied clients and customers.
