India is losing 70 percent of call centers..R.P voice,"More neutral"

Keep it up Philippines!!

http://www.philstar....ia-call-centers


MANILA, Philippines — Most voice and call center businesses in India are transferring to the Philippines due to Filipino workers' more "neutral" English acccent, among other reasons, an Indian business group said.

The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) said that India is losing 70 percent of all incremental domestic business process outsourcing (BPO) businesses, particularly call centers, estimated to be worth $30 billion in foreign exchange earnings.

"Philippines ... has become the top destination for Indian investors, thus the need to reduce costs and make operations leaner is increasingly becoming significant across the BPO industry," Assocham secretary general D.S. Rawat said in a statement Sunday.

Citing Assocham's study, Rawat said that the Philippines has an advantage over India due to its large pool of "well-educated, English-speaking, talented and employable graduates."

Rawat said that only 10 percent of graduates in India are qualified to work in call centers and training could take a considerable amount of time. About 30 percent of graduates in the Philippines, on the other hand, are employable.

"Employees in Philippine call centers speak English fluently with a neutral accent which is what customers look for and that is something missing in Indian accents and that is a prime reason why BPO business is thriving in that country," Rawat explained

"Cultural proximity to the US together with availability of talented manpower are key reasons as to why BPO companies prefer expanding their operations in Philippines," he added.

The country's IT-BPO sector saw its revenues rise by 17 percent in 2013 as more companies chose to locate and expand their operations in the Philippines.

Now that is good news

A customer service rep here who works over the phone.

I agree, easier to understand on the phone than Indian call centres.

I recall a couple of occasions when I could not understand the Indians at all, once when booking a flight and once when dealing with my UK bank.

Maybe we are biased but it seems reassuring speaking with a Filipino

Aren't Indians to Brits like Filipinos to Americans?

My broadband has been playing up for a month now. My ISP provides Indians for first line support, South Africans for accounting issues and Pinoys for tech support. Indeed I just asked some chap where he was residing before we ended the call because the accent was distinguishable, we was in Manila. I ended the call with a salamat.

Yes

Well. I know some will not like this, but I do prefer a Brit on the end of the phone, under most circumstances.

But if it has to be a foreigner then yes, why not the Philippines.

Yes it's familiarity of the voice and that you both understand each other, culturally I mean.

Also, getting points of subtle English across can be difficult. (I know it can be the same with some Brits )

Yep wouldn't disagree with that.

Apparently another reason why the Philippines is gaining more grounds in the business outsourcing/call centre industry, is because we understand 'sarcasm.'

Hahahahahaha...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/new...sm-gives-call-centres-in-Manila-the-edge.html

HOORAY FOR SARCASTIC PINOYS (And I'm proud to be one of them)!!!! =p

MABUHAY!!!!

A certain Pinay recently declared that one of her English essays at university in Manila, was "on the role of women in Monty Python's Holy Grail"! So maybe wit too.

On our relationship with the French....

I didn't catch your point/reference at first. I googled Monty Python's Holy Grail, and saw that it's a parody of King Arthur.
1975... My mum and dad haven't even met yet Hahahahah...

But thanks to the video you posted, I kind of get it now. lol.

But I still don't get the hate for the French. It seems every one is ganging up on them.

You know if it wasn't for Waterloo and Russia, they would have conquered the world. Despite all the major European nations teaming up.

I was curious as to whether you had come across Monty Python. They still enjoy a cult status in 2015.

Filipinos might be easier for us to understand, but one problem might be that they don't inderstand us!

When I tried speaking English on the phone to people in The Philippines I was met with "I'm sorrrrry sirrrrrrrr I can't understand yourrrr accent"

So I gave the phone to my missus instead.

Do you have a strong regional accent, Graham?

While I watch old movies from time to time, (Cinema Paradiso, Count of Monte Cristo (1975), Pride and Prejudice, Leon, Godfather Trilogy, etc.), I'm not really that keen when it comes to old comedies. Though I did watch Blackadder, but that's a series.

Most of us in general are more familiar with the American accent, due to the fact that we were once one of their colonies (or still is, depending on your political stance and viewpoint).

American culture is so engraved into our own culture that when we think of the English language, first thing that comes to mind is American English.

I was actually one of those, until I started travelling the world and also living and studying in Australia for three years. Back then, I couldn't distinguish Canadian accent from the American accent, British from Aussie and Kiwis, Scottish from Irish, etc.