BOI to put up investor call center

The Board of Investments (BOI) is trying out an investor call center which will make investments information available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The BOI has launched its toll-free customer care system at 1-866-312-3930.

According to Trade and Industry Secretary Peter B. Favila, investors from around the globe need not come to Manila to inquire on their investment concerns.

"This facility speeds up information dissemination from the usual walk-in to the more efficient phone-in queries. Manned by knowledgeable and trained professionals, the new service facility is intended to attend to investors’ concerns through its 24x7 customer service assistance," Favila said.

The new system, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, is currently available for investors in the US, Canada and the UK.

"This landmark facility was established to make investing in the Philippines easier. Investors, both foreign and local, can find the answer to their concerns and questions with just one phone call," Favila said.

He added that the primary reason for the call center "is to attract more investment from among foreign businessmen that are not aware of the many opportunities that the country provides for their business."

Furthermore, Favila said, "we hope to use this new service to impress upon prospective investors that the country is doing its best to ensure hassle-free transactions for businesses."

He urged investors, both local and foreign, to use the call center facility since the facility is still in its dry-run stage so that the DTI and the BOI can effectively assess the impact of this new service to investments and improve the services of the call center.

Trade and Industry Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Elmer C. Hernandez said the project is in line with the Department’s thrust to streamline the process of doing business in the Philippines by utilizing e-Commerce solutions to provide assistance to investors.

"Before the project conception, the BOI One Stop Action Center (OSAC) provides investment counseling on doing business in the country and renders assistance to investors’ issues and concerns via walk-in, email and phone-in inquiries," Hernandez said.

Earlier, the BOI also launched the Online Checklist for project registration which provides investors the business requirements they would need in starting their business in the Philippines via the Internet (www.boi.gov.ph).

The call center project was made possible through a partnership agreement between BOI and Five9, Inc. for a two-month Proof-of-Concept (POC) implementation of a Customer Care Solution.