By Justine Irish D. Tabile, Reporter
THE quality of the workforce remains the main source of the Philippines’ competitive edge in the information technology and business process management (IT-BPM) industry, according to US outsourcer company TaskUs, Inc.
“The Philippines has always been special, but what makes it attractive is the talent that the Philippines possesses … it’s the employee, the makeup of the employee,” Dean Van Ormer, senior vice president for Southeast Asia at TaskUs, told BusinessWorld.
“Obviously, the literacy rate in English is part of it, but I would also say it is the work ethic, intelligence, resiliency, education, and affinity to Western culture. “There are a lot of different things,” he added.
“We look at where we set up our buildings, how we go out and advertise, and what people think about us in the industry. It’s always a focus of ours just having an incredibly strong reputation as an employer,” he said.
“I am not saying it is a challenge for us, but it is always at the top of mind because your employer brand is everything,” he added.
He said the company sees artificial intelligence (AI) as a means of empowering its agents to tackle more complex call types.
“We are utilizing it. We are looking at how AI makes you better to the clients that you are supporting through faster tools, better knowledge bases, and better efficiencies,” he said.
“The other way we are looking at it is how we can train our employees constantly, educating and training our employees to handle more complex types of transactions,” he added.
Al Sese, vice president of operations at TaskUs, said that AI not only helps employees to become more impactful within the clients they work for but also helps managers make better decisions.
“From a leadership standpoint, our tools are integrated towards AI, so that makes us more efficient because it frees us from all of these other things that we need to spend time on to make the right decisions,” he said.
“Everything is within reach because of AI. The way we get the data and the way we look at the insights becomes quicker, which frees us to spend more time with our teammates,” he added.
Earlier this month, TaskUs opened its 11th site in the Philippines in Las Piñas City, for which it plans to hire 1,500 employees by year’s end.
According to the company, it opted to open the Hiraya site in the city to bring the company closer to its employees, as 80% of the company’s workforce in Alabang resides in Las Piñas.
The Philippines remains the company’s largest operating base, accounting for more than 35,000 teammates.