Call centers cautiously optimistic in 2009

VOICE-BASED business process outsourcing (BPO) companies here expect to grow by a fifth this year despite the threat of a global economic crisis.

But industry leaders said call centers should enter 2009 with caution, noting that the local offshoring industry was not immune to the negative effects of the economic crunch.

"You never really know what’s going to happen," Benedict Hernandez, president of the Call Center Association of the Philippines, said in a recent interview.

"Despite the forecast, we still have to be more careful... We cannot say that there won’t be an impact," he added.

Mr. Hernandez noted that according to a survey by the group, call center companies, which make up around 70% of the local BPO industry, expect to grow by an average of 23% this year.

He noted that this would not be as fast as the 30% to 40% growth the sector had been experiencing in the past three years.

This is also lower than the growth expected by nonvoice BPO companies.

Mr. Hernandez said the slower growth rate relative to the entire industry might also be due to the fact that the sector now has a bigger base. "But you can’t really complain," he said, adding that at least, unlike other industries such as manufacturing, signs still pointed to growth. "The main thing is that it’s still going to be good growth."

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