"We are aware of the cautious optimism prevailing in the business communities worldwide. However, the BPO and ICT achievements last year gave us a good head start to withstand the current economic challenges.In fact, Bloomberg recently cited the Philippines (together with China)as the most resilient economies in Asia amidst the global crisis,"shares DTI undersecretary Thomas Aquino.
Despite the industry-wide downsizing of operations, the ICT, BPO, and eServices remains a key factor in securing more opportunities for us, sustaining not just the country's current position as one of the preferred outsourcing and off shoring (O&O) destinations but even catching up to address upcoming demands in the service sector, supply chain, and creative e-services (particularly in game development).
"Considering the crisis that we are facing right now, we are still bullish that the BPO, ICT, and eServices will achieve 24% growth this year," said Lauro Vives, founding president and CEO of XMG Asia Pacific, a global ICT research and advisory company.
To achieve the desired growth,the BPO industry together with 140 company-exhibitors will host the E-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition on February 9th to 10th. "We want to make the Philippines an even more attractive investment and business location by providing a preview of the future ICT (in the light of current economic conditions), highlighting industry achievements for the past year, and outline what can be expected this year and beyond," explains Aquino.
Jonathan De Luzuriaga, executive director for Industry Affairs of BPA/P agrees."This year's eServices will be very important for the Philippine O&O industry as it will provide a venue for the world to see the new opportunities for coming and expanding operations in the country as we demonstrate how, as an industry, we are able to adopt global best practices, capture new trends and continuously improve on our capabilities."
Nigel Romano, Citibank country chief financial officer and O&T head for North America points out the Filipino workers' "excellence to care" as their key differentiator and competitive edge. "Based on my experience of working here, more than the English skills and technical capabilities, it is the Filipinos'ability to care about what they do that sets them apart. That's why(despite the crisis) I remain optimistic about the country's prospects in the BPO sector."
For Transprocure Corp., a global procurement solutions and services provider, tax incentives to help them compete in the global market and their value proposition of helping other companies manage their business will enable them to reach their goal of helping the country become a BPO procurement capital in the future. Giving unsolicited advice to aspiring O&O companies, Transprocure president and CEO Charlie Villasenor says, "To achieve success you must not let your guard down, especially in times like this. It is also best to partner with solid organizations, participate to endeavors like this, and realign focus in order to be more competitive."
Meanwhile, delivering results is something that eServices sponsors like Bayan Telecommunications Inc. and Globe Telecom will focus on this year. The two telecommunications companies will continue enhancing their range of multimedia technologies,communication infrastructure, and end-to-end corporate data solutions for large enterprises, wholesale customers and start-up companies."Realizing the potential of outsourcing in the Philippines, we believe that we are ready to deliver results with our tailor-fit solutions,"states Bayantel chief executive consultant Tunde Fafunwa.
Established in 2001, the eServices Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition is an annual showcase of ICT and BPO services in fields of animation,software development, back office operations, contact centers, data transcription, health information management, game development, and engineering design. This year's eServices, which will be held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, is expected to draw 200 exhibitors, 1,500 delegates, foreign representatives from Japan,Taiwan, China and Sweden, and IT experts from US and Europe.