PLDT unit eyes BPO prospects in Australia

MANILA, Philippines - PLDT subsidiary SPi Global, the largest Filipino-owned business process outsourcing (BPO) company, has included Australia in its global resource network to tap opportunities in getting BPO clients from the prosperous continent.

SPi Global president and CEO Maulik Parekh said more companies in Australia are now exploring the possibility of outsourcing to the Philippines because of the country’s reputation for excellent customer service.

“We foresee an expansion in our business now that the Australian market is really opening up and companies there are seeing the advantage of entrusting to Filipinos their voice and, soon, their non-voice outsourcing needs as well,” Parekh said.

One advantage of SPi Global, according to Parekh, is its ability to offer value-added voice and non-voice BPO solutions anchored on its strong operational presence in the Asia Pacific region. The company has a deep pool of well-trained call center agents in its seven centers in the country who are very well-versed in the verticals that are relevant to Australian companies.

“What we offer is a complete end-to-end solution that covers clients’ needs for various processes. Companies who outsource are now looking for fewer vendors that can do the whole suite of services they require, and if they find one who can perform all these better, faster and at lesser cost, then the option to outsource becomes compelling,” Parekh explained.

Many companies in Australia are looking at call center services because of the success of Filipinos in this area with American companies. With the quick wit and strong customer service orientation of its workforce, Parekh said he believes that SPi Global is well-poised to meet the outsourcing needs of companies in Australia and their partners.

But more than voice, there are other niche services in content and healthcare BPO that SPi Global would like to explore, he said. These include editorial services, digitization services, database services, transaction processing services, and knowledge process outsourcing, revenue cycle management, and coding compliance, among others. 

Parekh said at present, no other Filipino-owned BPO company provides the range of services that SPi Global can offer.

“Our valuable years of experience in key niche markets enable us to help our clients achieve their business goals. Our heritage as a company and the quality of our performance in the verticals that we serve set us apart,” Parekh noted.

Earlier this year, SPi Global has been named “BPO Company of the Year” in the International ICT Awards. It has also bested other foreign BPO companies in Vietnam to win the Sao Khue 2011 prize for the best BPO service in the BPO services category, recognizing SPi Global’s excellent BPO solutions.

The company has also ranked among the top 100 outsourcing service providers in the world by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals’ (IAOP) Global Outsourcing 100 list. This is the sixth consecutive year that SPi Global was included in this list.

SPi Global is a leading full-service BPO provider with offices and facilities across North America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific region. It has over 15,000 employees delivering a wide range of knowledge process and customer relationship management solutions to diversified markets, including financial services, healthcare, legal and publishing.