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Contact Islands ’21 tackles re-igniting growth in the new business environment
The growth of the country’s contact center sector is expected to outpace global growth in 2021. This is based on the outlook released by the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP).
For the year, the volume of full-time employees (FTEs) of contact centers in the Philippines is forecast to grow by about 8% to 9%, compared to about 6% to 7% growth globally. In terms of revenue, the country’s contact centers are projected to rise by 9% versus about 6% to 7% worldwide. Meanwhile, the IT-BPM growth locally and globally are expected at 7% to 8% in terms of the volume of FTEs and 8% in terms of revenue.
“The story of our industry was a really tough 2020 for many of us, still tough in 2021. But the market is rebounding. The Philippines is rebounding together with the market but because we are highly differentiated, no other country could do contact center better than the Philippines. We are enjoying faster growth than the global market and fueling our business growth is the creation of jobs,” said CCAP Chairman Benedict Hernandez during the opening of the 5-day conference.
Upholding employee welfare
CCAP has also cited support mechanisms provided by local contact firms to their workforce amid the ongoing pandemic. While 99.5% of all employees continue to work, either on-site (40% on average) or at home (59% on average), half a percent of all employees is unable to work due to various reasons. One out of three companies are providing financial support to these employees.
About 73% of on-site employees in CCAP-member companies have received extra pay and allowances. The figure is contrast with 35% in BPO centers and 38% in shared service centers (SSCs). Meanwhile, up to 97% of work-from-home employees of CCAP-member contact centers have received extra pay and allowances against 47% and 50% from BPO centers and SSCs, respectively.
Logically, additional support and incentives have been provided to on-site contact center professionals amid the pandemic. Among those are provisions for temporary housing, transportation arrangements, and Covid tests.
Virtual Contact Islands
These data and more details are taking the forefront of the timely and interesting discussions at the virtual ‘Contact Islands ‘21’ slated from September 27 to October 1, 2021. With the theme ‘Re-Igniting Growth in the New Business Environment,’ the weeklong conference organized by CCAP will focus on the customer experience in the world of Covid-19.
“The current situation is a combination of uncertainties and hope,” said CCAP President Jojo Uligan. “While the number of total Covid-19 cases continue to rise nationwide and is so far at about 2.4 million, the national vaccination program has administered over 43 million total doses so far. CCAP has entered into partnerships with various local government units to ensure vaccinations for employees.”
Uligan also expressed optimism that the local contact center sector along with the global IT-BPM industry could see a strong market rebound in 2021. Multiple forces are expected to help drive growth in the global services industry for the year—including continuous vaccine rollout, positive enterprise sentiment, digital acceleration, pent-up demand, rising cost optimization requirements, and potential fiscal stimulus across demand geographies.
