The Outsourcing Week in Review: Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Welcome to Inside Outsourcing: The Outsourcing Week in Review

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Further steps to upgrade the Philippines information and communications technology (ICT) sector were taken this week. The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and the non-profit advocacy group, the Internet Society, announced that they were partnering to introduce a new ICT framework for the country. President Duterte also approved two new IT centers in Metro Manila; and KMC, the country’s top Co-working and Private Office Space provider, launched its first office space facility in Alabang.

Meanwhile, further outside the National Capital Region, BPOs will now have a new location available in Catbalogan, Samar, where a P472million development is being built by Metro Retail Stores Group.

In India, with the Saudi crown prince’s visit making headlines, one of the country’s big BPO players, Wipro, announced that it will be expanding into Saudi Arabia. A report from India also forecast that its IT sector should grow 9.2% in fiscal year-end 2019. With a similar outsourcing landscape to that of the Philippines, the positive growth outlook for Indian IT outsourced services bodes well for Philippine industry. Again, in the subcontinent, global consultancy McKinsey has been handed a potentially expensive ruling that its services are best classified as KPO, and not BPO, thus incurring a higher tax liability, according to India’s Supreme Court.

Back home, Sitel Philippines, a major player in the local market, enjoyed a good week, winning an award for its CSR blood donor program. It also has joined a trade mission to Singapore. Another company that bagged a major award was Swiss Post Solutions (SPS) that maintained its position in IAOP’s prestigious top 100 global outsourcing list for the seventh year running. SPS has 7,000 employees with a focus on banking, insurance, telecommunications and healthcare, addressing customer needs from more than 20 countries including the Philippines. Conduent stock, however, did not fare so well, receiving mixed sentiments from analysts over the week.

Other positive developments for the sector at home included news that the Philippines has been chosen as the launch site for the Concert 8 and Benchmark Email partnership roll-out of a new integrated digital and email marketing suite. Hopefully, the country’s broadband service should be improved in time. According to DICT, Mislatel is expected to finally get its formal franchise to operate in country only after the upcoming local elections in May. Another promising area developing for the country in the higher-skilled KPO segment could be asset management. According to a report, large international asset management firms are increasingly turning to outsourcing of trading services to help cut costs on the back of increasingly volatile markets.  24/7 Customer Philippines announced that digital proficiency is now a key skill for all its employees, and TaskUs has appointed its first chief delivery officer and new CIO in the Philippines.

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

NEWS THIS WEEK

25 February 2019

• KMC opens its first co-working space in Alabang – read more…
• TaskUs names first chief delivery officer and new CIO – read more…
• Philippines unveils ICT framework – read more…
• Sitel Philippines to join trade mission to Singapore – read more…

22 February 2019

• Wipro to expand in Saudi Arabia – read more…
• Philippines is launch site for Concert 8-Benchmark Email partnership – read more…
• India’s IT sector grows 9.2% in fiscal year-end 2019 – read more…

21 February 2019

• McKinsey a KPO not BPO rules India’s Supreme Court in tax dispute – read more…
• More asset managers to outsource functions by 2022 – read more…
• President Duterte approves two new IT centers in Metro Manila – read more…

20 February 2019

• Metro’s P472m project in Catbalogan includes BPO center –read more…
• Mislatel expected to get franchise to operate in PH after May polls – read more…
• Mixed sentiment for Conduent stock with analysts – read more…

19 February 2019

• Sitel Philippines wins award for blood donor scheme – read more…
• Digital proficiency now key for 24/7 Customer Philippines –  read more…
• Swiss Post Solutions remains in IAOP’s top 100 global outsourcing list – read more…

Read more Inside Outsourcing Newsletters here:

1. The Outsourcing Week in Review: February 20, 2019
2. The Outsourcing Week in Review: March 6, 2019