News

Contrary to reports, and if some recent announcements are any indication, the Philippines is far from saturated as a contact center location.

Catch Friday Enterprises, a British business process outsourcing (BPO) firm with a contact center in Davao reports, in a story carried via OfficialWire that Bacolod City is now is the first among the top ten next wave cities for BPO. With a total number of eight companies attracted since 2004, Bacolod’s contact center has provided 7,000 jobs to area residents.

The latest company to open it says will be Panasiatic Call Center, Inc. which will initially be hiring 800 people on its opening in June 2010. They will be housed in a two storey building close to the Bacolod City Government Center. Nabil Edmond Salamouni, Panasiatic’s Chief Operating Officer said will be the start of his firm’s projects in Bacolod for they have everything they needed in this city, with a well educated and competent workforce.

Despite the reports that the BPO sector in Bacolod is already saturated, it continues to attract more companies thanks to its great and wonderful business environment, says CatchFriday. Mayor Evelio R. Leonardia assured Salamouni to create a healthier business atmosphere that will make growth easier, the mayor also promised to give all the cooperation and support needed from the government of Bacolod.

CatchFriday itself is developing its Philippines business. It has appointed James Pitt as Head of Operations and has just signed a Canadian client. Pitt has recently completed developing a large building-sector website in the U.S., getting it ready for seed funding by using a range of online and offline channels. He has also built an Italian portal into a leading food and wine site using a mixture of voice and online work. He has worked with a leading U.K.-based services company to build and populate its CRM system.

James has experience in getting the very best people in The Philippines up to speed to perform very high quality work. For example CatchFriday has handled programs for high-end American, Canadian and U.K. clients.

Meanwhile PinoyBusiness.org reports U.S.-based Cybernet-Slash Support (CSS (News - Alert)) recently opened its 1,000-seat facility in Taguig, its first Philippines site and currently has 400 employees. CSS said the new facility will be used for the company’s outbound sales, technology and other integrated BPO services for North American clients.