Traits that Sets Filipino Apart in Outsourcing Race
If there is anything that sets the Filipino apart from other cultures in Asia Pacific, it is empathy or “malasakit” in the vernacular, the head of a research firm that recently conducted a study on the business process outsourcing industry in the Philippines.
“Empathy or malasakit is a Southeast Asian trait that we believe is becoming an advantage for Filipinos who are hired to man the growing BPO industry,” said Cayetano Paderanga, Jr., chair of the Institute for Development and Economic Analysis (IDEA), in an interview.
IDEA was recently commissioned by Bayan Telecommunications Inc. (Bayantel) through its re-branded corporate solutions group Bayan Business, to study the outsourcing industry in the country.
Paderanga said their study found that the Filipinos’ closer affinity with the Western culture has been one of the factors attracting US firms to locate its offshore operations in the country.
Jojo Uligan, executive director of the Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP), agreed that many US-based firms outsource back-office, customer care and other offshore work to the country because of the Filipinos’ closer affinity with the Americans.
“More than just speaking the English language, it’s really about our understanding of the US market that attracts them,” Uligan added.
But Brigs Merin, head of Bayan Business, pointed out that BPO firms are locating in the Philippines not only because of cost issues, but also because of the “quality” of skilled workers in the country.
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