MANILA, Philippines — The rapid rise and astonishing success of the call center outsourcing industry in the Philippines is one of the business world’s great achievement stories.
In a mere 20 years, the country’s outsourcing sector has grown from a handful of call centers to become a US$30 billion business that generates 9% of the country’s GDP. Along the way, the Philippines has outpaced India to firmly establish itself as the world’s leading contact center outsourcing destination.
“The reasons for this amazing growth are many. Chief amongst them is the loyal patronage of global Fortune 500 companies like Google, PayPal, Microsoft and many others who enjoy the cost-saving benefits of basing their call center operations in the Philippines. On average, companies save up to 50% on operational costs by outsourcing font and back-office functions,” says Ralf Ellspermann, CEO of PITON-Global, a mid-sized outsourcing provider specializing in call center services in the Philippines.
Contracting with Philippine contact centers also offers companies a tremendous ROI because it improves business efficiency, reduces risk, and lets management focus on the business's core competencies.
On top of these benefits, call centers in the Philippines have earned renown for delivering one of the business world’s most essential aspects: exceptional customer experience.
Customers demand world-class support
In today’s competitive business world, few things are more important than the customer experience (CX). Brands must deliver hyper-personalized, omnichannel support in response to stringent consumer demands. Offering 24/7, around-the-clock support is just the start.
“The statistics of great CX speak for themselves. Ninety-six percent of customers say excellent customer service influences their choice in brand loyalty, but 86% will abandon a brand after just one unpleasant experience. 27% of consumers rate ineffective service as their number one customer experience complaint,” says Ellspermnann.
Since post-sale support is the main point of interaction between organizations and their customers, it’s little wonder why 88% of companies now prioritize CX in their call centers. The Philippines has responded by providing its clients with some of the best customer service in the call center outsourcing world.
There are three distinct components.
1. Round-the-clock service
In Philippine call centers, the work never stops as agents work both day and night shifts, including weekends and holidays.
This commitment to duty means they provide 24/7, non-stop customer service. Being there for customers whenever they need assistance can help companies double their business capacity while significantly improving customer trust, retention and satisfaction.
2. Embracing new technologies
The better call centers in the Philippines are fully committed to using artificial intelligence (AI) technology to improve the customer experience. AI-empowered automation leaves simple, mundane call center tasks to the machines.
This gives human agents more time to deal with complex customer issues that require direct agent-customer interactions. Since 86% of consumers prefer human agents to chatbots, opening direct lines of communication gives customers exactly what they want: more engaging and positive customer experiences with actual people.
3. Excellent communication skills
According to Ellspermann, “Studies show that more than 76% of all consumers prefer phone calls to reach customer support representatives. To that end, there must be clear communication between agents and customers, especially since inability to understand an agent is a significant source of customer frustration.”
Communication gaps are not a problem with call centers in the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos speak fluent English with neutral accents, traits that are perfect for voice-based services.
Customers feel positive about a company when they know they can communicate clearly and effectively with its call center agents. It also means the customer’s problem or issue can be resolved quickly. This results in significantly improved and productive customer-agent interactions and heightened brand loyalty.
The bottom line
Significant cost-cutting, improved business efficiency and a tremendous ROI are key reasons why the Philippines continue to be the go-to destination for global companies looking for call center outsourcing excellence. But as Ellspermann puts it, “In a customer-centric business world, the ability to deliver world-class customer experiences is the biggest reason why call center services in the Philippines are in such high demand."