Though outsourcing call center services has been around for years, Australia just started to jump into the bandwagon. The news that I’ve been reading for the past few months have always shown Australian companies being apprehensive on contracting their centers to another country.
Westpac Bank assured their shareholders that their call centers are safe and promised only staff based in their country will answer their calls. ANZ as well has told the press that their customer records are held securely onshore and will remain as such. It seems that these have been centered on financial institutions.
But, there are back office services that have been moved to India and the Philippines. Most are related to IT activities. Transactions on the back end have been successful and it is expected to expand in the next few years.
Though there are several major companies that have contracted both outbound and inbound services. It has also proven to be successful and found that offshore agents have adapted well in their culture.
Cyber City Inc., the pioneering call center firm at the Clark Special Economic Zone (CSEZ), has asked the government and the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPA/P) to stop pirating of workers. – Reynaldo G. Navales, Sun Star Pampanga, Philippines.
At last a plea to curb poaching! Competition is tougher and centers will do anything just to get the staff they need to meet their client’s demand. The most common strategy would be offering a signing bonus on top of the expected increase in salary from the previous employer.
This not only hurts a center’s bottom line but is the root cause of an increase in attrition in the country. This is not good news. If the number gets even bigger, this will turn off new investors and could decrease the demand for outsourced work.