New call center firm targets 100,000 jobs in three years

MANILA, Feb. 11 (PNA) - A call center services provider has recently opened in the Philippines with a goal of directly and indirectly employing 100,000 individuals over the next three years for its inbound and outbound campaigns focusing on home-based agents as well as offering regional premise-based facilities.

Callworkz, the new call center solutions provider based in Pasig, Metro Manila, said it aims to help the Philippines achieve its goal of generating more than 1 million jobs in the thriving business process outsourcing (BPO) sector by 2010.

Callworkz CEO Brian Silverman said, “We plan to grow to 5,000 seats in three years translating to around US0 million in revenues.”

“We hope to contribute to the economic livelihood of many Filipinos,” Silverman said.

Callworkz provides services for the outsourcing needs of international companies through a home-based model that allows call center agents to work from their homes in the Philippines.

Strategic Link Consulting, consulting company based in Atlanta, Georgia, said Callworkz allows its largest client MMH to utilize the most innovative technologies. MMH has 60 agents working from their homes throughout the Philippines to run and manage its inbound and outbound campaigns and plans to hire 200 additional agents before the end of the year.

Strategic Link Consulting has two other clients that have signed up with Callworkz and are experiencing similar great results and are also planning to grow their campaigns.

“With Callworkz, we continue to get tremendous results while knowing that our agents are enjoying the quality of life they deserve,” said David Johnson, Partner of Strategic Link Consulting.

Silverman said Callworkz is different from other BPO companies in the sense that it combines profitability with social responsibility, on equal footing.

“While we initially will be focusing in Metro Manila, as we expand we will continue our job creation and social responsibility programs throughout the country, capitalizing on newer and innovative technologies,” he said.

He said the companies intends to alter the traditional employer-employee relationship in the Philippines, by giving their call center agents an opportunity to be both employees and owners at the same time.

This is possible by a home-based business model that focuses entirely on the differentiation of the agents, with only the best agents to be hired by the Callworkz.

He said, Qualified agents can expect attractive compensation/incentive packages, including highly competitive salaries, bi-annual profit- sharing bonuses, and aggressive stock option ownership program for all employees sharing in the profitability of Callworkz.

“Our uniqueness and our combination of compensation-based programs, equity ownership and social responsibility will guarantee the attraction and retention of only the best agents,” Silverman said.

“This in turn will promote satisfaction of our clients ensuring their loyalty and growth further adding to the profitability of Callwokz,” he added.

Silverman said he expects Callwokz to contribute to the continued growth of the Philippine BPO industry.

According to the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP), the industry grow by 40 percent year-on-year to about US$ 4.5 billion to US$ 5 billion in terms of revenues in 2007, employing more than 300,000 individuals, mostly in call centers.

This year, BPAP expects the local BPO industry to grow by another 40 percent to US$ 7 billion, which is within the government’s target of expanding the sector to a US$ 10-billion industry, employing more than 1 million people by 2010.

According to the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP), Call centers transactions alone posted more than 50 percent growth to US$ 3.3 billion in 2007 from US$ 2.1 billion in 2006, will employment rising 24 percent to 198,000 agents from 160,000 a year ago.

These figure are in line with official economic data provided by the government.

According to the National Income Accounts, exports of miscellaneous services, which include the revenues of call centers and other BPO companies, rose 32.1 percent to P227.33 billion and current prices in 2007 from P184.702 billion in 2006. (PNA)