Global crisis won't affect RP's BPO prospects

The threats posed by the global financial crisis that started in the United States will not likely affect the local business process outsourcing (BPO) industry’s target to grow revenues by 40 percent this year.

Human Resource specialist ExcelAsia said the advent of the global financial crisis has resulted in the emergence of outsourcing as a strategic solution for multinational companies given that firms hire third-party specialists to fulfill non-core business initiatives.

“Even if global companies downsized their workforce as a cost-cutting solution, there will still be plenty of work left to be done,” ExcelAsia president Rita Trillo-Ugarte said.

“This is where the Philippines becomes a strategic location for new outsourcing opportunities. Companies who used to outsource call centers only will now consider outsourcing their back offices too,” she added.

According to her, that outsourcing allows global companies to focus more on their core business, and that there are plenty of opportunities for the country.

In fact, she reported that ExcelAsia has increased business partnerships despite the global crisis. It has new BPO clients requesting for 500 monthly endorsements, increasing the company’s current roster of 35 clients and endorsements for all its sites.

“Outsourcing training facilities to a third-party specialist is becoming more valuable among our BPO clients,” Ugarte said.

“Companies that conduct their own recruitment and training need big facilities and additional HR professionals. These initiatives are not part of their core business. Outsourcing these processes to HR specialists like ExcelAsia, which specializes in recruitment and training, results in cost and effort savings that can be applied to their core business,” she further said.      – Elisa Osorio