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By FRANCHISE TIMES
THE call-center business is a
booming Philippine industry, providing good employment
opportunities, given our workforce’s high literacy rate and
facility with the English language. But with the boom comes the
difficulty in finding qualified personnel. This is what Call Center
Academy (CCA) is trying to address.
Founded in 2001, CCA pioneered
call-center training in the Philippines. Jay Yulo, CCA general
manager, says the idea for putting up the academy arose after
observing how local business-process outsourcing (BPO) companies
were encountering difficulty hiring highly capable workers. “When
we started, there were only five call centers in Metro Manila. Since
then the industry has boomed and demand for call center agents has
soared,” recalls Jay. “Although, there were numerous qualified
applicants at the start, there has been increasing difficulty in
finding qualified personnel.”
The local call-center industry,
though booming, has come under stiff competition from other
countries, particularly top-ranked India. However, the Philippines
is fast catching up. The country, for example, gets more customer
service accounts. This is due to the friendly disposition of
Filipinos.
CCA, with units at the Makati and
Ortigas business area, trains students via paid public classes or
scholarship programs provided by the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority. The training typically lasts two weeks to a
month after which the graduates are endorsed to call centers. This
enrollment to employment program sets CCA apart from other training
agencies. CCA has partnerships with call centers.
One of the reasons for CCA’s
success is its curriculum, which aims to provide training for
world-class employability, following industry standards. This
curriculum allows CCA to adapt to ever-changing market conditions.
It offers 100-percent free coaching and job assistance to students
who fail to land a job.
Due to the success of its
training program, CCA is now planning to expand from its seven
branches. Toward this end, it is open to franchisers. The franchise
fee is P1.5 to P1.7 million, which covers the equipment, franchise
fee, renovation and fixtures. Payback usually comes within 1.5 to
1.8 years or even sooner if you do training, staffing and school
tie-ups. CCA is strict in terms of selecting franchisees, who should
be on top of the situation and involved in the day-to-day operations
of the business. CCA plans to expand to 30 branches by 2008. In five
to ten years it plans to become a full-blown college specializing in
BPO, information technology and out-sourcing training. K. Go
The Franchise Times is a
public service project of the Association of Filipino Franchisers,
Inc. (AFFI) and The Manila Times. For feedback, e-mail mtmarketplace@gmail.com.
For more info on AFFI, visit their website at www.affi.com.ph.
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