'We should not position the Philippines as a cheaper destination because India is already cheaper than us; instead, we should be positioned as a superior-quality destination,' said eTelecare's Hernandez.

'We have found the Philippines an excellent country in which to do business,' said Convergys' Zamora. Citing the opening of its seventh facility at Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City as the highlight of 2005 for Convergys, Zamora said that the company grew from five facilities with 4,200 employees at the beginning of the year to nine facilities with nearly 7,800 employees by year-end.

Convergys is also looking into occupying its newest facility in Makati early this year. Having recently completed and moved into its new facility on Ayala Avenue as well, PeopleSupport's Lamzon said that the facility is designed to be ready for any expansion the company may undertake in the future. 'We're also always on the lookout for the next best place to set up or to recruit from, and maybe a company to acquire or merge with,' added Lamzon.

'We are seeing an increasing interest in optimizing the ability to offer consistent world-class customer care across any channel a customer might use to contact a company -- that is, voice, Web, e-mail, etc.,' said Convergys' Zamora, adding that technologies and services that can provide the consistency customers seek will be important this year.

'We see VOIP as becoming more and more an option for players in the industry,' said eTelecare's Hernandez, stressing, however, that more than the issue of what technology to deploy, it is the 'superior quality execution' of these technologies that really matters.