• By quade
• 26 November 2024

How AI Call Center Tools Are Making Philippine Call Centers Better and Worse

In the Philippines, advanced AI tools have seen massive adoption among different industries, particularly among BPOs and call centers. As one of the major players in these industries, AI call center tools have become a way for businesses to further enhance their services and boost productivity. 

Among these tools include things for language recognition, emotion recognition, and generative intelligence. While they can enhance capabilities, some workers have raised alarm bells about the issues of these tools and worry about problems that haven’t been properly addressed.

Status of AI Call Center Tools in the Philippines

As it stands, the Philippines is currently the second-largest BPO and call center market. It employs over 1.84 million workers, rivaled only by India. Because of that, the biggest gains and losses from the adoption of AI call center tools will be felt here. Already some 86% of Philippine white-collar work uses AI in some form based on reports from the 2024 Work Trend Index. About two-thirds of call centers and BPOs already use AI.

At the moment, there are no official reports of job losses from AI, but labor secretary, Bienvenido Laguesma has admitted that some workers are already being laid off from these tools. Some industry experts believe as many as 300,000 Filipinos in the next five years as a result of these tools, though it will create 100,000 new jobs.

Issues and Thoughts of AI in Call Centers

Although these places continue to prioritize the human touch, many are now shifting more and more focus to AI as seen by the BPO Industry Employees Network which seeks to understand the broader impact of these AI call center tools on industry members. One of the biggest problems is that the Philippines stands on the lower end of the value chain which is most at risk of AI replacing it.

“Ideally, AI would be helpful. But what’s happening is that companies are using it to justify adding more tasks. At once, one can do customer service, sales, and tech support.”

-Lean Porquia, Founder of BPO Industry Employees Network

“AI is supposed to make our lives easier, but I just see it as my boss.”

Renzo Bahala, Call Center worker.

He reports how calls are monitored by advanced AI programs that decide if the customer is satisfied and the worker is productive. These tools are deployed in real-time to detect the mood of a conversation. During calls, it will analyze his mood, pitch, and word use as well as whether he interrupts the caller or if he puts it on cold. He is then scored by the AI after the call

This score will then be calculated for his performance and he can face demerits and even termination if he underperforms.

“AI is supposed to make our lives easier, but I just see it as my boss.”

-Renzo Bahala, Call Center worker.

“Ideally, AI would be helpful. But what’s happening is that companies are using it to justify adding more tasks. At once, one can do customer service, sales, and tech support.”

-Lean Porquia, Founder of BPO Industry Employees Network

“AI increases workers’ productivity with little to no improvement in terms of wages. It even intensifies the pressure on workers to perform like machines.”

-Paul Quintos, University of the Philippines Political Economist.

Benefits of AI Call Center Tools to the Philippines

Despite the sit that AI call center tools have caused recently, some people still defend their capabilities and cite some of the advantages of using them. For example, Bahala has admitted that AI has had a tangible improvement in his efficiency before it would take him eight hours to get through 30 calls, but with the AI assistant, he can get through that many calls before lunch. 

The reason for that is that these AI tools can pull up data and information or make suggestions during the call. This allows him to resolve issues much faster.

However, he noted that this has also led to greater pressure and higher expectations for them from AI call center tools. Some of the employees believe that this is making them feel more like machines. This also leaves them less time to talk with co-workers and they are only left to interact with their friends.

How We Strike a Balance Between the Promise and Pitfalls of AI Call Center Tools

At geniusOS, we recognize the transformative potential of AI call center tools, but we also understand there are many challenges to using these tools ethically. Our approach prioritizes both technological advancement and the well-being of our workforce. The first thing we promise is that we will not replace our workers but try to enhance these services. Our solutions are designed to empower agents to perform their roles more effectively, allowing them to focus on higher-value tasks like resolving complex customer concerns and building relationships.

We acknowledge that AI can intensify workplace pressure and avoid using AI call center tools to manage employees, instead of just training employees to improve their skills on their own. What we do use AI is to personalize the content that we provide to our clients to ensure the best services possible while still keeping that human touch that leaves our call center services feeling unique.