Agents support plan for Call Center City

CEBU, Philippines — At least 3,500 or 92.7 percent of the 3,800 call center agents expressed support for the establishment of Call Center City at South Road Properties.

This was the result of the survey that Call Center Program Head Nanette Garong conducted to get the view of the agents about the project.

Yesterday, Mayor Tomas Osmeña presented the result of the survey at his press conference.

“I’m happy with this kind of response. I’m very happy because the feasibility is very high,” he said, adding that the survey was conducted to test the idea of putting up a Call Center City at SRP.

The Call Center City is a one-stop shop for outsourcing where all amenities like a dormitory, offices for call center, facilities for education, gym, restaurants, among others, will be offered to the agents.

The survey shows that at least 2,100 of the 3,800 agents are college graduate, 1,200 agents are college level and less than 100 agents are high school graduates.

Osmeña said the Call Center City will assist the college graduate to get a master’s degree; assist the college level agents to get college diploma; and assist the high school graduates to finish college.

The survey shows that majority of the 3,800 respondents are from Cebu but are renting near their working place.

Also, majority of the respondents do not have children or dependents.

“What we have here is we have a big potential to put up a BPO city where a school, a dormitory, and the BPO is all in the same building,” Osmeña said.

The mayor said the city is doing this to improve the lives of call center agents who will work, study, and live in the same area once the Call Center City will be operational.

Osmeña said he salutes all call center agents that are currently enrolled in a class and at the same time working in the BPO industry.

The survey is not yet completed since there are several questionnaires that will be distributed to agents like the design of the building, the facilities to be offered, the courses to be offered, the degree programs to be offered, among others.

The city government will disclose the result of the survey so that other people who dreamed of furthering their education will be enticed to work in a call center and avail of the services.

Further, Osmeña said he has yet to discuss with the agents and BPO companies as to the mode of payment of the education and the boarding house, among other facilities.

“The moment we will have enough people committed to the first building, we’ll start already,” he said, adding that he is targeting to do it next year as the survey will take some time. (FREEMAN)