Fox Gate Call Center in Bohol

FACED with difficulties in getting qualified workers for the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, a Cebu-based call center is looking into working with the academe outside Cebu to solve the labor shortage.

Fox Gate Solutions Inc., a newly opened all Filipino-owned call center with facility at Piazza Elesia Center in Barangay Talamban, Cebu City, held an exploratory conference in Tagbilaran City, Bohol to coordinate with school representatives and education officials on developing new talents to fill the dearth of qualified call center agents.

The company, which began its operations in January 2008, plans to increase its staff to 70.

“The call center industry is here to stay and the demand for qualified call center agents will continue to grow in the coming years,” said Fay A. Jaca-Paras, Fox Gate Solutions Inc. chief executive officer and president. “We want to stay long in the industry that is why we want to establish rapport with the community and the academe, to work with them to sustain the supply of manpower.”

The exploratory conference was aimed to create awareness about the industry, gauge the preparedness of Bohol’s labor pool and assess how Fox Gate can help in developing the skills of Boholanos.

Paras said Fox Gate believes in partnering with the academe, which plays a major role in molding and producing people with the right qualifications fit for the call center industry.

Local talent

“Our thrust is to help develop talents in the localities,” she said, adding that Fox Gate plans to establish more offices in the Visayas, particularly Tagbilaran and Tacloban City, Leyte “so local qualified talents need not migrate to major cities to work.”

She noted that some Cebu-based call center companies have organized job fairs in Bohol but few were successful because of lack of awareness and qualified applicants.

Fox Gate is willing to establish a training center to equip local residents with the required call center skills and knowledge. It wants to conduct training for teachers in Bohol who will be able to transfer the knowledge and skills to their students.

Hazel Aguisanda, Fox Gate senior manager for training and quality, said the trainings will be conducted by professional practitioners in the call center industry.

To quality for a job in a call center, an individual must have excellent English communication and interpersonal skills, as well as basic computer and Internet knowledge.

Ma. Claudette Manus, Fox Gate vice president for operations and business development, said the company is focusing on Bohol to provide employment opportunities in that province. She said some of those behind the company are also Boholanos who want to give something back to their community.

Manus said that based on the number of attendees to the conference in Tagbilaran, the event was a success.

“But this is just the start. We’re looking at this long-term,” she added.

Fox Gate is also working with a telecommunication company to strengthen the information technology infrastructure of Bohol.

Fox Gate provides outbound telemarketing support to small and medium firms in the US. EBV