CCAP’s Expo Takes on Global Dimension

The Contact Center of the Philippines (CCAP), will organize the International Contact Center Conference & Expo, which sets its sights on the global horizon by creating an avenue that will share best practices and case studies from other countries as well as the Philippines. This is the sixth conference and expo to be organized by CCAP. This year’s event promises to be larger and more exciting as it draws more delegates from all over the world. With guest speakers from different continents to share their insights and experiences from a more global perspective. The International Contact Center Conference & Expo will be held on Sept. 28-29 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

The International Contact Center Conference & Expo will also mix speakers from diverse backgrounds and various sectors — operations, marketing, human resource management, training, academe, technology, research, real estate, and consultancy — ensuring a rich learning experience. The plenary sessions will highlight special panel discussions, including a Global CEO Forum, which will discuss issues in the global outsourcing market; an Analyst Panel Discussion, which will share international trends; and an SME Panel Discussion, which will tackle how smaller players can build homegrown global BPO brands.

The two-day event also opens up possibilities for international networking for operators and vendors. The exposition is an avenue by which exhibitors and sponsors can target international, or at least regional, markets. There is also a two-day job fair with dozens of call centers looking for new hires. They will accept and process job applications and conduct on-the-spot interviews. In addition, call centers and training companies will conduct free workshops and career orientation seminars for job seekers. It is the official job fair for the call center industry, represented by the some of the biggest call centers in the country, including the 65 CCAP member call centers. This conference is expected to raise the industry to a whole new level, and showcase Philippine depth and range in contact center capabilities. At the same time, building the country as the prime destination for global conferences and promote the Philippines as a world-class business-leisure destination. It will give the international market a compelling reason to come here to learn. And being the number one player in outsourced contact center services with a solid track record and a rich knowledge base is a very good reason.

The R5 (Rant, Rave, Rant, Rant, Rave) Blog: What counts as Ethical SEO?

The R5 (Rant, Rave, Rant, Rant, Rave) Blog: What counts as Ethical SEO?

Benefits of Home Sourcing

Home sourcing, in basic terms, it is outsourcing to people's homes. Many businesses - chiefly, call centers - are jumping on the home sourcing bandwagon to cut costs and reap many other benefits. Home sourcing is a win-win prospect, as these positions allow workers to obtain stable employment while enjoying the advantages of working at home. As stated, both employers and employees can benefit from home sourcing positions. Employers are well aware that many customers and clients prefer to speak with someone whom they can easily understand and vice versa. Outsourcing overseas can result in language and dialect barriers that leave callers frustrated and unhappy. Home sourcing is a solution for this problem that pleases customers while keeping overhead costs lower for the companies they are calling. Employers may even be able to benefit from special tax credits by home sourcing jobs. Many home sourcing employers hire representatives on a contract basis, which cuts the costs of benefits such as health insurance and paid time off.

Since employees enjoy the plusses of telecommuting, such as saving money on gas and no stressful commute, they can pay a lower wage than they would to full-time, on-site staff. Don't write home sourcing jobs off as not worth your time, though. These jobs are still subject to minimum wage laws and most pay substantially more than that. In addition, read Benefits of Working from Home and Environmental and Cost Benefits of Telecommuting to Work to learn more about how you might benefit from a home sourcing position.

Outsourcing has become more attractive in recent years due to improved technology and wage arbitrage opportunities. Expanded broadband access, improved call-routing networks, and cheaper computer technology have allowed outsourcing to accelerate. Wage arbitrage opportunities, buying labor where it is relatively inexpensive, have arisen in industrialized countries with significant labor costs. An American computer programmer is paid between $75-$100 an hour while a similarly skilled Indian programmer is paid only $20 an hour. The same developments that have encouraged outsourcing have also benefited the growth of home sourcing. Improvements in technology can just as easily move work to a call center in Bangalore as to an employee’s home in Salt Lake City. Similarly, the sorts of wage differences that allow labor arbitrage between countries exist within the U.S. as well. U.S. computer programmers in metro areas earn between $75-$100 an hour while similarly skilled programmers in rural areas earn only $35-$40 an hour.