• By quade
• 4 August 2024

Iloilo BPO Firm Expansion to Benefit Illongos

Iloilo has emerged as a local powerhouse in the economic development of Western Visayas. For that reason, an Iloilo BPO firm specializing in call centers and clinical nurse operations has expressed interest in expanding its operations in Iloilo City. 

This growth shows the incredible potential of Iloilo City and the potential benefits. With large businesses like that operating in the city, it can provide fresh investment and job opportunities in the province.

Iloilo BPO Firm Expansion Plans

“We have 40 percent of our population out of Iloilo, barely close to 4,000 employees. By the end of the year, with the expansion that we are looking at, we will be exceeding the 4,000-mile, making us the largest health care provider BPO in Western Visayas,” 

-Nicki Agcaoili, Vice President of Carelon Global Solutions Philippines vice president.

Carelon Global Solutions currently operates four sites in the city with two of them employing 3,8000 Ilonggos. They plan on increasing that number by 500 and eventually reach a total of 10,000 workers from their existing 9,000.

The Iloilo BPO firm has cited the reason for this due to the employability of the Illonggos. The firm has a high rate of higher ranging from 85-90%. A part of this is due to their experience and education, making it easy to find qualified employees. This is important for businesses as it provides a steady stream of qualified, energetic, and hardworking employees.

The large number of potential recruits has led the Iloilo BPO firm to consider setting up a fifth location in the city. This will serve as a recruitment hub to improve the recruiting process. However, these are just plans and they are still looking for a suitable location.

All of these are part of Carelon Global Solutions’ plans to turn Western Visayas into the capital of healthcare information and management services (HIMS). They hope to achieve this plan by 2028.

To fulfill their plans, the firm is currently creating a roadmap for its objective. What this does show is the opportunity for different places to serve distinct roles in the BPO industry. HIMS hopes to turn Western Visayas into their capital. Meanwhile, other BPO sectors like content creation and marketing are setting up shops in other parts of the Philippines like Makati and Taguig, providing opportunities for investors to find success.

Benefits of the Iloilo BPO Firm Expansion

Aside from the BPOs themselves, different parties can benefit from their expansion including the locals, clients, and investors. For the locals, this provides many new opportunities for employment as the BPO expansion plan requires hundreds of permanent job openings. 

This provides opportunities for young people, especially fresh graduates who have no experience to enter Iloilo BPO firms. The regional head of Carelon says that they are trying to prioritize fresh graduates who are willing to accept training.

Training not only provides employment, it also provides skills development that can help workers in this job and others. This further reduces the issues with attrition and brain drain. For clients, it allows BPOs to provide consistent service over a longer period. In fact, by training up employees it allows them to provide better service over time. 

Fresh graduates are the only employees this Iloilo BPO firm is providing support to. They also want to give similar opportunities to persons with disability (PWD), which includes sign language lessons to help with communication. The company already employs half a dozen hearing-impaired employees and they have learned how to ensure they provide the best opportunities without sacrificing efficiency. 

With that knowledge, they plan on hiring more PWDs which can allow them to contribute to the service while still providing high productivity. 

“The challenge is how you transfer the knowledge to them. We are very happy with the performance of the deaf. They have high productivity because they are focused on their work.”

-Judy Murillo, Carelon Regional Head.

The Iloilo chapter president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), Fulbert Woo praised the contributions of Carelon in the economic growth of Western Visayas and the development of the industry there.

“With a dedicated team of 3,800 employees, Carelon not only enhances the livelihoods of Ilonggos but also positively impacts neighboring provinces and cities. PCCI-Iloilo fully supports Carelon’s developments and expansion, recognizing their vital role in the region’s growth,” 

– Fulbert Woo, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chapter President

How Do BPOs Benefit from the Iloilo BPO Firm Expansion?

While this Iloilo BPO firm expansion might only benefit Carelon, there are positive benefits for the industry. With Carelon making a splash in Western Visayas, it makes way for future BPO providers as the region has an established infrastructure and strategy. This makes it easier for BPOs to enter the market with few growing pains.

Aside from the infrastructure, the improved training employees go through can provide a large pool of trained and experienced workers for BPO providers. If they leave Carelon, they can easily enter other Iloilo BPO firms with all the necessary experience.

When it comes to serving clients, this means that the BPO global providers here can provide them with all the services they require. With more operators in one place, it allowed them to share their expertise and experience, helping clients find the best service possible.