The Call Center Industry...how long will it last?

[mojofilter]

Young, robust, dynamic, glitzy, and the wave of the future - for (employment, careers, the economy and anything else in between. An impressive package indeed.

But then, its an industry perceived to be unstable due to global competition and might be affected, much less taunted, by so many factors such as political unrest,brain-drain, downward spiral in standards, etc.

So, what do you think? Is the call center here to stay and keep the nights alive? Or is it a too-good-to- be-true industry that eventually will flicker away?

What can we do about it?

peace!

[auxes]

It all depends on the agents to all members of these customer service industry. As long as you/we deliver quality and superb customer service, the industry is here to stay.

Love your work and it will love you back.

[thehitman]

For as long as we remain the biggest English-speaking American-accented (or neutrally-accented) nation, the call center industry will remain alive and kicking. Some may claim that it's only a matter of time before other countries like China can produce English-speaking graduates, but the accent is something their graduates can't learn in a few short years. Also, a little known fact is that foreigners like our way of speaking. Filipinos generally have soothing voices. "Malambing". This is one edge we have that other countries will find very hard to overcome.

:cool:

[autogenerated]

Outsourcing in Asia Pacific will lose luster in 2006—XMG
Jan 05, 2006
INQ7.net

ORGANIZATIONS that have outsourced certain information technology functions to third parties will likely take some of these functions back, and run them in their own remote centers that will be established in 2006, Canada-based research firm XMG said

Organizations will also selectively outsource some IT functions, as they weigh the risks of contracting out these jobs offshore, the research firm said.

"As a number of multi-year deals are up for renewal globally, outsourcing will lose its luster as organizations take back certain IT functions, selectively outsource, or setup their own remote operations," XMG said in its 2006 predictions report in http://www.xmg-global.com.

Organizations that have previously signed multi-year outsourcing contracts are expected to establish remote operations in Asia Pacific to support its internal business process and IT requirements.

[Blue Zoo]

^^^^^

That has to do with IT functions, not Call Centers. No reason why Call Centers will lose luster. IT is another story though.

[otakusenshi]

This issue has been discussed from the time the cc industry started, but wahehe.. just want to join the thread...

Anyway... we really can't say whether it will stay or not, we all know that nothing is permanent in this world, which means, we just have to be prepared in the worst case scenario.

Nevertheless, this doesn't mean that we will no longer work in this kind of industry but continue what we have been doing. This is ther reason why we have stats, metrics or quantitative ways of measuring quality. It is one way to make an impression to multi-national companies in the world.

As long as we enjoy the kind of job that we are in, then I think is enough for me... basta mag-ipon kahit na mahirap gawin... waheheh

--just some thoughts of a happy-go-lucky rep ;)

[BaryaLang]

Greetings Thread Readers all;

I am training web site/page programmers to become world class and allow Philippine web site designers to stay and work in the Philippines while earning out-of-country money. I believe the call center jobs will stay but they will be migrating to marketing and supporting our own in-country-products and services (such as Internet Web Design).

We will without a doubt be seeing other countries in competition with our call centers. Americans and other country's people are not as concerned about what the voice sounds like when they call a call center. They want HELP/INFORMATION and they want it quick. If they get it quick and correct they will tolerate a foreign voice.

Our opportunity to stay in international business is dependent on our honesty, creativity, and concern for our clients. Our low cost of living allows us to produce products and services at a low cost. Other countries can do that too. The call centers are open to the great opportunities as long as we have discipline and honesty on our side. If we don't have discipline and honesty we will close down no matter what other countries do. Even if outside Philippines contracts are reduced or go away we can build business using our outgoing marketing skills selling Internet web sites at barya barya to the rest of the world. Building and selling websites requires creative human thinkers and we have that in abundance.

It is up to us and no one else to determine our staying power.


Barry

Barry Doolittle, Instructor
The Official Web Site for the Happy Pinoy
Barya Lang Internet Family
http://www.happypinoy.com

barry@happypinoy.com
barry@baryalang.com

http://www.baryalang.com
http://www.900ph.com
http://www.19d.us
http://www.1job.us

[autogenerated]

http://abcnews.go.com/images/International/ap_phillipines_outsourcing_051222_t.jpg
New hired call center agent.



India's Outsourcing Boom Runs Into Trouble
Shortage of Skilled Workers Could Mean Losing Jobs to the Philippines and China Outsourcing
ABC News
Dec. 24, 2005

A chronic shortage of skilled workers is threatening India's outsourcing industry. Call centers and outsourcing firms are growing fast, but their human resources employees despair because most of the young Indians they interview are, they say, "unemployable."

Some people in the IT industry have said that only one in 10 graduates is worth taking on. "Just look at their English," fumed a frustrated Mumbai-based call center manager as he waved around letters written by employees.


One read:

"As I am marrying my daughter, please grant a week's leave."

Another said:

"I am in well here and hope you are also in the same well."


India employs about 350,000 people in the outsourcing industry and adds 150,000 new jobs each year. But filling those vacancies is proving to be a nightmare. At this moment, the industry needs to hire around 9,000 people but can't find them.

The crisis is set to worsen. The industry faces a shortfall of half a million workers in a few years' time, according to a study this month by McKinsey & Company and the Indian IT body Nasscom.

The specter haunting the industry is that it could lose its leading position as the world's "back office."

"If the industry has to go on paying higher and higher salaries to retain the staff it has, costs will rise and India will lose its biggest advantage — cheap labor," said Saurabh Wig, a former call center sales manager.

If the industry fails to recruit workers at reasonable wages, India will lose orders to countries such as the Philippines and China, according to Nasscom.

With half of its 1.2 billion people under age 25, how can India possibly be short of workers? The problem is not quantity but quality. Many of the 3.6 million graduates churned out every year by Indian universities are considered mediocre.

The Nasscom-McKinsey report confirmed the experiences of HR executives. It said that only about 10 percent to 15 percent of eligible workers are fit for employment in the offshoring industry. Fluency in English apart, employers complained that graduates lacked computer skills, the ability to reason clearly, solve problems, think critically, analyze, work in teams and think creatively.

The Confederation of Indian Industry said that what's taught at universities is not what industry needs. This is why the Indian government has set up a "Knowledge Commission" to improve Indian brainpower.

Sam Pitroda, who is based in Chicago but visits India regularly, is the chairman of the commission. One of his tasks is to overhaul higher education from top to bottom. "About 80 percent of what is taught in Indian universities is obsolete. A professor boasted to me about how he'd used the same notes for 20 years. Think how much the world has changed, and he hasn't updated his notes." said Pitroda.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=1428299

[Choy_1979]

I think this will never if only call center companies will accept those who knew the language and the only problem is the intonations, ennunciations and the likes, since there's a training for AmSpeak or so. Di ba? Well, since maselan sila masyado, for sure mawawalan talaga. Sana wag naman, just imagine how many millions of pinoy will be unemployed again. nweys Good Luck sa ating lahat


http://abcnews.go.com/images/International/ap_phillipines_outsourcing_051222_t.jpg
New hired call center agent.



India's Outsourcing Boom Runs Into Trouble
Shortage of Skilled Workers Could Mean Losing Jobs to the Philippines and China Outsourcing
ABC News
Dec. 24, 2005

A chronic shortage of skilled workers is threatening India's outsourcing industry. Call centers and outsourcing firms are growing fast, but their human resources employees despair because most of the young Indians they interview are, they say, "unemployable."

Some people in the IT industry have said that only one in 10 graduates is worth taking on. "Just look at their English," fumed a frustrated Mumbai-based call center manager as he waved around letters written by employees.


One read:

"As I am marrying my daughter, please grant a week's leave."

Another said:

"I am in well here and hope you are also in the same well."


India employs about 350,000 people in the outsourcing industry and adds 150,000 new jobs each year. But filling those vacancies is proving to be a nightmare. At this moment, the industry needs to hire around 9,000 people but can't find them.

The crisis is set to worsen. The industry faces a shortfall of half a million workers in a few years' time, according to a study this month by McKinsey & Company and the Indian IT body Nasscom.

The specter haunting the industry is that it could lose its leading position as the world's "back office."

"If the industry has to go on paying higher and higher salaries to retain the staff it has, costs will rise and India will lose its biggest advantage — cheap labor," said Saurabh Wig, a former call center sales manager.

If the industry fails to recruit workers at reasonable wages, India will lose orders to countries such as the Philippines and China, according to Nasscom.

With half of its 1.2 billion people under age 25, how can India possibly be short of workers? The problem is not quantity but quality. Many of the 3.6 million graduates churned out every year by Indian universities are considered mediocre.

The Nasscom-McKinsey report confirmed the experiences of HR executives. It said that only about 10 percent to 15 percent of eligible workers are fit for employment in the offshoring industry. Fluency in English apart, employers complained that graduates lacked computer skills, the ability to reason clearly, solve problems, think critically, analyze, work in teams and think creatively.

The Confederation of Indian Industry said that what's taught at universities is not what industry needs. This is why the Indian government has set up a "Knowledge Commission" to improve Indian brainpower.

Sam Pitroda, who is based in Chicago but visits India regularly, is the chairman of the commission. One of his tasks is to overhaul higher education from top to bottom. "About 80 percent of what is taught in Indian universities is obsolete. A professor boasted to me about how he'd used the same notes for 20 years. Think how much the world has changed, and he hasn't updated his notes." said Pitroda.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=1428299

[mojofilter]

interesting....