PeopleSupport set to tap local outsourcing market

CEBU, Philippines - One of the largest BPO companies in the country, Aegis PeopleSupport, is seriously considering on tapping the huge outsourcing market in the Philippines, and open up a service that will work on the “domestic space.”

As of now, Aegis PeopleSupport has zero domestic clients. Before the end of this year, the company plans to deploy about 200 to 400 people that will work on the domestic market.

Aegis Limited chief operating officer Sudhir Agarwal said in India, of the total 23 thousand people employed by its BPO facility, 19 thousand are working on the “domestic space.”

In the Philippines, the company is planning to open up outsourcing services for the local companies, such as financial institutions or banking, technical support, travel and hospitality sectors, healthcare, media and publishing.

He said there is a good outsourcing market in the local front, and that PeopleSupport is going to offer its expertise to the local companies.

Aegis PeopleSupport, which is providing a total of 8,400 jobs in the whole country, of which over 3,000 are based in Cebu, is currently constructing a 15-story building at the Asiatown IT Park, following the company’s acquisition of a 3,600 square-meter property at the cyberpark.

The company is spending close to P900 million to develop two mid-rise buildings at the Asiatown IT Park. After the completion of the 15-story building, another 11-story facility will be constructed.

Agarwal said the company targets to employ between 12 thousand to 15 thousand people in the next two years.

He said there is a huge potential for the local outsourcing market in the Philippines, and PeopleSupport is going to penetrate this market aggressively.

 Compared to India, the Philippines has a distinct edge when it comes to voice-service competence, he said Filipino’s affinity to American culture is one of its advantage over other nationalities, or Indians.

“Filipinos are not just good English speakers, but also very disciplined workforce. The voice quality [or English proficiency] is extremely good,” said Rajiv Ahuja, Aegis PeopleSupport chief operating officer for Philippines and India operations.

Although the company is aggressive in its expansion plans in the Philippines, Ahuja said it has to focus on facility expansion in the three major locations in Manila (Makati), Baguio, and Cebu.

Cebu, on the other hand, will become the center facility in the South, while the company maintains its recruitment and training center in neighboring regions and provinces or in the Visayas and Mindanao.

Aegis, the new owner of PeopleSupport, is one of the fastest growing BPO companies in the world.

It is owned by Essar Group of India, whose businesses are into mining, power, shipping, telecom, logistics and construction, among others.

Essar is a US$50 billion corporation that earns an average of US$24 million annually.