Sourcing the best talents in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - “It’s time to stop rewarding businesses that ship jobs overseas, and start rewarding companies that create jobs right here in America.”

This was US President Barrack Obama’s message to the American people during his third State of the Union Address last January 24. A message which left the Philippines scampering for help, fearing of the repercussion of this strong message to its now dominant business process outsourcing industry, which, in 2011, generated an income of roughly US$11 billion.

What if these companies return to the US? We would be left with thousands of jobless whose years of experience in the outsourcing industry has left them needing of skills that could land them meaningful jobs in more sustainable industries like manufacturing and agriculture.

This would also mean a significant loss of income for the many cottage industries whose business are built and are dependent on the call center industry. In essence, this would mean a significant loss of income for the country.

Luckily, some American companies still see and believe in the potential of Filipinos in customer service. One such company, in fact, recently opened its sixth site in the country.

Promising to hire at least 1,500 Cebuanos by the end of the year, Alorica is reputed as the United States’s “leading provider of customer management outsourcing solutions.”

Amit Shankardass, chief marketing officer for Alorica said that the company prides itself in giving its clients service with the “highest level of quality” by sourcing the best talents from everywhere in the world.

For the company, it is the needs of their clients that matters most, and so, despite the good intentions of US President Obama in ensuring that American companies primarily serve America, for them, serving their country means scouring the world for the best that they could give their clients, who themselves are American companies.

Fortunate for Cebu, Alorica have found the city to meet their strict criteria in choosing a site. According to company officials, many of their clients recommended Cebu, encouraging them to explore the city’s potential as the site for their expansion. Now, the opening of their site in Lahug would mean the creation of opportunities for many Cebuanos and for Cebu.

Already, the company’s founder and chief executive officer Andy Lee, is expressing his willingness to explore the possibility of working with schools and universities in the city in creating a curriculum that would cater to the growing demand of the outsourcing industry.

The launching of Alorica in Cebu was attended not just by officers of the company from its international headquarters in California, but also by representatives of its US-based clients and heads of government offices and the academe in the city.

 Currently, the company roughly has 100 employees under training. It’s vision for Cebu is to be able to grow to 6,000, but for the meantime, they are looking into meeting their target for the year. (FREEMAN)