The call center industry in the Philippines compete positively in spite of the slump in the economy because more US companies continue to look for low-cost places to set up their operations on outsourcing business. According to Rose Kwan, special events chairman of the Center for International Trade Exhibits and Mission (CITEM), most of the American companies will hack down their production costs such as manpower and rental to survive the financial crisis. It will result to profit if they move their businesses to countries like the Philippines.

The upcoming 9th E-Services Global Sourcing and Exhibition will take place on February 9-10, 2009 at the SM Megamall Convention Hall in Metro Manila and it will be headed by the CITEM team of Kwan. Road shows in Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Baguio, Bacolod and Subic will happen in this month until December this year. Over 2,000 industry leaders and top executives from different BPO and ICT firms are expected to join the annual global event next year wherein more or less 200 local and international BPO-ICT firms will have their booths set up to hunt for new business ventures and sign up new contracts with clients and suppliers worldwide.  Kwan said that their contacts in the BPO industry told that the impact of the global recession will be much lesser because US companies will be relocated in the Philippines to cut down costs and widen their profit margin.

In the previous year, the event resulted to nearly 42 million US dollars worth of sales and new contracts dealt which attracted ICT companies from the US, Japan, Canada, China, Romania and India.

Marizon Loreto, DTI regional acting director said that increasing number of global BPO companies are acquainted with the reward of moving their call center business here in the Philippines. Due to the good infrastructure, rich source of skilled and friendly manpower the local government offices are ready to help and support the upcoming investors. [via]