A motto written on the company?s Web site reads: ?No job is too small.? For a call center which started out barely six months ago and with only three seats, FarmOut has no qualms about getting work from clients whose requirements are technically small by today?s industry standards.

In fact, it was a conscious decision for the Pangasinan-based operator to go after small clients knowing that bigger Metro Manila-based operators would typically require 50 to 100 seats.

Since it started last February, FarmOut Central InTouch Inc. currently has three clients from the U.S. and is now working on an outsourcing deal with another client. From three seats, it now has 20 seats operating on two shifts.

?These (clients) are small firms and their needs are small which is why we believe we are a perfect match for them,? said Wilson Chua, president of Dagupan City-based ISP Bitstop Network Services Inc., which invested in FarmOut.

Northern exposure

Chua believes being located outside of Metro Manila makes not much of a difference. ?Some of our clients are not even exactly aware where the Philippines is, they don"t really care where you are geographically located as long as you meet SLAs (service level agreements),? he said in an interview with Computerworld Philippines.

Chua?s native province, though, may have an edge over other regions. Pangasinan has one of the biggest populations in the North and boasts of several urban cities like Dagupan, Lingayen, Urdaneta, Bayambang, and Alaminos.

More importantly, Chua said the province has a wide fiber optic network coverage that ensures reliability and which is critical to the delivery of services to U.S. clients. Aside from PLDT, he said Gokongwei-owned Digitel has also opened its leased line network in the region.

Pangasinan also has four major universities which, Chua added, can provide a steady stream of potential agents. FarmOut?s recruitment also extends to other cities further North like Tuguegarao, Cagayan, and Vigan, Ilocos Sur. (Applicants can apply through FarmOut?s Web site www.farmout.ph and are encouraged to submit a .wav recording of their voice.)

Surprisingly, though, Chua said FarmOut is attracting young Pangasinenses who have already experienced working for call centers in Metro Manila although, he admitted, compensation isn?t as high as that offered by bigger players.

?We tell them frankly that we cannot match what Manila-based operators are giving,? he said. ?But they eventually find it a better deal because they don?t have to commute or rent an apartment because most of them still live at home. Cost of living, in general, is a lot lower.?

Because of the nature of the agents? work, call centers also provide ?flexible? employment opportunities. FarmOut has also attracted a number of ?single moms? as agents, Chua added.

As president of an ISP like Bitstop, Chua has seen the local call center industry progress from its early years. During that time, he and his team at Bitstop already wanted to apply the same vision in their native province.

?We even invited to a forum local businessmen in Pangasinan including Internet café operators. But there seemed to be a lack of interest so we decided to put up a call center of our own,? he recalled.

Now, news is, according to Chua, there are at least two companies looking to put up call centers in Pangasinan, including one major multinational IT company which already has operations in Metro Manila.

As an industry, though, call centers have always raised the need to keep the country?s English competitiveness at a high level. ?We do experience difficulty in looking for agents but this is something a good training program can address,? he said.

Chua added, ?People in the provinces are known to be more hospitable and that is an advantage working for companies like us. Agents are still the most important piece in this business.?