subject: Factors to Consider in Choosing a Filipino City for your BPO [print this page] Factors to Consider in Choosing a Filipino City for your BPO
Throughout the years, Philippines has been consistent in being on of the central offshore destinations. According to the research conducted by the NeoIT, Philippines ranks 2nd as the best outsourcing destination, next to India, as of 2005. However, recently, more and more outsourcing and offshoring companies are investing in the Philippines mainly because of the language competitiveness of the people in the country.
Manila remains to be the mother of all BPO destinations, and around 10 cities are also trying to make a mark in the field of outsourcing. Some of the most famous and competitive Philippine cities are Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, and Iloilo. With that, it is vital to know what to consider before choosing a city to invest on.
Manpower perhaps, one of the major factors that made Manila the top outsourcing destination in the city is its apparently dense population. The number of possible people to employ is essential for a company because the demand for workforce is limitless in this kind of business. Mass hiring is more often needed these days, especially for call center agent and content writing positions. Relevantly, the literacy of the population should also be huge consideration, as they would have to communicate with overseas employers regularly. To further evaluate the quality of manpower available in a city, it may also be helpful to take a look at the number and quality of universities existing in the city especially universities that offer IT or any computer related courses.
Costs as one of the main goals of outsourcing is to save cost, it is of course important to know the cost of living of a city the cheaper the better. The cost of living greatly affects the salary that you have to offer, the infrastructures that you have to fund, and other expenses. Luzon cities are more expensive cities compared to Visayas and Mindanao.
Local Support the support of the local government truly serves as a catalyst for the growth of outsourcing firms in a specific city. The officials should in the first place be open for IT investments, and see it as something beneficial for their locality. They can be of great help in providing a sustainable business status for the outsourcing firms.
Technical Infrastructure obviously, you need to have healthy' or capable location that can handle the technical requirements of the business. There should be an existing digital network system and support in the area, telecommunication infrastructure, and sufficient and stable power supply. Even the region's climate condition is a part of this consideration. This enables a more efficient and low-cost communication between the third-party company and its client(s).
Safety this may not have anything to do with the internal concerns of the business, but this aspect in a city will definitely affect business sustainability and image. Undoubtedly, investors are less likely to invest in a city with a threatened peace and order system. For instance, Davao City has long been praised for being one of the safest Mindanao City to visit, however, just one bombing incident, terribly affected the IT potential of the city as due to the apprehensions it created for outsourcing investors. Fortunately, the city swiftly recovered from such image crisis.
