The Philippines as a Non-voice BPO Provider

It was the call / contact center sector that put the Philippines on the map when it comes to outsourcing and offshoring. The emergence of so many companies offering voice-based services not only in Metro Manila where most call centers are located but also in tier-2 areas is a concrete evidence that the voice-based sector is constantly gaining momentum.

Whether it is about getting inbound calls or making calls to other countries, it has become normal that contact centers come to mind when the Philippine BPO industry is talked about, making it look like voice-based work is the only thing that can be outsourced to the country. However, as more and more companies jump into the outsourcing trend and with the increasing demand, the Philippines had expanded its realm and it currently goes beyond voice services. While the country is already established as an ideal provider of voice-based work, it is now making its own mark in the non-voice sector.

The evolution of the Philippine BPO industry from a voice-based service provider to a promising non-voice offshore destination demonstrates the flexibility of the Filipino workers to fuel this BPO evolution and meet the demands of the constantly evolving world of outsourcing. The significant growth in non-voice BPO work for the last three years as well as buyer satisfaction are key indicators that the Philippines has the potential to be a major offshore hub for non-voice services. Also, the emergence of the non-voice market shows that skilled Filipino workers can compete with their counterparts in India and other offshore destinations in providing other kinds of BPO services.

Medical transcription and Finance and Accounting Outsourcing (FAO) are the non-voice services that are currently being provided by the Philippine BPO industry. The non-voice sector is rapidly growing and will soon be evident as more buyers discover the potential of the country in providing services related to different business operations and fields such as software development, legal processes, game development, digital animation, procurement, back office processing, and human resources management. All of these will leverage the large pool of professionals in different fields such as medicine and accounting.

As for the clients, the US is still on top of the list, but the Philippines is also looking at possible outsourcing relationships with UK, Australia, and European countries. Having a wide array of clients from different countries will greatly help in expanding the BPO sector. This will also enable Filipino workers to learn more and have a better understanding of the kind of work that clients with different cultural backgrounds are looking for.

The Philippines can prove that it is not limited only to providing voice-based services. It has already secured a place in the voice sector. It's high time for the country to show its strengths and capabilities as an offshore destination of non-voice BPO work.

Look beyond India for outsourcing and assess what the Philippines can do for your business. Should you need assistance or if you want to share your outsourcing ideas, please feel free to Contact O&OC. We are a group of independent specialists with only one mission - to support buyers and vendors in making outsourcing a success.