The Philippine Government, the Economy, and the Role of the BPO Industry in the Country's Future

The Philippines has the 4^th largest economy in South East Asia. It has a mixed economic system and its industry's important sectors include food processing, textiles and garments, electronics parts, and automobile parts. Agriculture and mining also have great potentials in the Philippines. The lands mostly are rich in chromite, nickel, and copper, and the rich soil produces fruits, vegetables, root crops, and rice for the farmers. Most industries are centered in the urban areas like Metro Manila and Cebu.

Unfortunately, since the end of World War II, the economic situation of the Philippines has significant ups and downs. This country was at one time one of the richest countries in South East Asia before the period of chronic weak performance of several corrupt leaders that made the economy unstable.

After the protracted dictatorship of the corrupt leader, Ferdinand Marcos, the Philippines was able to gradually uplift its economy by the restoration of democracy from the succeeding administrations of the late Corazon Aquino and Fidel V. Ramos. At some point in time the economy deteriorated again due to political instability, major problem regarding the nation's electricity, multi-billion debts left by the Marcos regime, and a wave of major natural disasters which further damped economic activity.

The succeeding Joseph Estrada administration tried to continue the reform that was started by the previous administrations, yet, a major bank failure and political disturbances, following his impeachment and subsequent departure from office led to a slower growth of the economy. This made the Filipino people leave the country and seek greener pasture in foreign lands. The Philippines started producing overseas Filipino workers (OFW), where domestic helpers and personal service workers are the majority of the exported services and were filled mostly by women. The OFWs have contributed a lot to the economy through remittances, buying properties, and creating businesses.

It was under the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that pushed towards faster economic growth. Her stance towards economic improvement has remarkably re-emerged and restored the economy. Major infrastructures arose in the metropolitan areas of Luzon, while Metro Cebu also became an attraction for foreign and local investors. It was in her time that the Philippines ventured into a new economic boon that encompasses the Business Process Outsourcing or BPO industry. It was then that the Philippines became the second largest call center industry, next to India, according to the June 2008 study that was released by Oracle Corp.

The emergence of BPO industries in the Arroyo administration has a humungous effect in the country's unemployment rate, helping thousands of young individuals feed their families and provide them a comfortable lifestyle. Majority of the top ten BPO firms of the United States, operate in the Philippines and invested billions of dollars because of the quality of service that the Filipinos provide.

However, the country is still facing several challenging problems such as high oil prices and political instability and mudslinging. Recently the country suffered the destructive wake of two typhoons that wreaked serious havoc on the agricultural sector. It was also during Arroyo's administration where large-scale corruption activities were discovered and was divulged by some of her cronies who can not stand anymore her greed.

Money sent by OFW back to the country represents a huge chunk in the country's economy today. This makes the country the fourth largest recipient of foreign remittances behind India, China, and Mexico. The rising call center industries also provided a positive impact to the economy. Indeed, the call center industry will play a significant role as the country continues to develop its full potential and forges towards the millennium.

Telemarketing Call Center (724Care Inc.), is a premier provider of business process outsourcing services in the Philippines located in Cebu City, specializes Appointment Setting services and Market Research survey. You may call its toll free number at 1-888-724-888-9.

How Call Center Jobs can Change Your Lifestyle

Call center jobs rank as one of the most in-demand jobs and careers these days. This is especially true in the Philippines. There is a constant urgency for hiring by emerging call center companies. One does not need to have a Bachelor's degree as a requirement for employment. All it takes is for one to speak fluently and to sound exactly like an American, British, or Australian national. This is because most of these companies cater to English speaking countries such as the US, UK, Canada, and Australia.

Today's young generation aspire to land jobs as call center agents in these companies because they pay more than double some of the common jobs or professions such as teachers, nurses, clerks, bank tellers, and many others. Apart from the good pay, working in this type of industry helps one his or her speaking and language skills since most call center companies offer free language training courses before one formally starts as a call center agent. It also helps boost one's self-confidence because one gets to speak with foreign people from all walks of life in those aforementioned countries. It is like working abroad without actually leaving the Philippines.

For companies who urgently need hundreds of agents they would temporarily hire people usually from 18 to 25 years of age, even if their speech level is not satisfactory. They would offer one week to one month training, depending on how fast one learns and adapts to the English language. These companies also offer a significant amount for daily allowance. Once the trainee surpassed the training he or she can formally start as an agent and will receive above minimum wage with further allowances including transportation, clothing, medical, and perfect attendance bonus. An additional night differential pay of 10 to 30 percent from the basic pay if you are scheduled to work from 10 in the evening until 6 in the morning, because most of these companies operate during night time in the Philippines while it is day time in the US, UK, or Canada. The extraordinary work hours contribute to changes in the sleeping patterns of call center agents. They are asleep at daytime but alive and in full work mode at nighttime. This drastic change in one's natural biological clock can result health problems for some.

Philippine call centers are mostly located in highly urbanized areas where conveniences of modern living and technology are very accessible. But that as it may, this set-up can make one's young life complicated. Why? Because there are lots of peer pressure. With the more than adequate amount of income they are receiving, the amount of peer pressure existing in this industry is enough to make a fresh soul into an established smoker and an avid night-life goer, and of course the lure of the liquor bar is never far behind. In addition to that, one has to live a fast paced and costly city life which include all the different monthly bills that come with urban living such as rentals or monthly amortizations for an apartment or condo unit, water, electricity, internet, phones, car loans, insurances, and a lot more.

Another thing is that call center agents are heavy coffee drinkers and smokers. The caffeine and the nicotine help them stay awake at night especially if they do not have sufficient sleep during daytime. Others who do not drink coffee or smoke quickly acquired the habit because they believe this will help their stamina last for 8 hours for this nocturnal job.

As the BPO industry expands, there will be lots of posts to be filled up. This would definitely help a lot in decreasing the country's unemployment rate, and providing people with a good life. Most people who have been in the industry for a long time are successful and satisfied despite of the pressure that surrounds the job and the life-changing habits that come with the job.

724Care Inc., is a premier provider of business process outsourcing services in the Philippines located in Cebu City, specializes Appointment Setting services and Market Research survey. You may call its toll free number at 1-888-724-888-9.

The Implemented Laws for Telemarketing Call Centers

Telemarketing is the most popular and cost-effective marketing and communication technique available. It helps your business conserve more time, money, and workforce. It is a method of direct marketing in which an agent proposes to the prospective customer to buy products or services over the phone. It is a great way to promote your products or services, that is why outbound call centers emerged and are widely used by businesses.

Outbound telemarketing is a huge business but it can be annoying to those who receive these calls multiple times a day. It has been reported that households particularly in western countries received billions of calls in a year from faceless telemarketers. They sometimes call your household at the most inopportune time, either early in the morning when you are still fast asleep, at dinner time when everybody is set at the table, or before bedtime when a mother is reading a story to her child. Is it not annoying when you rush out from the bathroom halfway done taking a bath, or get out from under the car covered with grease, just to pick up the phone and only to find out an unknown caller is trying to sell you something you do not need?

Because of the rapid growth of telemarketing call centers, several laws were passed and amended. However, these laws differ from state to state and from country to country. In the face of all the difference, each telemarketing companies have the sole responsibility to become familiar with the laws governing the industry in a specific locale. They are obliged to adhere with all the relevant laws imposed on their industry.

According to the Official Business Link to the U.S. Government, telemarketing is regulated at the federal level by two statutes: The Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA) and the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR). The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) derives its regulatory authority from TCPA, while the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is responsible for enforcing TSR. The FTC implemented the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act of 1994, a federal legislation in the United States, to combat telephone fraud. It helps consumers how to differentiate between fraudulent and legitimate telemarketing.

The law established the FTC's National Do-Not-Call Registry in 2003 in order to facilitate compliance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (TCPA). A Do-Not-Call (DNC) Registry is managed by the FTC to make it easier and more efficient to prevent telemarketing calls that you do not want. It is a list of phone numbers from consumers who do not wish to be called by telemarketers, otherwise, consumers can file a complaint against the company. The telemarketing laws of the FCC also require that calls made by predictive dialers to wireless telephone numbers be prohibited. It also prohibits sending any unsolicited fax advertisements, the use of automatic dialers, or sending recorded messages.

On the other hand, telemarketing companies are also required to maintain their own internal Do-Not-Call list. If you are contacted by a company that is exempted from the national DNC registry, such as banks, federal credit unions and loans, or telephone and airline companies, you can ask them to put your number in their internal DNC list, otherwise, you can file a complaint against the company as well. You can also take advantage of this strategy even if you do not subscribe to the national DNC registry.

How to Communicate Effectively When Appointment Setting

Communication is the art of exchanging information and ideas in everything we do. It is a two-way process that needs good listening and presenting skills. It could be spoken through telephones, computers, face-to-face conversations, small or large meetings or discussions. It could be written through cellphones, internet, letters or cards. It could also be viewed through videos, DVDs, or filmed presentations. There are different types of communications, but the most important thing that you need to consider is how to communicate effectively. Even when we are not talking, our gestures and facial expressions exhibit non-verbal communication and sometimes it can be more powerful and real than actual words spoken. You can tell a person's emotion by the look in his eyes, his hand movements and general body posture. You can determine as well the person's emotion on the other line when talking over the telephone.

Establishing an effective conversation over the phone is very important and it plays a crucial role in business particularly in appointment setting. Good communication skills are important in appointment setting, yet, it does not matter how eloquent or good-looking you are if you never get the chance to compose yourself in front of a prospect, either in person or over the phone. An enthusiastic condition of a warm and friendly conversation by the tonal quality of your voice should be initiated when making cold calls. While it is easy to just pick up the phone and make cold calls, but making calls without preparation or strategy will yield poor results.

Make sure when you are telemarketing you know what to say and how to say to keep your message consistent and effective, thus, an effective call script is advised. A simple “hi” or “hello” can take away formalities instead of saying “good morning” or “good evening”, that maybe regarded as austere and cold. It is always proper and polite to introduce yourself after the warm greetings. Do not wait for the prospect to ask for your name. Project positive attitude so that your prospect will respond with affirmation. Otherwise, if you are not confident in everything you say, your prospect may sense it and this might cause them to respond apprehensively.

It is very important to understand how people interpret your message. The person in the other line can immediately conclude if you are worth the time and effort. If you give a good and distinctive information to people, they are better equipped to see your point of view. Exaggerated claims and promises such as “You can be a millionaire by joining us!” or “You can be sexy in five days” should be avoided. You do not have to waste their time and lessen the chance of getting their interest if they have to strain their ears to absorb everything that you are saying. Explain the purpose of your call in a precise and logical manner. Express your openness to captivate your prospect into a productive conversation that will encourage them to participate and maintain their attention and interest level.

It is important to determine if there is a relationship worth pursuing. To avoid possible arguments, provide only the necessary information that leads to an appointment. Remember that the main reason of your call is to set for an appointment. Have your prospect agree for an appointment right away once you have their interest. Do not delay for it may turn their hot interest into cold and it takes twice the effort to gain their interest back. Inform the prospect that the appointment is free and there is no obligation on their part, thus, making the appointment setting much easier.

How Appointment Setting Services can Generate New Businesses

The emergence of BPO industries in the Philippines have helped a lot not just in the country's employment rate, but it also helped a lot in generating new businesses for every company that outsources their services or products. Many companies invest more than 90% of their marketing budget in outsourcing services particularly in Appointment Setting because it is an extremely effective marketing tool.

Appointment Setting service has been the cornerstone of generating new businesses because there is nothing more effective than a face-to-face meeting. It dramatically increases the likelihood of closing a sale when you meet the prospect client face-to-face rather than selling over the phone. It is beneficial to smaller businesses as well, for they might have no resources to find new prospects such as doctors, mortgage brokers, financial planners, contractors, insurance agents, and other service oriented businesses.

Outsourcing Appointment Setting service helps your business conserve more time, money, and workforce such as hiring people, train them and manage an internal team of telemarketers. It also eliminates expenses for computer hardware, office space, and even furniture that you will need.

Appointment Setting companies free you from those responsibilities without additional expenses of hiring full-time employees. It allows you to focus on your core competencies and goals. However, this type of service requires telemarketers with excellent communication skills and persistence. They should have the detailed knowledge about the product or service that they are about to sell. Thus, make sure when you outsource for this type of service, choose the company that has the best team of agents that can handle a high level of conversation with decision makers.

Appointment Setting companies assist you by cold calling and pre-screening prospective clients, choosing the highly qualified prospects. It helps you see if they are good candidates for your products or services. After the highly qualified prospects are screened, a face-to-face meeting will be arranged so that your representative can focus on presenting the core proposition of the business. In this way, the representative would be able to clear all doubts that the prospective clients may have about the product or service that they are offering. In a period of time, you can have the decision maker's complete attention, and finally closes the deal.

Conducting a Quality Market Research Survey

A survey is a systematic method of collecting data from a population of interest. The purpose of a survey is to collect quantitative information, usually through the use of a structured and standardized questionnaire. A good-structured questionnaire is the foundation of a quality market research survey. It is the basic tool to gather data that are specific and crucial to the success of your business. A carefully designed questionnaire can generate vast amount of revenue or it can dramatically change strategies.

Through market research survey, you can determine the likely performance of a product or service, the buying behavior of consumers, consumers' awareness of a product or service, and the consumers' attitude toward existing or proposed products and services. The effectiveness of the questions would depend on the way they are structured such that your results will be relevant, accurate, and even conclusive.

There are different methods of market research surveys and they are categorized depending upon your target market or population of interest. There are so many factors to be considered as well in conducting a quality research surveys, but the most important thing is how to construct a survey questionnaire that would help you convince your respondents to answer it accurately.


Composing your Survey Questionnaire

In order to have a quality survey, try to make your questionnaire as short as possible. Use only those questions that will provide the information you need. Do not make it too broad and you will need to ask too many questions, or do not make it too narrow and you will not be able to research the topic thoroughly enough.

• Determine your target market. This is the first thing you need to consider in composing your questionnaire.


• Structure the survey in such a way that the questions will follow a logical order and educe from general to specific.


• Use multiple-choice type of questions whenever possible. This helps the respondent understand better the purpose of your question and save time in completing the questionnaire.


• Avoid leading questions that might generate false positive response. E.G. “How satisfied are you by the service provided by our excellent waiters?” Instead, “How satisfied are you by the service provided by our waiters?”


• For questions requiring the respondent to rate the items, use the same rating scale all throughout your survey. If you use numerical rating from 0 to 5 or from 1 to 10, keep the same scale for all of the questions that require rating scale.


• Try to test the survey for at least 10 to 15 people before you produce it for mass distribution. After completing the survey, conduct an interview with these people to determine if your questions were easily understood and easy to answer.

Professionally conducted surveys can definitely help you improve results. There are Business Process Outsourcing or BPO industries nowadays that specialize market research survey and you can be assured of a valuable result. With the emergence of offshore BPO, outsourcing market surveys have helped a lot of businesses in assessing opinions, trends and competitors.

Mauban Quezon: Mauban Can Compete to the best

What Island is that? That sure looks so nice.

Cheers from the Philippines call Center