DAPITAN CITY -- A small island in Mindanao has eventually become part of the global market when it officially opened on Tuesday, July 7, a call center of its own.

The new firm, and perhaps the first in the Zamboanga Peninsula Region, is in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte -- Dapitan Exponent Shared Services or DapitanESS, which intends to "offer companies achieve a higher level of customer service satisfaction."

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DapitanESS is located inside the Gloria de Dapitan, Sunset Boulevard, in Dapitan City, also known as the Shrine Capital of the Philippines following the exile of the country's national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, here from 1892 to 1894.

Former representative Romeo Jalosjos, chairman of the board of DapitanESS, said that initially, a total of 35 well-trained agents are ready to render services and another group of 10 will immediately follow because of demands from clients who have manifested entry of their various campaigns into DapitanESS.

"The floodgate is wide open now, and this means that DapitanESS will have to be ready to receive hundreds of campaigns from the global market and, this early, we are already short by 10 (call center agents) to cater to the entry of clientele campaigns," Jalosjos said.

Several clients from Metro Manila graced the opening of the DapitanESS call center, and Jalosjos expressed confidence that the clients will help them tell the world about DapitanESS and its services.

Among the clients who came from Manila were Tarik Khan, Anita Dandan, Agnes Martines, Michael Pili, Cherrie Yung, Evangeline de Guzman, and Barbara Alunan de Guzman, client specialist.

Michael, who has a total of nine campaigns, including online movies, TV ads, and US government grants, among others, vowed to make Dapitan as the next Metro Manila in terms of being the call center capital and manifested his support by bringing all his nine campaigns to DapitanESS.

The others followed suit. Yung, who operates in China and Korea, also vowed to bring her five campaigns to DapitanESS. De Guzman, who runs a loan modification, and Khan, who focuses on writing and accounting campaigns, promised to "tweak the engine of DapitanESS" with their campaigns.

DapitanESS General Manager Anthony Paul Carillo said it is the intention of management to make DapitanESS the biggest in Mindanao even as he said that 250 more clients are to be trained in the next few months to meet their target of 1,000 to 2,000 sitting call center agents.

"Dapitan Exponent Shared Services is a customer-focused Total Full Service Contact Center. We offer high quality, cost effective, business process outsourcing solutions. Our inbound and outbound services are designed to complement our clients' needs by adding value to their business operations, products, and services. We operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This means a full-service support anytime, anywhere. Through us, our clients are able to reach their customers whenever and wherever," Carillo said.

"Dapitan Exponent Shared Services is part of corporation that is establishing the trend and norm of technical superiority in southern part of the Philippines. We are dedicated to spearheading and dominating the expertise not just in the contact center industry but in information technology as well," he added.

"The goal of the company is not simply to deliver solutions but to deliver real value to the business of clients and customers as a whole. Dapitan Exponent Shared Services is committed to give continuous support to the cycle of the business community. We believe in building and enhancing business relationships by dependable and high-quality service at all times. In this vision, we ensure to protect clients' names and convert customers from database entries to loyal customers of client's products. This is the company's view of expanding business opportunities and ensuring growth and profitability," said Carillo.

Services

DapitanESS inbound services include the following: Customer Services/Services Fulfillment, Inquiries/Requests/Complaints Handling, Helpdesk/Technical Support, Order Taking/Message Handling, Reservations/Authorizations, Loyalty and Rewards Programs, and Upselling/Cross-Selling.

Its outbound services are Telemarketing/Telesales, Lead Generation, Appointment Setting, Bills Delivery and Collection Programs, Market Research/Surveys, Anti-attrition/Reactivation of Accounts, Announcement/Advisory/Call/Message Dunning, Product/Service Fulfillment through Delivery Services, and Database Management.

Other Services include Web-enabled Customer Relationship Management Services and Technical Helpdesk, Accounts Management, Complete backroom Operations and Service Fulfillment (including Deliveries), Manpower Support, Integrated Multi-platform Message Delivery - either via POTS (Plain Old Telephony System), through the internet and/or even physical deliveries through couriers, Establishment of information center for private and government institutions, both national and local.

Carillo said those interested may call Tel Nos. +636522136814, Fax: +63 6522136816, US No.: +1.361.288.1488 09:00-17:00 CST. For Application: recruitment@dapitaness.com

Meanwhile, Barbara de Guzman said the local business process outsourcing (BPO) industry is gearing up as the global financial crisis did not take its toll on traditional markets.

According to the results of a recent survey, the BPO sector sees "good to outstanding" prospects for so-called "non-voice" services, she said.
But Filipino call center agents must improve their sales techniques to compete more strongly with outsourcing giant India, according De Guzman.

A report by Call Center Information Philippines, though, showed that the Philippines is poised to overtake India as the world's top provider of BPO services.

De Guzman said the country is the top choice among major American companies for business process outsourcing services in finance, technology, telecommunications, consumer products, and professional writing and accounting.