Breakthroughs 2019 - Issue 1

VOL. 1, 2019 THE BUSINESS JOURNAL OF THE IT-BPM INDUSTRY

BREAKTHROUGHS FUTUREBUILDING FOR THE

4 10 12 18
ON THE RIGHT ENHANCING DIVERSION, IT-BPM INDUSTRY:
COLLABORATION IN SIDE OF HISTORY FOSTERING INCLUSION POISED FOR GROWTH
LEGISLATION: Take a peek at
How ADEC Innovations’ Companies share their what lies ahead
The Power of Jim Donovan helps programs for inclusion
Industry-Government organizations around the in their organizations
Partnerships world achieve sustainability
WWW.IBPAP.ORG



IBPAP UPDATES 3

A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Members, IBPAP BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Industry Representatives
2018 was a challenging yet productive year for our industry. Ayhee Campos, Country Head, Infosys BPM
It is no secret that we faced several headwinds that slowed Limited – Philippine Branch
down our growth in comparison to our Roadmap 2022 targets. Celeste Ilagan, Senior Vice President –
However, despite the challenges we faced, we take pride in Marketing and External Affairs, SPi Global
the industry’s contributions to the Philippine economy. We Holdings, Inc.
remain to be among the largest creators of jobs, driving growth Nico Jose Nolledo, Chair & CEO, Xurpas, Inc.
and economic progress in the metro cities as well as in the Lito Tayag, Country Managing Director,
countryside. Accenture Philippines
Raoul Teh, Chief Executive Officer and
Before 2018 ended, we went through several workshops Managing Director, JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s
with key stakeholders to identify the evolving priorities for Global Service Center – Philippines
IBPAP. From those discussions, it became clearer that the Non-Industry Representatives
following areas need our sustained and renewed focus: Juan Victor Hernandez, Senior Vice
President and Head, PLDT and Smart
l Policy Shaping: This will continue to be a key pillar for Enterprise Business Groups
IBPAP. It has been resoundingly acknowledged that as the David Leechiu, Co-Founder and CEO,
industry voice, we are in a unique position to help shape and Leechiu Property Consultants, Inc.
influence key policies that will help in achieving sustainable Peter Maquera, Senior Vice President, Globe
growth for the industry. This year, we shall endeavor to be in Business, Globe Telecom, Inc.
front of key conversations as we forge and promote stronger
partnerships with key government agencies. Partner Associations
Juan Miguel Del Rosario, President, Animation
l Talent Development: As we continue to embrace digital transformation, Council of the Philippines, Inc.
it is imperative for us to also change the way we think about our talent. There Benedict Hernandez, Chair, Contact Center
will always be new emerging technologies and we need to help promote a shift Association of the Philippines
from STEM to STEAM and cultivate a culture of lifelong learning in order for our Alvin Juban, President, Game Developers
workforce to be able to adapt to these changes and help enable our shift to mid Association of the Philippines
to high complexity jobs. Elaine Kunkle, Chair, Global In-house
Centers Council
l Country Branding: India, China and other markets are making significant Maria Cristina “Beng” G. Coronel, President,
strides to be strong contributors to the global IT-BPM market and we need to Healthcare Information Management
remain relevant and retain our global competitiveness. Association of the Philippines
Jonathan De Luzuriaga, President,
l Innovation: As an industry, we will continue to promote a culture of Philippine Software Industry Association
innovation by harvesting and sharing of best practices. Corporate Secretary
Bob Guinto, NMGRA Law Offices
l Membership Engagement: This year, we will continue to encourage active Executive Team
participation of our members in various committees, promote knowledge and Rey Untal, President & CEO
insights exchange and leverage more formal partnerships with other business Nicki Agcaoili, Executive Director for
associations and organizations. External and Industry Affairs
Jopat Lelay, Chief of Staff
We’ve got big plans for 2019 and we know that we have our work cut out for
us. More than ever, now is the time for us to continue to work together as an STAFF BOX
industry in order to achieve our key objectives: repositioning the Philippines in Breakthroughs is published by MediaFocus
the digital global economy by highlighting our unique country brand proposition Management Services, Inc.
and empowering our workforce by providing them opportunities to reskill and IBPAP Team:
upskill to support our necessary pivot to high-value jobs and services. Kathy Calilao, Marketing and
Communications Manager
We can achieve this through cooperation and collaboration with the OJ Serrano, Marketing Officer
government, academe and other partner industries. Working hand in hand, we Indu Badlani-Bhavnani, Senior Membership
shall strive to successfully pivot to higher-value jobs and services and maintain Manager
our competitiveness as a preferred country of destination for IT-BPM. Editorial Team:
Armie Duarte; Jing Lejano; Bubbles
Rey Untal, Salvador; Twinnie Ramos
President & CEO For advertising opportunities, please email
IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines Twinnie Ramos at [email protected].
ph

PHOTO COVER BY: JC GELLIDON ON UNSPLASH

WWW.IBPAP.ORG

4 FEATURE COLLABORATION IN LEGISLATION:

THE POWER OF
INDUSTRY-GOVERNMENT

PARTNERSHIPS

harmonized industry position on TRABAHO with 50-2018, IBPAP together with its sub sectors and
key policy makers, legislators and government Legislative Committee partnered with different
agencies. The association also partnered with business groups including JFC and the Philippine
a number of business associations such as Association of Multinational Companies’ Regional
Joint Foreign Chambers and Makati Business Headquarters Inc. (PAMURI) in conveying a joint
Club in various campaigns to clearly convey the position on the policy which ultimately led to the
industry’s point-of-view. BIR amending the provision on tax implementation
on health card premiums and declaring status quo.
SUPPORTING FLEXIBLE WORKING MODELS
“We are grateful to the BIR for listening to
Another policy that has gained the attention the point-of-view of the different industries and
and support from the IT-BPM industry is the businesses in relation to RMC 50-2018. Collectively,
Telecommuting Act which allows for work-from- the IT-BPM industry’s objectives are to continue
home arrangements between employers and to fuel the Philippine economy and to generate
employees in the private sector. jobs for Filipinos nationwide. Partnering with
government in shaping policies that affect business
by: IBPAP Closely monitored by IBPAP, the association sectors have allowed us to achieve these goals,” PHOTO BY: ZHIPENG YA ON UNSPLASH
together with the sub sectors and in partnership shared Nicki Agcaoili, IBPAP Executive Director for
As the IT-BPM industry’s voice, the IT & Business with the Legislative Committee, closely External Affairs and Investor Relations.
Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) coordinated with the Department of Labor and
considers policy shaping as a key focus area as Employment (DOLE) to be at the forefront in PROMOTING THE WELFARE OF THE
sound and fair legislation, not only sustains the the discussions of the Implementing Rules and INDUSTRY’S WORKFORCE
growth of the industry, but more importantly, Regulations (IRR).
maintains the industry’s global competitiveness. In 2018, President Rodrigo Duterte signed
With the new bill, companies across all Republic Act 11058 “Occupational Safety and
IBPAP, and its Legislative Committee, industries need to revisit employee policies Health Standards Act” an act ensuring employers,
continue to forge partnerships with key and benefits such as designated work and rest contractors and sub-contractors comply with
government agencies as well as legislative hours, transportation and meal allowances occupational safety and health standards and
branches in order to keep the communication and overtime pay. In addition, the bill must provide working conditions that are safe from
channels open and ensure discussions take place consider data protection policies for companies, death, illness, or physical harm.
especially on policies that affect the industry. employees, and the clients they serve.
Maintaining labor safety and health standards is
MAINTAINING GLOBAL RELEVANCE AND “I don’t expect that the Telecommuting not a new regulation. It has been covered in current
COMPETITIVENESS Act will have a big impact on the IT-BPM laws including the Philippine Labor Code. The new
sector as the industry already has existing law just reiterates the importance of strengthening
The Tax Reform for Attracting Better and work-from-home models in place. There are compliance and highlights the penalties for
Higher Quality Opportunities or better known however aspects of the law that need to be violations.
as the TRABAHO Bill remained to be the most clarified but it’s important that the government
controversial policy in 2018 in light of the does not over-regulate. I also don’t see any To show its support for the bill, IBPAP, together
potential impact, not only to the IT-BPM industry, issues in implementing the new law from a with its member companies and sub sectors,
but also to the semiconductor, manufacturing legal perspective but the challenge will be in actively formulated and reviewed the implementing
and other big industries. developing and maintaining the infrastructure rules and regulations of RA 11058 as part of the IRR
needed to support the telecommuting work committee.
According to BMI (Business Monitor arrangement,” said Atty. Kenneth Chua, Partner,
International) Research, “Despite the proposed Quisumbing Torres Law Offices. To kick start the year, the association organized
corporate income tax cut, the Philippines will a government-industry briefing to discuss these
still be one of the highest and least competitive PRESERVING HEALTH, PROTECTING implementing rules and regulations to ensure the
in the region, and repealing of tax incentives will TALENT industry’s awareness and understanding. Director
likely make it worse. This comes at a time when Teresita Cucueco from the Bureau of Working
other neighboring countries such as Malaysia The IT-BPM sector embraces the importance Conditions (BWC) of the DOLE led the discussion
and Vietnam are offering more tax incentives to of taking care of its most valuable resource: and Q&A attended by several IBPAP members.
attract more foreign investments.” its talented workforce. This is why extra
measures are taken to ensure that the health “The government will not ever prioritize
Fiscal incentives sustain the attractiveness benefits offered to IT-BPM employees and their penalties, we will always prioritize compliance. We
and competitiveness of the Philippines as a immediate family members are given utmost are here to help companies comply. There are many
preferred IT-BPM destination and uncertainties consideration. laws on safety and health and not just from the
over it influence investment decisions to retain or labor department. There’s one from DENR, DOE,
locate operations in the country. This was proven In mid-2018, RMC 50-2018 was issued by the even aviation and transportation. The law does
to be true when the IT-BPM industry revealed Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) as clarification not invalidate the different government agencies’
its slower-than-anticipated growth in terms of to Revenue Regulations Nos. 08-2018 and and industries’ current standards. It still maintains
revenue and headcount which was largely due 11-2018. Essentially, a new tax treatment was that their regulations are to be followed as well,”
to the “wait-and-see” attitude of investors due to prescribed for premiums on health cards paid by explained Director Tes Cucueco, Bureau of Working
the TRABAHO  Bill. the employers for their employees, potentially Conditions from the Department of Labor and
impacting employees’ income and overall cost of Employment.
Leading the entire sector, IBPAP shared the doing business.

To redress the potential impact of RMC

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019



6 TALENT DEVELOPMENT

EMPOWERING FILIPINOS THROUGH
IMPACTFUL CAREERS

by: IBPAP

With over one million Filipinos employed in This also allows the industry to reach a wider audience including the skilled PHOTO BY: LEIF INGE FOSEN ON UNSPLASH
the IT-BPM industry, human capital is one of Filipino workforce in the countryside.
the key priorities the Information Technology
and Business Process Association of the The portal, itstartshere.ph, provides Filipinos with information on the
Philippines (IBPAP) has identified in the various career options, skill requirements, and growth opportunities in the
Philippines IT-BPM Roadmap 2022. It is IT-BPM industry. It features career guides that help local talent understand
one of the enabling conditions that will fuel what it takes to pursue a career in the six subsectors of the industry. It also
the industry’s growth trajectory in the next includes career and skills mapping and access to training institutions that
few years. will educate users about the upskilling required for career progression.

With this, IBPAP has developed several CREATING A DIGITALLY-ENABLED WORKFORCE
programs focused on attracting new talent To address the urgency to reskill and upskill the current workforce, IBPAP
and developing the current workforce also partnered with CloudSwyft Global Systems, Inc., one of Asia’s leading
through upskilling and reskilling to ensure Learning-as-a-Service Microsoft partner, to launch the IBPAP Learning
that they can adapt to the ongoing digital Switch portal.
transformation. These programs aim to
educate Filipinos on the rewarding opportunities the industry offers and This online learning site provides open access to hundreds of Microsoft’s
help them embrace new technologies and develop new skills to aid the in-demand workplace technology courses in eight learning tracks such
industry’s pivot to higher value jobs and  services. as Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, DevOps, Cloud Administration, and
more. It also has built-in automated environments that serve as virtual
PROVIDING REWARDING OPPORTUNITIES FOR FILIPINOS playgrounds and offer course-based assessments, practical exercises,
In late 2018, IBPAP launched It Starts Here, a career marketing campaign modular quizzes, and hands-on lab activities anywhere and anytime.
that supports the Talent Acquisition Ecosystem and highlights the
importance of attracting and sustaining the right talent in the industry. As Users also have the option to get globally-recognized certificates,
part of the program, a Career Portal was also introduced to strengthen the issued and verified by Microsoft directly at the end of the courses, or gain
industry’s digital footprint and become present where the talent is: online. a full Microsoft Professional Program Master Certificate once a full track
is completed. These two features are available to IBPAP members and
affiliates at a discounted price.

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019

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leadership.

Learn more at taskus.com

8 DIGITAL CITIES

ATTRACTING INVESTORS Playbook enables them to strategize, market their
to new IT-BPM hubs locations, and provide quality and seamless services to
locators and investors.
by: IBPAP
“Through the Playbook, we hope to develop a deeper
The IT & Business Process Association a result, business and investment hubs can knowledge and better appreciation of locations outside
of the Philippines (IBPAP), in partnership be grown on a regional scale and foster NCR, bringing in more investments, job generation, and
with the Department of Information and inclusive growth for the country. fostering inclusive growth for the country,” said DICT
Communications Technology (DICT), Undersecretary Monchito Ibrahim.
and the National ICT Confederation of However, there is a need to foster
the Philippines (NICP) launched the localized development and support for the The digitalcitiesPHT™ platform and the Playbook are
digitalcitiesPH™ Portal. countryside that caters to the diverse and part of the key initiatives of the digitalcitiesPH™ program
evolving needs of prospective locators. which focuses on the development of ICT-enabled hubs
The online portal is a platform that “We have ICT Councils present in most that will serve as business and innovation centers and
provides a comprehensive overview provincial cities and municipalities and investment destinations outside Metro Manila.
of a city’s or municipality’s investment they can be leveraged to facilitate local
landscape, offering strategic insights ICT growth and development but they “THE DIGITALCITIESPH
for current and prospective investors also have varying levels of maturity and PORTAL HARNESSES THE
and locators. Each profile provides key strategies in attracting, growing, and POWER OF TECHNOLOGY AND
information on talent, infrastructure, sustaining investments,” explained NICP INFORMATION TO LINK DIFFERENT
cost, digital transformation, innovation President, Antonio Del Carmen. REGIONAL CITIES TO VARIOUS
ecosystem, and business environment. STAKEHOLDERS AND INVESTORS
To address this, the IBPAP, DICT, and ON A GLOBAL SCALE.”
“The digitalcitiesPH™ portal harnesses the NICP devised the digitalcitiesPH™
the power of technology and information Playbook: A Guide to Developing and
to link different regional cities to various Promoting ICT-enabled Locations.
stakeholders and investors on a global
scale,” said IBPAP President & CEO, The Playbook aims to give ICT Councils
Rey Untal. and other local entities a guide to help
them provide real-time and relevant
For investors and locators, the portal information to locators and investors,
provides access to key information about which will be crucial in developing
the cities and sees what specific sectors, investor promotion materials and local
products, or services they can invest in. As ICT development plans. Moreover, the

TRANSFORMING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
is Key to Success

In the Digital innovation is revolutionizing customer service programme is knowing how to attract, support, and develop
changing by providing self-care channels, automation of simple talent to deliver a holistic customer experience, measure
world of functions, and increased efficiency in the workplace. This outcomes, and recognize the talent that leads the way.
customer has made customers demand higher levels of convenience
service, the and effortless care. This highly skilled and developed talent is a significant
winners will be differentiator of our customer experience offering. By
those who see Classic contact center measures which only focus investing in talent, TeleTech is able to leverage front-line
the need for on efficiently and effectively resolving issues when they employees to participate in collaborative cross-functional
high quality occur no longer meet customer expectations. Success working sessions to analyze the customer journey.
talent. is measured by being better at service recovery, and This helps to understand customer friction points and
eliminating the cause of friction. recommend solutions with a return on investment in
the range of 5-7% net savings per annum. Coupled with
Let’s take two companies in the same industry targeting TeleTech’s digital solutions, a typical contact center
the same market. partnership of three years would result in spend reduction
of 30-40%. This savings can enable further investment in
First Call Resolution Company A Company B employees through increased wages and investment in the
Net Promoter Score 75% 70% workplace environment and culture.
Average Handle Time 64% 60%
In the changing world of customer service, the winners
8 minutes 10 minutes will be those who recognize the need to attract and retain
high quality talent not only to resolve issues when they
By traditional measures, Company A must deliver occur but also to prevent those issues from occurring on
the better customer experience. However, it is important a wider scale. By transitioning the focus of contact center
to measure the number of times a year customers call personnel, brands can address consumer demands for
needing some form of problem resolution. Traditional friction-less experiences. Those who develop energized
measures say Company A is better. But from a customer brand ambassadors focused on holistic customer
perspective, Company B delivers the better experience as experience improvement will be the new market leaders.
there is less effort and friction in doing business with it.

TeleTech is breaking the mold by implementing a
fundamental shift to this thinking. The core of the 2020

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019



1100 CEO PROFILE
CEO PROFILE

OHNITSHTEORIGRHYT SIDE OF How JIM DONOVAN
is using his expertise
in data management
to help organizations
around the world
achieve sustainability

by Breakthroughs Team

If you own a pair of denim jeans in your With the world’s leading climate For the United Nations and its member
closet, then it’s very likely that you have scientists warning that we only have a states, Jim is involved in developing software
benefited from the groundbreaking initiatives dozen or so years to limit climate change which would help them collect and manage
of Jim Donovan and his group, ADEC catastrophe, people have to be making information. He adds, “In the Philippines,
Innovations. much better decisions soon. we are in partnership with the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) and the
“We provide the business intelligence that “We were all brought up at a time when Department of Environment and Natural
helps the makers of those jeans not use the linear business model was used. You Resources (DENR) to focus on biodiversity. We
illegal dyes,” says Donovan. “We’re very proud make something. You use it. You throw it have projects all over the world.”
of the work we’ve done with Zero Discharge away,” Jim says. “We have to dramatically
of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) to help get turn the world towards a circular society At 55 years old, Jim has indeed
illegal dyes out of the supply chain.” where we’re going to have to reuse, recycle, accomplished much, but he believes there
and refit the way we do things… The world is still much to be done. He says, “My bucket
An initiative by the world’s largest global is going to have to adjust its business list is what I get to do every day, use my
apparel and footwear brands to ensure models and our small part in that is to entrepreneurial skills in a way that helps
sustainable and environment-friendly supply provide data to help them hopefully make the company and hopefully provide our
chains, ZDHC is dedicated to eliminating smarter decisions.” customers a way forward. I’m happy doing
harmful substances in the value chain, which what we’re doing, and I hope we get to do
cause havoc on the environment. more of it.”

“THE MOST IMPORTANT REWARD IS THE TRUST In the same manner, Jim believes there is
OF THE PEOPLE WHO COME TO WORK WITH YOU. still much to be done, and much to hope for, in
AWARDS ARE NICE FOR THE SHELVES. BUT THE the Philippine IT-BPM industry.
REALITY IS THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO TRUST IN
YOUR VISION …AND YOU HAVE TO EARN THAT “I am a natural optimist. In the next five
AWARD EVERY DAY!” years, we would want to see more technology-
enabled solutions with humans in the loop.
THE CALL FOR SUSTAINABILITY THE SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR We should be providing more analytics, more PHOTO BY: ALEX KOTLIARSKYI ON UNSPLASH
Sustainability has always been a driving Jim Donovan likes to call himself a training, more high value services. That’s
force for Donovan, both in his work and serial entrepreneur. In 1998, he founded where the market is going and the Philippines
his advocacy. ADEC Innovations, of which American Exchange Data Corporation, needs to recraft its position. Our human
he is the founder, has been developing along with Carol Esguerra, and he hasn’t resource being the original value proposition,
Environmental, Social, and Governance looked back ever since. Today, the ADEC while still relevant, should be recrafted and
(ESG) solutions for a wide variety of Group of Companies is a global provider of polished for 2020 and beyond.”
enterprises for more than two decades now. onshore managed services and offshore
Among other things too, he is one of the outsourcing solutions for governments and DEFINING SUCCESS
authors of the United Nations Environment businesses worldwide. Jim’s passion and persistence in his call
Programme’s 6th edition of the Global for sustainable practices has not gone
Environment Outlook 6. Playing on his strength in data unnoticed; he has received countless awards
management, Jim has lent his expertise and accolades from different institutions and
Explaining his passion, he says, “We have on a wide variety of initiatives. ADEC organizations.
7.5 billion people on the planet. We are using Innovations, for example, is the scoring
an Earth and a half of resources. The math partner of the Carbon Disclosure Project. At the end of the day, however, Jim says,
doesn’t work out. We looked at that, and said He says, “About 4,000 companies “The most important reward is the trust of the
this is a big trend. Some people would call send their information to us on carbon people who come to work with you. Awards
it sustainability, some would call it resource disclosure. We work with non-government are nice for the shelves. But the reality is that
management. We saw it as an opportunity organizations, and we provide them the people have to trust in your vision …and you
to redirect our services with big data to help software and scoring that allows them to have to earn that award every day!”
people make better decisions.” do their work.”
He says, “My personal and professional
idea of success is making a difference. For
sustainability and the environment, we want
to be on the right side of history. The world is
living in an unsustainable way, and we want to
succeed in delivering solutions to help people
make better decisions.”

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019



12 DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Embracing Diversity, Gender Neutral Restrooms in its facilities at RCBC
Fostering Inclusion Plaza and granted Domestic Partner Benefits
to partners of its LGBTIQ+ employees. These
INDUSTRY STALWARTS ARE have the potential to succeed, the right attitude, initiatives were accomplished by benchmarking
REDESIGNING THE WORKPLACE and the right skill,” concludes Labesores. with other Chevron offices globally and with the
CULTURE WITH GAME-CHANGING PROUDLY INCLUSIVE Philippine Financial Industry Pride (PFIP).
INITIATIVES ANZ started the LGBTIQ+ Pride Network in
its Australia office more than a decade ago. In Likewise, the company collaborated with
2011, it was adopted in the Philippines, where its Health and Medical Group to promote HIV
employees helped to strengthen the network’s awareness and provide HIV screening on site.
presence in Manila. Today, ANZ Manila Service
Centre is a proud member of Philippine Financial The success of Chevron Holdings Philippines’
Industry Pride (PFIP), a collaborative community D&I programs may be attributed to the strong
that aims to foster an industry that is safe and support of the management team, its partnership
inclusive for LGBTIQ+. with other employee network groups and business
units, and volunteerism among CHI employees.
“Respect is one of ANZ’s core values and
we believe that all employees should be able If there is anything that Chevron has learned
to bring their whole authentic selves to work from its journey towards diversity and inclusivity, it
regardless of their age, religion, race, or sexual is that one does not need large numbers to make
orientation,” says Onil Villacorta, PFIP Chair a difference. It only takes one brave soul to accept
and Manila Service Centre Head of Markets the challenges in shifting to a more inclusive
Transaction Management. workplace.
WOMEN IN THE CIRCLE
by Breakthroughs Team ANZ is one of the first organizations in As the largest private employer in the country,
the Philippines to roll out an HMO coverage Concentrix considers gender equality a business
As employers continue to embrace diversity and program for domestic same sex partnership. imperative. “Our workforce is over 50 percent
foster inclusion across genders and people with It also initiated information campaigns, female, and 80 to 85 percent millennials - a lot
disabilities, the IT-BPM industry is becoming even volunteer activities, and a speaker series of the things that used to be uncommon are
more amazing to be part of. aimed at increasing the level of understanding becoming part of the norm. If we are not going to
OPENING THE DOOR FOR PWDS of the LGBTIQ+ acronym. Another highlight be focused on diversity and if we’re not going to be
Diversity and inclusion has always been part of Henkel is the roll-out of the LGBT 101 Awareness inclusive, I think we’re going to fail in this market,”
Asia Pacific Centre’s company culture. While others Program for ANZ’s support teams composed says Larah Sta. Maria, Senior Director for Learning
look at diversity and inclusion in terms of gender alone, of housekeeping, security, and administrative  and Development.
Henkel focuses on the “diverse in diversity.” personnel.
Apart from Concentrix’s size at 80,000
The company’s partnership with The Project staff in-country, the realities of a competitive
Red Ribbon’s Duyan Foundation has likewise market sees Concentrix’s recruiting machinery
empowered families living with HIV. ANZ not operating constantly. Concentrix processes
only provided start-up business capital, but over 200,000 applicants every year for frontline
also introduced the concept of financial literacy positions, and promotes over 3,000 people into
through its flagship corporate sustainability new careers. All this creates a need to ensure the
program called “Money Minded.” work environment is one where people feel safe
and accepted, with absolutely zero tolerance for
Human Resources Manager Tess Labesores says, These initiatives were led by highly engaged exclusion and harassment.
“We have a working group that is focused on coming employees. Villacorta says, “We credit our driven
up with a roadmap specific to diversity and inclusion, and motivated ANZ Pride Network Leaders, as Further, as a founding member of the Philippine
and we want to ensure this espouses inclusivity.” well as ANZ’s most senior executives both in our Business Coalition for Women Empowerment
headquarters and the Philippines operations for (PBCWE) whose aim is to advance the cause of
Having a diversity and inclusion roadmap gives their massive support.” women and gender equality in the workplace, one
employees an idea what to expect, what programs of Concentrix’s focus is the retention of mothers
are in the pipeline, and what the company hopes to More importantly, these programs returning from their maternity leave.
achieve. are supplemented by regular focus group
discussions to ensure that the voices of “The ideal is that at least 80 percent of new
Irish Ortiz, who is herself a PWD, leads the diversity employees are constantly heard and taken mothers stay employed within a year of giving
and inclusion committee. She says, “One of our major into consideration when the ANZ Pride Network birth, but in our case, the average for four years
objectives in 2019 is to increase our PWD hires. We’ll Leaders draft initiatives which benefit its was only 70 percent,” says Concentrix Human
also be having disability equality training for people members as well as the entire employee Resources Director Mena Pulumbarit.
managers and also for all the employees.” population.
“Apart from the physical and emotional
Henkel employs a well-thought-out strategy for According to Villacorta, having a strong change that one goes through, there are also the PHOTO BY: MIMI THIAN ON UNSPLASH
including PWDs in the hiring process, and involving the diversity and inclusion agenda in the workplace social demands that new moms feel they need
whole organization in the conversation once the PWDs yields higher employee engagement, increased to meet. With all these pressures, the idea of a
are onboard as employees. productivity, and reduced turnover rate. He says, flourishing career can fall by the wayside. We
“Not only does it make good business sense, but would like to help them strategize by pairing them
Taking it a step further, Henkel launched an it is the right thing to do.” up with other mothers in the workplace who have
awareness campaign among its employees, starting PRIDE IN THE WORKPLACE made it past this interesting and stressful time.
with a talk by a representative from the National At Chevron Holdings Inc. (CHI), a diverse This is driven by our belief that once a new mother
Council on Disability Affairs. “We also did sensitivity and inclusive workplace is a precondition for figures out how to make things work with the first
training for employees who work with PWDs,” sustained success. Committing to diversity and child, she is in a much better place with her next
Labesores adds. inclusion (D&I) not only creates a more cohesive children,” she says.
and collaborative environment, it also promotes
It’s not surprising that Henkel has become a talent attraction and retention “We commissioned an assessment through
resource for best practices on the hiring of PWDs an independent third party that gave us the
within and outside the IT-BPM industry. Ortiz was a In the case of CHI, there is the PRIDE insight into what we were missing and gave us the
guest speaker last year at the Workability Inclusion Network group, which began as an informal opportunity to address the feedback and the gaps.
Network Summit hosted by Willis Towers Watson. initiative in 2008 and was later recognized as an This whole women and empowerment program is
Henkel was also invited to share their experience with official employee network group. Today, it has now being put into place,” Sta. Maria adds.
Accenture India and other Henkel sites across the some 150 members and is one of the pillars of
globe. diversity and inclusion in the company Concentrix is also the only BPO company
that has a registered Lean In Circle, the initiative
In addition to PWDs, Henkel also has initiatives that In 2017, the PRIDE Network began inspired by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg’s
support gender equality and age diversity. There is conducting regular learning sessions with bestselling book and is currently led by Sta. Maria.
absolutely no discrimination when it comes to hiring. resource persons who shared strategies and “Circles are structured with only 10 to 12 members
insights in succeeding at work. Through PRIDE’s in order to foster real dialogue. If you have each
“In our recruitment activity, we are not expressing work and internal advocacy, CHI established of those women form a circle, then you grow
preference for gender or age. We really value what this exponentially. Everybody becomes part of that
person can bring to this organization, as long as you whole network,” she says.

These initiatives have proven to be good for
business. “We don’t discriminate, we open our
doors, and that solidifies our alignment,” ends
Sta. Maria

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019

START-UPS AND SMES 13

SMALL VENTURES
Big Possibilities

HOW STARTUPS AND
SMES ARE CHANGING THE
BUSINESS LANDSCAPE

by Breakthroughs Team

PHOTO BY: (CITYSCAPE AT NIGHT) EUGENE PASTOAL ON UNSPLASH; COLLEAGUES COMPANY COOPRATION FROM PIXABAY.COM One needs only look at the success What startups and SMEs need are “IT IS HIS VISION FOR
of Facebook or Uber to realize the massive more opportunities — the opportunity CLOUDSWYFT TO CHANGE
potential of startups. This may be why every to prove their skill and expertise to large THE WAY ORGANIZATIONS
other technopreneur worth his bitcoin is on corporations, the opportunity to pitch their DEVELOP AND EVALUATE
the lookout for the next winning idea. ideas to local, regional, and global investors, FUTURE-READY
and the opportunity to bid on public TECHNOLOGY SKILLS BY
While the startup phenomenon is fairly projects through a separate category. PROVIDING INNOVATIVE
new in the Philippines, Dann Angelo De PLATFORMS AND TOOLS.”
Guzman, founder and CEO of CloudSwyft It is the hope of De Guzman that
Global Systems, Inc., says it quickly government could provide investment
drew the interest of venture capitalists, grants and funding sources to startups on
regional investors, and big conglomerates. an annual application process basis. The
Legislators have responded as well continued support of the IT-BPM sector
by drafting the proposed Innovative would also help startups and SMEs in
Startup Act of the Philippines seeking the their journey.
elimination of unnecessary constraints to
startups and the adoption of international De Guzman, who has been a tech
best practices to the local startup entrepreneur since he was 22 years
community. old, continues to be optimistic about
startups and SMEs, seeing great potential
Startups and small and medium in the areas of healthtech, edtech,
enterprises (SMEs) represent the future of upskilling, artificial intelligence, and HR-
the Philippine economy. According to the benefits solutions.
Philippine Statistics Authority, some 99.6
percent of all registered businesses in the It is his vision for CloudSwyft to change
country are SMEs, and they employ 62.9 the way organizations develop and evaluate
percent of the working population. future-ready technology skills by providing
innovative platforms and tools. In the long
Because of their strength and potential, term, De Guzman sees CloudSwyft as “the
De Guzman says, “Partnerships forged by premiere platform of choice for delivering
startups, SMEs, and IT-BPM companies on-demand future-ready technology
would be powerful enough in terms of upskilling to address IT workforce
driving synergies to make things happen employability shortcomings across the Asia
and execute plans forward.” Pacific region.”

Startups and SMEs could work Entrepreneurship is the future, but
closely with the IT-BPM industry to it isn’t for everyone. De Guzman says,
address specific problems that could “Being an entrepreneur is a painful but
have a meaningful impact. Cloudswyft, an influential, instrumental journey in life.
for instance, has been working with the It is all about grit and hard work. If you’re
Information Technology and Business passionate about a problem you wanted to
Process Association of the Philippines solve, just go ahead and do it. No excuses.
(IBPAP) on the issue of upskilling. Learn from mistakes. Do not call it out as
a failure, charge it to priceless experience.
Indeed, the future lies with small Find a mentor that you’ll be comfortable
ventures which could move swiftly to adapt with. Be in a room full of people smarter
to the changing business and technological than you. Embrace uncertainty, improve,
landscape. However, access to capital is and iterate. It gets better every single day.”
still a major hurdle, says De Guzman, as it
hinders the ability of startups and SMEs to *Reference: Philippine Statistics Authority
scale fast enough to grow their market.

WWW.IBPAP.ORG

14 NEWS

IBPAP WELCOMES IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), the umbrella association that
NEW BOARD OF enables the entire Philippine IT and business process management (IT-BPM) industry, recently
TRUSTEES announced its new set of Board of Trustees. Their task is to lead the association in continuously
promoting industry growth and attracting more investors to expand and set up shop in the
by: IBPAP country.

Aside from being industry stalwarts from various IT-BPM sub-sectors such as animation,
contact center, game development, global in-house center, healthcare information
management, and software development, the newly-elected members share a wealth of
experience and expertise in corporate social responsibility, customer service operations,
country investment promotions, technology disruption, global banking, property, and
telecommunications.

Part of the new Board of Trustees are: for industry, Ayhee Campos of Infosys BPM Ltd.,
Celeste Ilagan of SPi Global, Nix Nolledo of Xurpas Enterprise, Inc., Lito Tayag of Accenture
Philippines, and Raoul Teh of JP Morgan Chase Bank; for non-industry, Jovy Hernandez of
PLDT, David Leechiu of Leechiu Property Consultants, and Peter Maquera of Globe Telecom;
for partner associations, Miguel Del Rosario of Animation Council of the Philippines, Benedict
Hernandez of Contact Center Association of the Philippines, Alvin Juban of Game Developers
Association of the Philippines, Elaine Kunkle of Global In-house Centers Council, Beng Coronel
of Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines, and Jonathan De
Luzuriaga of Philippine Software Industry Association.

IBPAP President and CEO Rey Untal is also a member of the Board of Trustees with Tayag
re-elected as Board Chairman, and Campos and Del Rosario elected as Vice-Chairman and
Treasurer, respectively.

INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES

Ayhee Campos Lito Tayag Nico Jose Nolledo Celeste Ilagan Raoul Teh
Country Head Country Managing Director Chair & CEO Senior Vice President – Marketing Chief Executive Officer and
Infosys BPM Limited – Xurpas, Inc.
Philippine Branch Accenture Philippines and External Affairs Managing Director
SPi Global Holdings, Inc. JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Global Service

Center – Philippines

NON - INDUSTRY REPRESENTATIVES CORPORATE SECRETARY IBPAP

Juan Victor Hernandez David Leechiu Peter Maquera Bob Guinto Rey Untal
Senior Vice President and Head Co-Founder and CEO Senior Vice President, NMGRA Law Offices President & CEO
Leechiu Property Consultants, Inc. Globe Business Globe Telecom, Inc
PLDT and Smart Enterprise
Business Groups

PARTNER ASSOCIATIONS

Juan Miguel Del Rosario Benedict Hernandez Alvin Juban Maria Cristina “Beng” G. Elaine Kunkle Jonathan De Luzuriaga
President Chair President Coronel Chair President
President
Animation Council of the Contact Center Game Developers Association Global In-house Centers Philippine Software Industry
Philippines, Inc. Association of the Philippines of the Philippines Healthcare Information Council Association
Management Association of

the Philippines

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019

FEATURE 15

DRIVING INDUSTRY l There is a rich talent pool made up of a multiple organizations and resource groups that
GROWTH diverse mix of fresh graduates from the IT, help promote inclusion and diversity, such as
marketing, administrative and business fields, Spectrum Philippines (our LGBTQA+ resource
by Breakthroughs Team as well as seasoned team leaders, project group), Connections - the TELUS Women’s
managers and executives. The country also Network (our women leaders resource group),
Interview with RAJIV M. DHAND, has a higher literacy rate at 95%, and produces and over a dozen special interest groups like the
Regional Vice-President and almost half a million new graduates yearly. TELUS International Philippines outdoors club,
General Manager for Operations, dance club, gaming club and more.
TELUS International Philippines 2. How many jobs has TELUS created since it
opened its doors in the Philippines? And our caring culture extends beyond our
1. When you first started, what factors made office walls and trickles to our communities
TELUS decide to locate a contact center TELUS International Philippines currently through our corporate social responsibility
in the Philippines? What do you think are employs over 14,500 team members in six programs and the TELUS International
the advantages of the Philippines vs. other offices in Metro Manila, growing from 1,500 in Philippines Community Board. Giving back
neighboring countries/regions? 2005. We’re proud to say a large percentage to the communities where we live, work and
of our team members have been with us for serve is another core element in who we are
TELUS International was created to years, and we enjoy one of the industry’s as an organization. In 2018 alone, the TELUS
enable TELUS, our parent company, a leading lowest attrition rates, 50% lower than industry  International Philippines Community Board
Canadian telecommunications company. standards. gave out US$100,000 as grants for grassroot
TELUS was looking to have a different kind foundations and charities. Our amazing team
of relationship with their provider - they 3. Which areas in the Philippines are you expanding members also made it possible for us to
wanted a true partner who could protect to and why did you choose them? impact almost 8,000 beneficiaries through 49
and enhance the TELUS brand by providing corporate social responsibility activities where
exceptional customer service, as well as This year, we are excited to open a new site at they shared over 31,000 volunteer hours.
embody a caring culture (for both its team Vertis North Corporate Center in Quezon City. It
members and the broader communities is a well-established commercial and business Based on repeated experiences, we’ve proven
where its team members live and work) and district which allows access to great amenities time and again that having a highly engaged
ramp operations quickly and effectively. and is conveniently connected to transport workforce is a competitive advantage that
In 2005, after completing an exhaustive hubs and major highways. directly translates to benefits for our customers
international search, they decided to invest in and our top and bottom line growth. That’s why
Ambergris Solutions in Metro Manila because It will be our sixth site in Metro Manila, in we do our best to create an inclusive working
of the shared commitment to high team addition to our sites in Ortigas Center, Makati, environment can grow, be recognized, and feel
member engagement to drive impressive BGC and Araneta Center. valued.”
customer experiences, as well as to giving
back to the community. We are always on the lookout for emerging When our team members are engaged and
opportunities in the Philippines, and these inspired, they strive to deliver beyond what is
As an industry leader with a focus on opportunities will drive our expansion plans in expected of them, they say great things about
team member engagement and a belief in the future. the company to their friends and family, they
the sustainment of the brand experience, grow with us and stay longer with the company.
this strategic investment, built on the 4. What factors have contributed to its continuing These all lead to better retention of talent,
enablement of our parent company’s growth in the Philippines? amazing customer service, and world-class
philosophy to put customers first, was the customer experience.
beginning of TELUS International. Our company culture is hands down our
main differentiator and one of the main 5. What are its plans for the next five years? For the
The Philippines was and remains to be at drivers of our success. Last year, the company next ten years?
the forefront of BPO destinations because of received record-breaking engagement score
a number of factors including: of 90% according to a yearly employee survey The next couple of years are pivotal for us as
conducted by global HR solutions provider  Aon. we incorporate the edge which next-gen digital
l Its large English speaking population - solutions like artificial intelligence, machine
over 92% of the population speaks English Caring is at the heart of our culture, and that learning, and data science can inject in the work
either as a first or secondary language. starts by surrounding our team members with that we do, to benefit both our team members
Aside from English proficiency and fluency, the things that are important to them. We have and our customers. Artificial intelligence for
Filipinos are also accent neutral which many instance, opens a number of opportunities for
companies in need of voice support look for the Filipino workforce to elevate their skills,
capacity and roles. Businesses will benefit from
l It is conducive to the outsourcing the higher efficiency and productivity brought
industry - the government shows its by any AI technology. This helps jobs become
support for the BPO industry in various less routine, more meaningful, and purposeful.
ways (everything from creating courses in
line with BPO sector requirements via the We see the value in working with the aid of
Technical Education and Skills Development artificial intelligence to complement human
Authority [TESDA], to laws like the Data intervention. Human intervention is invaluable
Security Act and the Special Economic Zone while AI will act to support customer service.
Act) and is very open to foreign business The future of work in the BPO industry is heavily
investors dynamic and fluid and will require more skills
like critical analysis, problem solving, time
l The culture is hospitable and the people management, creative thinking, agility, empathy
are very warm, making those characteristic and the ability to work in a team regardless of
traits very easy to translate to the service job title.
industry
Alongside exploring these new technologies,
l There’s also a high affinity for the North we are and will continue to invest a lot in training
American culture because of the country’s our team members to ensure that they move
long history with Western countries up the value chain and that they are ready to
work with these new technologies. We see a very
bright future ahead, for our company, for our
team members, and for the Philippines.

WWW.IBPAP.ORG

Teleperformance Philippines gets
certified as Great Place to Work®
for the second year in a row

T eleperformance, the global leader in outsourced Teleperformance Philippines Chief Operating Officer
omnichannel customer experience management, Mike Lytle, together with the Senior Leadership
announced that Teleperformance in the Philippines has Team, receives the official Great Place to Work®
once again received certification as a Great Place to
Work® by the Great Place to Work® Institute. certification from Jose Carlos Bezanilla, CEO of Great
Place to Work® Institute of Greater China.
Teleperformance Philippines is now the first company in
the Philippines to achieve back-to-back certification as a
Great Place to Work®.

The Great Place to Work® Institute is a global research and consulting
company that provides benchmarks, standards, and executive advisory to
enable organizations to create, sustain, and recognize outstanding
workplace cultures. Companies are assessed and certified through surveys
and focus group discussions with employees and leaders.

The certification was earned through an organization-wide survey that asked the employees for their opinions. Over 26,000 employees
across Teleperformance’s existing sites in the Philippines responded and participated in a confidential online survey that rated the
company in terms of culture, teamwork, growth and learning opportunities, leadership communication and support, sense of pride, work
environment, among others. This comprehensive survey was independently conducted by the Great Place to Work® Institute.

As the company grew its headcount and launched new business sites, the stronger results of this year’s survey indicate that positive strides
have been made in employee engagement.

“The Great Place to Work® certification is a recognition of the hard work, the quality of programs, and the consistent application of our
values that was executed by the entire Philippine team,” said Mike Lytle, Chief Operating Officer of Teleperformance Philippines.

“We are deeply encouraged by this result because it shows that we are able to deliver on our promise of making each interaction matter --
not just for our external customers, but for our employees as well. And this is very important to us, especially now as we prepare to further
push our innovation agenda and transform our employee experience to sustain our growth momentum in the long-term,” said Lytle.

“The Trust Index survey results are the voice of our people, and it communicates that we are on the right path. It is heartening to know
that we are moving forward together, so we are invigorated and energized to keep innovating and to keep strengthening our culture that
is anchored on our values of Innovation, Respect, Professionalism, Integrity and Commitment,” said Jeffrey Johnson, Senior Vice President
for Human Capital Resource Management.

Teleperformance new COO Mike Lytle, innovation advocate,
drives company’s push to sustain market leadership

A s the new Teleperformance Philippines
Chief Operating Officer Mike Lytle took
centerstage to keynote the company’s
digital revolution conference held last
March in Makati, the audience was
watching him intently, keen to get a
first-hand missive on the how to sustain
wins and market leadership of the 23-year
old company.

“We are focused on delivering a signature High-Tech, High-Touch
service that differentiates Teleperformance Philippines from the
rest of the market. That’s why we listen and learn, study the
markets, understand the pain points, and see the areas where
growth will come from. Our customized digital solutions will be
efficient, effective and truly relevant responses to our clients’ real
need for sustainable growth in the new digital economy,” he said.

Mike Lytle, Teleperformance Philippines Chief Operating Officer, delivers his keynote speech
at the Leap into the Future and Transform (LIFT) innovation summit held in Makati City

Mike looked completely in his element as he exhorted people to embrace the digital future with agility, resilience and drive for
innovation. Not surprising for those who know him because he has been gung-ho since he began a productive career of over
two decades as a contact center agent in the U.S. subsidiary.

Driven to make a difference, Mike sought to develop his competencies in operations, learning and development, client services,
and quality assurance. He kept rocketing up the ladder, earning well-deserved promotions before his assignment as Director of
Operations at Teleperformance Philippines in 2007.

Mike’s expertise in client relations and talent development across multiple verticals and geographies enabled him to mobilize
the launch of a key Teleperformance Philippines client in 2009. He was eventually promoted as Vice President of Operations in
2011 and, within a few years, grew his account to support multiple lines of business across four Teleperformance sites in Metro
Manila and Cebu City. Mike’s keen business and people management skills have also significantly contributed to the growth and
achievement in the Teleperformance ANZ, Philippines and UK businesses leading to his promotion to Executive Vice President
in 2014.

In 2017, Mike was once again promoted as Chief Customer Officer for Teleperformance Asia Pacific where he helped grow the
capabilities of business operations in China, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia. After his successful stint in this
region, he has returned to the Philippines to share his expertise and welcome new opportunities to take the Philippine
operations to the next level of market leadership.

“The Philippines offers so much in terms of talent, expertise and experience. Our people can compete head-on with all the other “We are committed to innovation
geographies. It will be our attitude towards the future that will make us winners, because we are committed to innovation and and becoming better than ever.”
becoming better than ever. We will never stop and that is why we will prevail,” Mike asserts.
-Mike Lytle

Celebrating our People’s
Commitment and Trust

At Teleperformance Philippines,
we celebrate our empowered people who make us a
Great Place to Work® for all!

Teleperformance Philippines is the first company in the country to
achieve back-to-back certification as a Great Place to Work®. More than
our humble acknowledgement of this feather in our cap, it is a
recognition of our people’s hard work, the quality execution of our
programs, and the enduring display of our corporate values. This
achievement continues to inspire us to deliver on our promise to make
each interaction matter – for our customers, our stakeholders, and all the
communities we serve.

tp_philippines www.teleperformance.ph teleperformancephilippines

Philippine HIGHLIGHTS
IT-BPM Industry:

POISED FOR
GROWTH

The IT & Business Process Association of the 1.23M industry investors
Philippines has recently released an update on where
the Philippine IT-BPM industry stands in terms of EMPLOYEES EXPANSION
revenue and job creation targets.
in 2018, growing 5% in year end plans, particularly in the countryside.
Following a challenging year in 2017 due to various employment with a revenue of
geopolitical issues, the industry shows signs of recovery
in 2018 by slowly gaining back its positive momentum. $24.7B new locators delivering a wider
With industry investors and locators regaining range of services, from customer
confidence in the Philippines, numerous incumbents service to e-commerce, supply chain
proceeded with their expansions, particularly in the management and IT infrastructure
countryside.
support, among others.
A study conducted by IBPAP indicates that the
industry grew by 5.1% in headcount to record a year- INDUSTRY FIGURES
end direct employment of 1.23 million employees while
overall revenue targets also increased from USD 23.4B 1.17M 1.23M $24.7B
in 2017 to USD 24.7B in 2018.
FTE revenues
“Though still slower than our initial projections, we headcount reached
remain optimistic and equally grateful for the continued
support we receive as we have clearly seen a direct growth $23.4B
and pivotal link between government support and
investment growth,” explains IBPAP President & CEO 2017 2018 2017 2018
Rey Untal.
Albeit lower than the CAGR target
“The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) of Roadmap 2022, the industry is
formula consistently attracted and successfully REGAINING ITS MOMENTUM AFTER
retained investors here in the Philippines and, more
importantly, was key to creating more jobs across A CHALLENGING 2017.
multiple industries,” Untal adds. “Also, the seamless
collaboration with the Board of Investments (BOI) and PEZA INVESTMENTS AND OFFICE
the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in providing REAL ESTATE TAKE-UP
support to both existing and potential investors
continues to be critical in ensuring that we continue to Current trends in IT investments and office take-up
see growth in foreign direct investments.” show signs that the Philippine IT-BPM is recovering.

The stronger performance in 2018 was a result Committed IT investments in Billion (PhP) PHOTO BY: ALBERTO FRIAS ON UNSPLASH
of new locators offering a wider range of highly
technical services, shifting from general customer Php 20.6B
service to e-commerce, supply chain management, IT
infrastructure support and analytics. Php 15.6B 431.5SQ M

The IBPAP President & CEO maintains a positive 2017 2018
outlook and acknowledges the importance of Metro Manila Office Take-up
collaboration with government partners as the industry
aims to pivot to higher value jobs and services.

“We cannot be more thankful to the Department
of Information Communications and Technology
(DICT) for continuing to push for innovation and
digitalization. Also, we are pleased by our strengthened
partnerships with the Department of Education
(DepED), Commission on Higher Education (CHED),
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and
Technical Education and Skills Development Authority
(TESDA) as we work towards upskilling and reskilling
the current workforce. Lastly and equally critical is the
support of our policymakers and lawmakers to ensure
our industry remains globally competitive as we move
up the value chain.”

358.0SQ M
2017 2018

While the industry has a strong base of voice skills, it is rapidly
increasing scale of non-voice services and next-generation
technology-enabled solutions to deliver a seamless and consistent
omnichannel experience.

Legal Research & Accounting Clinical Data
Analysis Data Analytics Analytics
Animation Insurance Support
Social Media Cloud
Credit & Collection Computing

Mobile Game
Development

Financial Analysis &
Tax Reporting

20 EVENTS DXC Technology Establishes
Digital Transformation Center
“THE ESTABLISHMENT
OF THE MANILA DIGITAL by: DXC Technology

TRANSFORMATION DXC Technology, the world’s leading independent, •DXC’s global experience and its
CENTER IS THE LATEST end-to-end IT services company, has named independent partner network to showcase
Manila as a strategic location for one of its six innovative and evolving approaches.
MILESTONE IN DXC’S Digital Transformation Centers. With global
RICH 16-YEAR HERITAGE enterprises making the shift to digital technology “The establishment of the Manila Digital
IN THE IT-BPM SERVICES to produce better business outcomes, DXC has Transformation Center is the latest milestone
invested in building Digital Transformation Centers in DXC’s rich 16-year heritage in the IT/BPM
INDUSTRY IN THE that enable clients to observe and engage in the services industry in the Philippines,” says Peter
PHILIPPINES.” development and delivery of end-to-end digital Ramolete, DXC Philippines Global Delivery
transformation. Center and Manila Digital Transformation
Center leader. “We are extremely excited
Manila, along with the other Digital about this, not only because this further
Transformation Centers (located in Adelaide, strengthens our ability to serve our clients, but
Australia; Bangalore, India; New Orleans, also because it provides new opportunities for
Louisiana, in the United States; Newcastle, United world-class Filipino digital talent.”
Kingdom; and Sofia, Bulgaria), provides a rich
environment for DXC and its clients to co-develop The opening of the Digital Transformation
digital strategies, test ideas, and deliver early Center is just one of the recent key
business benefits. With a focus on next-generation developments for DXC in the Philippines. The
digital services and solutions, the Manila Digital company previously announced the creation
Transformation Center leverages: of its third DXC Analytics Modernization and
Migration Factory in Manila. The migration
• DXC Bionix™, DXC’s approach to intelligent factory provides clients with an efficient, end-
automation at scale, by using its data-driven to-end experience to accelerate the migration
continuous improvement approach of of data and analytics environments to the
implementing lean processes and intelligent cloud. With more advancements planned this
automation throughout the product life cycle. year and beyond, DXC Philippines is positioned
for  growth.
•Design thinking and agile methodologies in
the development and deployment of business
solutions and in ongoing digital operations.

ADVERTISINGFEATURE

DYNAQUEST: Breaking New
Grounds with Blockchain

by: DynaQuest Technology Services Inc (DQTSI)

Decades are often defined by the technology powered by Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), information cycles P HOT O BY : LYC S A RCH I T ECT U RE ON UN S PL A SH
that has transformed businesses and are able to self-execute based on read-process-store-retrieve functions.
commerce. The 90s saw the growth of portable The traditional processes on waiting for human verification will give
technology and the explosion of the internet. away to Blockchain’s automated and self-governing capacity.
While the 00s brought us the age of social
media, the 10s gave us the power of mobile As the world’s largest businesses are in the process of embedding
technology. As we look ahead at the 20s Blockchain into their core and extended operations, CEO Randy
decade, we can already see another landmark of Knutson stated that the new wave of disruption is now focused on the
innovation and disruption, with Blockchain being SME market. “From the last two years, the SME market has been a ‘Wait
one of the foundational technologies that will power business, commerce & See’ group, but now, they are the ‘Right Here and Now’ group that are
and systems of governance for that decade. actively planning their Blockchain move.”
Randy Knutson, CEO of DynaQuest Technology Services Inc (DQTSI),
has worked with information systems and enterprise technologies as a With Randy having seen it all in terms of tech migration, he channels
former CIO of a fortune 500 company. He has seen several technologies that expertise and experience with DynaQuest as the firm has been
adopted, replaced and how these platforms transform the biggest successful when it comes to guiding businesses throughout their
businesses on the planet. Blockchain journey. From consultation, business case planning, training
“Enterprise technology are considered indispensable platforms IT staff with Blockchain and planning resources within the start of the
as operations across department and adjacent verticals are running journey, businesses are assured of a cost-effective roadmap in the
through them – that is until they reach the end of their lifecycles where a Blockchain project. As a specialized firm, DynaQuest also provides
successor technology will ultimately replace them.” continuous support and maintenance to companies who have
In attaining business efficiency with both process and information successfully migrated to Blockchain.
cycles, the next challenge is always about how to further optimize these
benchmarks. Business processes are still prone to inefficiencies due to “I see Blockchain as a journey and not simply as a destination,”
the dependencies on the wait times in-between human verification over a Randy Knutson said. “In working with Blockchain across the industries
chain of upcoming transactions. of accounting, health information and insurance, maintaining
This is where enterprises are taking a pivot with Blockchain and Blockchain’s continued operations -- to further pioneer its capabilities
it will replace the existing business information systems. Blockchain is another stage of the whole journey,” said Randy Knutson.
allows self-completing processes that were once dependent on human
verification roles over information processing. With Blockchain being As Blockchain is further gaining steam and is projected to be
mass adopted by the early 2020, companies who are able to break
new ground with Blockchain today are looking to further pioneer it by
exploring its advanced possibilities and we’ve just scratched the surface
of its potential.

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019



22 EVENTS

14 new members took oath at the Annual Membership Meeting last March

E2V0EN1T9S CEO Series speaker, Yongzheng Yang of the
International Monetary Fund, discussing the
Recently concluded IBPAP events 2019 APAC economic outlook and its implications on
the Philippine economic growth

IBPAP President & CEO, Rey Untal,
providing policy updates at the Q2
IBPAP GMM

IBPAP President & CEO Rey Untal Attendees of the PEZA Forum with IBPAP President &
presenting to the members the 2018 CEO Rey Untal, Philippine Economic Zone Authority
Recap and 2019 Priorities (PEZA) Director General Charito Plaza and members
of the IBPAP Board, Ayhee Campos and Celeste Ilagan

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019

EVENTS 23

C-level executives listening to updates and insights from the speakers at the IBPAP 2nd CEO series 13

The IBPAP Occupational
Safety & Health (OSH)
Committee together with
the speakers of the IBPAP
Industry Briefing on the
DOLE prescribed Safety
and Health Programs &
Mandatory 8-hour Safety and
Health (MESH) Training for
Workers

Ramon Casiple discussing political
assessment and analysis for the
IT-BPM Industry at the CEO Series

The newly elected IBPAP Board
of Trustees

DOLE’s Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Bureau of Induction of 11 new members at the Q2 IBPAP General
Working Conditions Director Tess Cucueco led the discussion on the Membership Meeting last June
implementing rules and regulations of RA1108 “Occupational Safety
and Health Standards Act at the IBPAP Industry Briefing

WWW.IBPAP.ORG

24 PARTNER UPDATE A groundbreaking event happened in Manila last February 2019, when
Animation du Monde came to the Philippines to bring young animators
Animation du opportunities to learn about best practices and trends as well as acquire
Monde in funding and co-production deals.

MANILA Animation du Monde, a pitching-mentoring initiative established by
Marché International du Film d’Animation in Annecy, France, was brought
by: Animation Council of the Philippines (ACPI) to Manila, was brought to Manila through the efforts of the Embassy of
France in Manila in collaboration with the Film Development Council of
the Philippines (FDCP), Department of Trade and Industry, Department of
Information and Communications Technology, and the Animation Council
of the Philippines (ACPI).

Seven animated short film and feature film projects-in-development
from the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia were previously
selected for Animation du Monde, and their authors underwent training and
mentoring sessions during the event. These authors were Cris Dumlao and
Avid Llongoren from the Philippines, Irwan Junaidy and Maizura Abas from
Malaysia, Diandra Pramestisari Pololessy from Indonesia, and Ervin Tan,
Jerrold Chong, and Mark Wee from Singapore.

Géraldine Baché, head of education at Annecy, Claire Fouquet, story
doctor at Annecy, and Ron Dyens, producer of Sacrebleu Productions, were
the mentors.

The Art of Charlie Chan by Chong and Wee of Singapore was eventually
selected to participate in the upcoming Annecy International Animation
Film Festival in France scheduled for June 2019.

There were also lectures including “Creation Processes: How to Grow a
Simple Idea Into a Short Animated Film” by Fouquet and “Producer Insight
for Short Films” by Dyens as well as discussions on pitching best practices
and production processes, among others.

The event was organized by ACPI President Miguel del Rosario and
Executive Director René B. Misa; the French Embassy in Manila with
Ambassador Nicolas Galey, Counsellor for Cooperation and Cultural Affairs,
Jean-Jacques Forte, Audio/Visual Attaché Martin Macalintal, and Press
Attaché Camille Conde; FDCP Chairman Liza Diño-Seguerra and Executive
Director Wilfredo Manalang; DTI-Export Marketing Bureau Assistant
Director Anthony Rivera; DICT-ICT Industry Development Bureau Director
Emmy Lou Verzosa-Delfin, and Alliance Francaise de Manille Director Jean-
Pierre Dumont and Deputy Director Stéphanie Davidson.

The Impact of Local contact center firms now prioritize
the New Industrial quick and accurate resolution,personalized
Revolution to the interactions, demand for self-service
IT-BPM Industry option, interaction in customers’ preferred
channel, and seamless/consistent
by Contact Center Association of the Philippines (CCAP) experience. Disruptive technologies also
point to automation, analytics, and artificial
A new wave of industrial revolution is According to consultancy firm Frost intelligence to meet delivery of CX delivery.
shaking up the IT-business process & Sullivan, tasks that require basic skills
management (IT-BPM) industry, ushering in the BPO landscape is projected to Based on an internal research by
in challenges that must be overcome decline by 29% by 2022. Mid-skill jobs are CCAP, mid- and high-skilled jobs in the
collectively. expected to rise by 12%, while positions that contact center sector account for 85% of
require higher skills are projected to jump positions. This is ahead of Frost & Sullivan’s
“A shift in the priority for professionals’ by 19%. projections that about 73% of the global
level of skills required to perform tasks IT-BPM industry will be covering mid- and
will have an impact to the Philippine IT- “We have taken a proactive approach to high-skilled jobs by 2022.
BPM industry, particularly to the contact this change. We have been implementing
center sub-sector,” said Contact Center changes in job tasks and descriptions to The Philippine contact center sector is
Association of the Philippines (CCAP) cope with the evolving requirements,” said taking steps to manage these challenges.
President Jojo Uligan. Uligan. Uligan said, “The industry is investing
heavily in training for both entry level and
The contact center segment of the From the traditional customer services tenured positions.”
industry accounts for an annual revenue of delivery, the Philippines is now geared
$14.6bn (PHP759.2bn) and employs more towards an emerging priority - customer CCAP regularly facilitates specialized
than 890,000 call center professionals. experience (CX) delivery. programs to further equip agents amid an
With the changing requirements of the aggressive shift in job priorities. It has also
global IT-BPM industry, a shift from low- During the recent Contact Islands spearheaded breakthrough programs like
level-skill tasks into mid-skill and high-skill summit organized by CCAP, the evolving collaboration with the academic sector
tasks is inevitable. customer expectations were identified. to promote industry-relevant curriculum,
teacher trainings, and student immersive 
activities.

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019

NEWS 25

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26 PARTNER UPDATE

GICC Leadership Bootcamp

by Global In-House Center Council Philippines (GICC) “AS AN EMPLOYEE OF A GLOBAL
COMPANY, IT MADE ME APPRECIATE THE
The Global In-house Center Council (GICC) Philippines INFRASTRUCTURE CURRENTLY IN PLACE
hosted its first Leadership Bootcamp last January in BGC. TO SUPPORT PEOPLE WITH LEADERSHIP
ASPIRATIONS PARTICULARLY
Aiming to equip leaders with the skills to improve THE MINORITY.”
our competitiveness in the global arena, the Leadership - Wesley Anne Ng of ANZ
Bootcamp featured the research study, “The Global Asian
Leader: From Local Star to Global CXO” by the Center for
Creative Leadership (CCL).

The bootcamp also hosted a number of workshops
focusing on skills that will make participants future-ready
including Data Analytics, Leadership, and Innovation.

Wesley Anne Ng of ANZ, one of the bootcamp
participants, shared, “What struck me the most is that
aspiration is key in being a Global Asian Leader. We Asians
need to dream big for ourselves and we need to have
aspirations. It has been an eye opener for me specifically
as I never dreamed of anything else other than where I am
now. It made me realize the possibilities.”

She added, “As an employee of a global company, it
made me appreciate the infrastructure currently in place
to support people with leadership aspirations particularly
the minority.”

More importantly, she shared what she had learned
from the bootcamp to her colleagues.

GICC hopes to continue hosting these types of events
and activities for members in the future. If you have ideas
on what topic to talk about next, do send us an email at
[email protected]

GDAP Localizes Japanese The Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) is
Computer Graphics currently working with the CG Arts Society of Japan to localize the
Certification Exam latter’s CG Creator Certification Exam for the Filipino Computer
Graphic Artist. As part of GDAP’s push for capacity development, the
by Game Developers Association of the Philippines (GDAP) association has reached to the Japanese certification-giving body to
bring the exam to the Philippines to help out local artists reach the
minimum level of knowledge that is deemed acceptable in countries PHOTO BY: SEAN DO ON UNSPLASH
like Japan, where computer graphics education is more established.

“The CG Creator Certification Exam will not only help establish
a consistent baseline for our local digital artists to reach to be
world-class,” says Alvin Juban, President of GDAP, “But also open
opportunities for our artists and studios to get international work. With
our artists certified, countries like Japan would be more at ease to send
us work and hire Filipinos into their companies.”

The localization project, however, goes far beyond just translating
the test. It comes in three phases: the book translation phase, the
training phase, and the testing phase. In the book translation phase,
GDAP will translate and print the official textbook that CG Society uses
as its official reference, so that this can be used by students and artists
in the country. In the second phase, GDAP will send teachers to Japan
to be trained as Teacher Trainers, then pass on the knowledge locally.
And in the third testing phase, GDAP will work with schools to have as
many digital arts students and artists take the certification exam.

GDAP’s aim is to have 2,000 test takers in the first localized test in
July 2020.

“It’s ambitious,” Juban admits. “But that’s what our industry is
all  about.”

The CG Creator Certification Exam is designed for students,
animators, game artists, and visual effects artists to test their
knowledge in basic computer graphics concepts, 3D modeling, and
animation. For more information about the project, please contact the
GDAP Secretariat.

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019

PARTNER UPDATE 27

Championing IT-BPM FUTURE-READY TALENT IS THE PASSWORD
Talent in Next-Gen As the industry evolves, BPM companies need to upskill
Technologies and re-skill their workforce. It’s also imperative for
upgraded skills and competencies to develop faster to
by: WNS meet the global demand.

The fourth industrial revolution is set to change all aspects BPM stakeholders are working together to ensure that
of business with its technological, demographic, and the next generation workforce is adequately equipped to
socio-economic disruptions. According to the Philippine provide upgraded services. The Department of Information
government, IT-BPM revenues are estimated to touch USD and Communications Technology (DICT) has committed
38.9 Billion in 2022. This kind of growth creates challenges itself to the IT-BPM roadmap through the creation of high-
as effectively as it creates optimism. quality capacity-building programs.

Three major trends are expected to impact the IT-BPM For instance, DICT has collaborated with the University
sector in the Philippines. of the Philippines-National Engineering Center (UP
NEC) and the IT & Business Process Association of the
The first is the emphasis on process automation. BPM Philippines (IBPAP) to roll out the Business Analytics for
companies will need to innovate and automate more Information Technology - Business Process Management
processes with domain and industry understanding to (IT-BPM) ICT Training Program. The first batch of 22
improve productivity. analytics specialists graduated in August 2018.

The second is an increasing conviction that social media BPM companies are also developing industry domain
is a game-changer. In 2019, companies will make more knowledge and digital skills to transform their employees
focused efforts to invest in new technologies, tools, and into value-added specialists. Customer interaction centers
teams for better social media management of customers. provide both training and on-the-job experience to rapidly
gain experience and mastery in emerging technologies.
The third is the adoption of cloud technologies for BPM Contact centers now work with chatbots, implement
work. BPM companies should look at improved business analytics in back-end processes, and use AI-fueled insights
collaboration of standardized systems with their clients. to improve the customer experience.

As BPM moves into its version 4.0, platforms are As human-technology collaborations grow, BPM
being embedded with sophisticated next generation employees will emerge with an optimal mix of technical
digital technologies designed and delivered by industry and domain skills to be future-ready and well-positioned to
domain experts. build careers in the digital economy.

WWW.IBPAP.ORG

28 EVENTS

The Consumerization A CASE STUDY:
of Rewards
Manila as a
By: AON 47%“Only Strong Hub for
Multilingual
One of the key levers helping organizations of employees Customer Care
drive and manage growth is human capital. understand all
A recent survey posed a question to the career opportunities By: Eastvantage
CEOs on what they believe are the top 3 available to them”
concerns in their organization. Interestingly, It’s 10pm in Manila. Rika, an Italian Learning Specialist,
rising salary costs figured in the list. THE HR TEAMS ARE calls the VP for a food corporation based in Milan. With
This, coupled with increasing diversity RESPONDING IN THE the rise and fall of her
of the workforce and greater need for FOLLOWING WAYS: Italian, she reminds the “THE KEY TO
differentiation for top and critical talent, has person on the other MAKING
forced HR teams to rethink their rewards 1Increasing flexibility: line about the proper
value proposition. Organizations are providing channels by which he OFFSHORE
employees a menu of could access the most STAFFING WORK
In this regard, we identified trends benefits to choose from useful modules for IS PUTTING
in employees’ perception of their to help design a benefits his training. STRONG
organization’s rewards programs: package customized to their
• Less than 65% of employees believe needs. When the sun OPERATIONAL
rises, her teammate SUPPORT IN
the rewards programs caters to their 2Digitization: They are Ronald talks with a
personal needs embracing technology to manufacturing manager PLACE.”
• Less than 60% believe they are help educate and engage
paid fairly their employees in new and in Shanghai. He speaks
• Less than 60% believe they receive different ways. HR systems Mandarin, trying to draw out insights as to what the
appropriate recognition for their efforts are now being automated learner’s main goals are, whether it’s to improve speech
• Less than 70% believe their with on-demand services or written English.
performance impacts their pay provided to employees.
Given the amount of time and energy Rika and Ronald are Filipinos born abroad to expat
that we spend on designing fair and 3Increased transparency and parents. Like many Filipinos, they can switch between
competitive rewards and employee-centric career builder: Employees English and Tagalog fluidly, but with an added third
programs, the above statistics are quite are provided with detailed language fluency drawn from their family background.
alarming. Also, the HR teams have had to insights into available roles,
contend with lower budgets in the past required competencies, and “I realized there was such a demand for bilingual English-
few years, forcing them to leverage other learning tools to help in their Mandarin Chinese speakers that I decided to try my luck in
factors like benefits and accelerated career journey. the outsourcing industry.This was way back in 2013,”Ronald
growth to engage their employees. says.
But the same research also highlights HR teams need to realize that they
the following: aren’t immune to the global wave of The next shifts will see 15 more multilingual customer
• Less than 50% of employees changing consumer face: as employees support agents coming in. At its busiest time, the floor
understand all benefits available to them; are carrying the same expectations when hears a cacophony of languages: English, Japanese,
outside of health insurance benefits, the they come into work every day. HR Teams Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Italian, German, Spanish,
utilization rates are significantly lower need to take a feather from the cap of French and Portuguese.
• Only 47% of employees understand all marketing teams and spend significant
career opportunities available to them. time and resources into understanding The team profiles range from education support to
their customer, the employee, and design back-office specialists in HR and finance. With a 24/6
programs which cater to their personal shift, it is responsible for delivering support to different
needs and requirements. regions all over the globe.

With such a diverse group, the key to making
offshore staffing work is in putting strong operational
support in place. Charlie, a seasoned team manager,
has been tasked this role since the client partnered with
Eastvantage in 2018.

“The most critical part is in making the onshore client PHOTO BY: MATT WICBORE ON UNSPLASH
feel as if they’re within the same office as their offshore
team. We need to remove the natural uncertainty
our clients feel by having a highly visible operational
support layer,” Charlie says. This includes implementing
standards across the key metrics of workforce
management, attendance, performance, quality, and
employee retention.

Ninety-five percent of the pioneer team members
from the first quarter of operations are still with the team
close to a year later. With such specialized multilingual
profiles, it is important to keep the team involved through
employee engagement activities and retention programs.

“Happy employees produce happy customers,” as one
of our leaders say.

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019

NEWS 29

CONDUENT LAUNCHES
TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS
Powered by Microsoft Azure
THE NEW SUITE OF
by: Conduent and Product Officer, Conduent. “This strategic PLATFORMS INCLUDE:
alignment expands Conduent’s platform
Conduent Incorporated, a digital options to provide seamless enterprise cloud #1AI CONVERSATION PLATFORM:
interactions company, is launching five solutions running on Azure.” This is a virtual agent platform
enterprise platforms to elevate its ability that assists in the completion of
to provide individualized, immediate, and Jean-Philippe Courtois, President and routine tasks through voice, webchat,
intelligent experiences to its customers. EVP, Global Sales, Marketing and Operations, SMS and other digital interaction
Microsoft Corporation said, “Together methods, resulting in a better, more
Conduent’s industry experts will develop with Conduent, we will deliver technology personalized customer experience.
and enhance its platforms, creating new, solutions using blockchain and virtual agents
updated sets of cloud-based enterprise across their five new enterprise platforms, all #2ANALYTICS PLATFORM:
technology, powered by Microsoft Azure. run on our scalable cloud.” This supports intelligence and
Conduent will integrate Microsoft Language analytics capabilities to improve
Understanding Intelligent Service (LUIS), Conduent is making significant business outcomes. It harnesses
Azure Blockchain Workbench, Azure investments – including $200 million for structured and unstructured data
Cognitive Services, and Azure Machine platform modernization through 2020 – to from multiple sources, and extracts
Learning service (AzureML) throughout its become a key partner that helps its clients and integrates descriptive, diagnostic,
client portfolio, delivering them on Azure. accelerate their digital journeys. predictive, and prescriptive analytics.

“Microsoft Azure promotes our mission Of the five new enterprise platforms, two #3BLOCKCHAIN PLATFORM: This
of elevating every interaction by automating have pilot-ready applications in place. is an open, modular platform
and increasing the reliability of routine designed to support industry-specific
tasks,” said Rahul Gupta, Chief Technology blockchain-based ecosystems. It
connects multiple organizations to
Teleperformance supports industry-academe linkages, sponsors enable immediate, seamless, secure
PUP-IBPAP study on senior high school students information sharing backed by a
ledger that cannot be altered.
by: Teleperformance
#4AUTOMATION PLATFORM: This
Teleperformance Philippines supports the transition from
Communications and simple procedural automation to more
Marketing team with advanced cognitive automation for
partners from the items that normally require thinking,
Polytechnic University decision-making, and planning.
of the Philippines (PUP)
and IT-Business Process #5MOBILITY PLATFORM:
Association of the This is a platform that will help
Philippines (IBPAP) deliver applications faster with a
consistent look and feel, pre-coded
digital widgets, common mobile
operating system services, and
universal gateways to interface with
partner APIs across all applications.

Teleperformance, the global leader in outsourced sustain the growth momentum of one of the
omnichannel customer experience management, Philippine economy’s largest contributors.
bolstered its support for the Philippine outsourcing
PHOTO BY: (ANALYSIS BANKING) PIXABAY.COM industry and academe linkages as the company “As an industry leader, we believe it is
sponsored a study on senior high school students’ important for us to support academic research
readiness for Business Process Outsourcing because this gives us robust data from where
careers. The research initiative was conducted by we can base our strategies to continue enabling
the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) the workforce of the future,” said Jeffrey
College of Business Administration, in partnership Johnson, Teleperformance Philippines Senior
with the IT & Business Process Association of the Vice President for Human Capital Resource
Philippines (IBPAP). Management.

The research initiative looked into the factors “We are honored to have partnered with
that influence graduating students’ desire to PUP and IBPAP in this initiative, which provides
enter the Information Technology and Business valuable insights on student talent capability. The
Process Management (IT-BPM) workforce and was needs of the IT-BPM industry are changing, and
conducted under the supervision of PUP academic understanding the behaviors and choices of our
leaders Raquel G. Ramos, DBA, Marcial Mojica, senior high school students through this study
DBA, Cindy Fetalvero-Soliman, DBA, Mecmack will help organizations support their learning and
Nartea, MMBM, and Roy Angelo Pobre, MBA, development journey,” said Marilyn Ventenilla,
together with IBPAP Industry-Academe Linkages Teleperformance Philippines Senior Director for
Lead Zoe Diaz De Rivera. Communications and Marketing.

In support of the government’s drive to provide “Teleperformance is one of the biggest
quality employment to Filipinos, Teleperformance industry players in the country, and we value their
works with IBPAP and other industry associations strong support in identifying career prospects
to determine potential sources of human capital and talent development opportunities for the
for available jobs, as well as ascertain training youth,” Zoe Diaz De Rivera of IBPAP added.
needs and engagement platforms that would

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30 EVENTS

TRAINING FOR THE DIGITAL AGE: Wells Fargo PHOTO BY:(WOMAN BITING PENCIL) PIXABAY.COM; (ASIAN WOMEN MEETING) MIMI THIAN ON UNSPLASHED
Reaffirms Support
Is Your Employee for Women’s Team
Education Strategy Member Network
Outdated?
by: Wells Fargo Enterprise Global Services
by: Alorica

In the past decade, the average attention span has been reduced to a Wells Fargo Enterprise Global Services affirms it commitment to the
measly eight seconds. We live in a digital age, and as a result, we’ve become principles of diversity and inclusion by giving its full support for the
accustomed to gaining knowledge through quick, searchable content that Women’s Team Member Network (WTMN).
we can find in a matter of seconds. In light of this, the way businesses train
employees has drastically changed. If your company isn’t already waving WTMN closely partners with The Haven Center for Women
goodbye to lengthy classroom-style sessions, it should be. This is where and Marillac Center for Children - temporary shelters that offer
microlearning comes in - a new way of teaching that has proven to produce rehabilitation and protective custody to young girls and women who
rapid results in training employees. In place of PowerPoint presentations have been victims of sexual crimes, domestic abuse, and the like.
and daylong seminars (a traditional method), microlearning delivers
only the most important information employees need in concise and “As part of WTMN’s advocacy to empower women, we deliver
comprehensible segments. talks on Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act (Anti-VAWC).
This initiative, in partnership with a volunteer group called the
The secret to microlearning is simple. Training consists of short, Women’s Inter Industry Network, provides assistance to Wells Fargo
animated videos – usually 5-15 minutes – that focuses on one team members and nearby communities in learning more about the
specific learning objective at a time, making information digestible and  Anti-VAWC Act and referring domestic violence cases,” said Maria
easily-retained. Galia, Women’s Team Member Network Chair.

The typical employee spends more than 40 hours in training each year, This year, WTMN Philippines is launching the New Mother’s
but only retains 10% of the information shared. With microlearning, the Connect Program which aims to promote a smooth transition before,
quick burst of information can be immediately applied when it’s actually during, and after pregnancy. The program will provide guidance to
needed. Microlearning increases employee performance by as much as expecting mothers and their direct managers on statutory benefits,
62% and eliminates more than 100 hours of training. inclusive workplace arrangements and psychological and emotional
support systems.
At Alorica, a global leader in customer experience solutions with
19 locations and 38,000 employees throughout the Philippines, we’ve It is not surprising then that WTMN was awarded as the 2018
implemented this new teaching system, helping agents quickly retain Enterprise Diversity & Inclusion Group Champion and earned a
information, while achieving proficiency faster. USD1000 grant for livelihood projects of women in the Habitat for
Humanity resettlement area in Cebu. Galia said, “It is truly an honor
Microlearning was a vital tool used to support a major retail pharmacy to receive this award as it signifies WTMN’s passion on Diversity and
provider, that began experiencing some slipping in prescription fulfillment Inclusion advocacies while collaborating across different groups and
compliance. In search of an effective learning strategy to mitigate the Wells Fargo Team Member Networks (TMNs) such as Pride, Diverse
issue, Alorica implemented microlearning, where agents could watch a Abilities TMN, Runners and Riders Club and Green Team. I’m sharing
customized, 10-minute video detailing necessary program fixes in an easy- this recognition with all the empowered women of Wells Fargo as
to-retain format. we celebrate International Women’s Day and WTMN Philippines’
third  year.”
Results showed this way of teaching worked:
• Process compliance hit 96% to goal 60 days after training,.
• Agents retained up to 20% more information using

microlearning compared to traditional training methods.
• The approach reduced retraining time by 80% per full-

time employee.

Companies must change along with their evolving workforce, and that
means finding new ways to keep employees engaged as they learn to do
their job.

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019

NEWS 31

DIVERSITY “When we welcome diverse
voices and experiences,
as a Business Priority we make room for
collaboration and
innovative thinking.”

by: Northern Trust Diversity is broader than gender and race. It is multifaceted,
including age, perspective, and background, among others. When
Embracing diversity is not just the right thing to do, it is the smart we welcome diverse voices and experiences, we make room for
thing to do. collaboration and innovative thinking. Hence, D&I has been one of
Northern Trust’s bastions for productivity and innovation, helping us
Global firms now leverage diversity as a business strategy woven better identify opportunities and create more cutting-edge solutions for
into every facet of the employee life cycle. A study from Forbes found clients.
workforce diversity to be a driver of innovation. Another study from
McKinsey found that diverse companies are 15% more likely to D&I is also an important factor in attracting and retaining a
outperform competitors. millennial workforce, recognizing the study which found that millennials
will make up 75% of the workforce by 2025, and that 47% of millennials
Northern Trust is one of the organizations that has evolved into a consider D&I when looking for a new job.
workplace that not only welcomes but thrives on diversity. We believe
that true diversity can only exist in an inclusive work environment. Our trailblazing efforts on D&I have been cited in the 2019
Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index. Northern Trust was also named
Genuine commitment to D&I means going beyond tolerating – it’s by Forbes as The Best Employer for Diversity in 2017. Internally,
celebrating and elevating each individual. To yield impactful results, the Northern Trust Manila team was presented the Chairman’s
D&I needs to be driven both from a top-to-bottom and a bottom-up Award, the most prestigious award in the organization, for fostering
approach. Northern Trust does this by holding leaders accountable for genuine inclusion and laying the foundation for robust and focused
championing D&I while engaging with diverse employees to identify D&I practices.
creative solutions in driving D&I forward.
With firm leadership support and a strategic approach to D&I,
Our commitment to D&I is evident in our non-discriminatory a better working atmosphere can truly be achieved – one where
practices such as recognizing common law and domestic partners everyone is respected, celebrated, and supported to become nothing
as beneficiaries regardless of gender; gender-neutral bathrooms, short of their best selves.
facilities, and dress code; and employee-led business resource councils
focusing on LGBTQI+, women in leadership, and persons with disability,
among others.

Realizing Operational Excellence

By PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting Services Philippines Co. Ltd.

PHOTO BY:FRITZ GABRIEL CARILLO ON UNSPLASHED No amount of investment in technology can replace the investment in to gain better insights on problem
developing the right behaviors in an organization’s most valuable asset, areas and helps them to develop a
its people. Business process reengineering is only as effective as the culture of celebrating success, creating
people who manage the new process. Transformation cannot take place an energized environment and a
without also transforming the way your people work and think. committed workforce. Furthermore,
it improves staff engagement by
As such, people development is not just an HR topic to address but elevating the capabilities of teams and empowering staff with positive
also an operational issue to solve. An effective Operational Excellence routines and habits.
(OE) program must focus on how to change the way operations are
managed while adapting to business trends. It must employ a people- PERFORM primarily focuses on 10 elements that are proven as
based approach, which is designed to meet the urgent demands of the the basis for strong operational management within an organization.
digital age customer while aligning with the expectations of a modern Embedding these 10 elements will assist the organization in envisioning
workforce. the changes necessary to enhance capacity while enforcing global best
practices and leading industry standards. It creates a culture of support
PERFORM is PwC’s globally proven OE program, which drives and coaching that aligns mindset to the continuous improvement
new behaviors to achieve operational effectiveness and efficiency. agenda.
It optimizes what managers do, how they do it, and the tools they
use. PERFORM is not simply about driving down cost, but also about In conclusion, PwC’s PERFORM methodology helps bring the
improving productivity. It accelerates cost reduction and capacity organization’s focus towards enhancing process standardization and
release, averaging around 15% to 28% in additional savings from efficiency, leading to improved customer experience, service levels and
continuous improvements. Within a short time of 12-14 week, the cycle of output quality.
productivity improvement is accelerated as the system builds leadership
and management capabilities. When you put an engaged and empowered workforce at the core of a
business transformation initiative, you will see the magic of a workforce
PERFORM re-prioritizes leaders’ time, enabling them to spend more that realizes the anticipated benefits, delivers the results, and drives the
time coaching employees, a welcome improvement to the average continuous improvement culture.
11% of time spent on this activity pre-PERFORM. This allows leaders

This article was originally published in BusinessWorld Online on May 30, 2018.
For more information on Perform, you can connect with Victor Ona, Senior Manager, [email protected] or Benjamin Azada, Managing Principal, [email protected]

WWW.IBPAP.ORG

32 EVENTS

Why Your Recruitment
Chatbot Needs a Personality

by: Talkpush 58%

In the age of big data, some recruiters have turned to percent. Today, after continuous training, Transcom’s Ces of candidates
chatbots to handle the overwhelming volume of candidates bot automatically responds to 98.5 percent of all inquiries said they are
coming in from all channels. Once taught how to behave, a received. comfortable
chatbot can be the perfect digital assistant to handle high- interacting
volume, low-value tasks. Ces’ distinct personality not only engaged candidates, with a chatbot
but also encouraged them to complete an interview faster. during the
In a recent study, 58 percent of candidates said they From a mere 20 percent of all candidates who started an initial stages of
are comfortable interacting with a chatbot during the initial automated interview on Messenger, today an average of 90 the application
stages of the application process. Today, it is estimated that percent complete an interview in less than 5 minutes. process
there are 300,000 chatbots on Messenger alone. In fact,
the chatbot market size is set to exceed USD 1.34 billion by By personalizing chatbots, employers can provide
2024. Chatbots are here to stay, which begs the question: candidates with what feels like an organic, authentic
How can your chatbot stand out from the competition? conversation. Chatbots won’t ever replace the one-on-one
experience of your recruitment team. Recruitment is still
Every chatbot has a voice — and therefore, should have a social activity. What chatbots can do is help humans
a personality. As the Product Manager for conversational throughout the hiring process. There’s nothing artificial
interfaces at Talkpush, my job is to make sure our growing about that.
army of recruitment chatbots are not only functional, but
also in line with our customer’s brand and personality. To PHOTO BY:(HAND ON CELLPHONE) ROBIN WORALL ON UNSPLASH; CITYSCAPE IN SMOKE) HOLGER LINK ON UNSPLASH
adapt to our customers’ brands, we offer them a series of
“persona bots” designed with a particular set of personality
traits. Through machine learning, we train our persona bots
to respond in a unique way, depending on their personality.

From our experience, the best bot experiences are the
ones with a strong brand voice and serve as an extension
of current marketing campaigns. For example, Transcom,
a leading customer service solution provider, has done an
outstanding job of revamping their generic recruitment
chatbot and introducing a fully-customized personality.
Transcom already had a recognized mascot in place, called
Ces, so it was only natural to digitize that into a personality
when redesigning their recruitment chatbot.

After Ces 2.0 rolled out, Transcom saw their average
interview completion rate rise from 51.6 percent to 70.7

Why People spend most of their time indoors. However, • Lower energy cost – keeping your office healthy
Indoor most are not aware that indoor air quality has an shouldn’t be expensive. Make sure that your HVAC
Air effect to their health and well-being. From a positive system is functioning properly and remember that
Quality perspective, here are the benefits of clean indoor air efficiency reduce costs.
Matters? and why clean indoor air matters to everyone.
• Controlled humidity – excessive moisture can lead
By Air and Odor Management • Easy breathing – fewer air pollutants put less to the growth of molds and bacteria, can increase dust
(AOM) Philippines strain on the lungs, heart, and body. Higher intake mites, and attracts pests. Humidifiers or dehumidifiers,
of clean air can make a person be more energetic, air conditioning, and ventilation help balance air humidity
productive, and lessen the risk of respiratory issues to give a better health, comfortable living, and improved
over time. breathing.

• Controlled moisture – the growth of molds and Air and Odor Management (AOM) Philippines is an
bacteria if not prevented, can lead to skin irritation, integrated air and odor solutions company that promotes
nosebleeds and stuffiness. all aspects of clean air living, which also include indoor air
quality assessment and odor control, air purifying, mold
• Elimination of allergens – allergic rhinitis also inspection and remediation and ambient scenting.
known as hay fever – with sneezing, congestion, itchy
throat, and irritated eyes as symptoms is caused by AOM Philippines’ team include indoor environment
airborne particles that a person may be allergic to. specialists, chemical and mechanical engineers, expert
technicians and consultants from Germany, Hong Kong
• Reduced odors – bad odors can make someone and Singapore with decades of experience in indoor air,
grumpy and uncomfortable. Bad smells have a strong odor control and indoor environment management. Our
effect on mood, thoughts, behaviors, and dreams. sales team measures and process clients’ sites samples
Meanwhile, good smells like chamomile, flower, and/ and provide a detailed assessment of their offices’
or citrus can improve mood, lower heart rate, and requirement and verifiable information on the quality and
reduce stress. Spraying air freshener only masks the characteristics of their indoor environment. For more
bad odor but will not stop the unpleasant smell that is information, visit www.aom.ph or call 355-6489.
caused by volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

BREAKTHROUGHS JUNE 2019

NEWS 33

Santos Knight Frank wins
“Best Leasing Agency” in Asia Pacific

By: Santos Knight Frank

The Santos and Best Leasing Agency of the Philippines categories
Knight Frank in May 2018 during the Asia Pacific Property Awards.
team won the
Best Leasing Santos Knight Frank is behind many of the country’s
Agency in Asia landmark sales and leasing deals. Most recently, Joey
Pacific and Radovan, Vice Chairman and Head of the Occupier
the Best Real Services & Commercial Agency (OSCA), and Francis
Estate Agency, Bautista, Executive Director of OSCA, closed a historic
Best Leasing 70,000 sqm single office leasing transaction – the
Agency and largest ever in the country by far.
Best Property
Consultancy in Rick Santos, Chairman & CEO at Santos Knight
the Philippines Frank, says: “We’re extremely happy to bring this honor
to the Philippines as the only regional winner that is a
The Philippines’ largest real estate service Filipino real estate agency. As we celebrate our 25th
provider, Santos Knight Frank, was named the “Best anniversary next year, we are even more committed to
Lettings Agency Asia Pacific 2018-2019” during the continue our mission of generating jobs, growing the
International Property Awards (IPA) at The Savoy Hotel, Filipino middle class and contributing to the growth and
London on December 3rd. It is the fourth time Santos success of our country.”
Knight Frank has won the title since 2012*.

The recognition follows after the company won the
Best Real Estate Agency, Best Property Consultancy

PHOTO BY:(FAST STREET LIGHT) HOLGER LINK ON UNSPLASHED; (DIGITAL MEETING) SEAN HO ON UNSPLASHED *Santos Knight Frank was Best Lettings Agency Asia Pacific in 2012-2013, 2013-2014 and 2015-2016. It has also won other
regional accolades between this period such as Best Property Consultancy Website, Best Property Consultancy Marketing and
Best Real Estate Agency

Technical Scientific In September 2017, QIAGEN Business Services Manila (QBS
Services, a New Manila) began hiring molecular biologists, biochemists, and medical
Career Path in the technologists to work closely together with other scientists – in the
Shared Service lab, research institutes, or academe – by providing remote support for
Industry these scientists’ tests and experiments.

By: By: QIAGEN Business Services Manila (QBS Manila) To become part of QBS Manila’s TSS team, such professional must
have worked in a research laboratory such as the International Rice
Technical scientific services (TSS), the latest of many emerging Research Institute (IRRI) or the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine
functions brought about by the Fourth Industrial Revolution’s (4IR) (RITM). He or she must also possess a masters or doctoral degree in
biotechnology, is now a career path offered by the shared service molecular biology, biochemistry, or medical technology.
industry in the Philippines. One of the first companies to bring the
TSS opportunity to Manila is QIAGEN, a provider of sample and assay The TSS team provides high-value impact to the company, because
technologies for molecular diagnostics, applied testing, academia and it promptly addresses concerns from users of the instruments and
pharma. consumables that QIAGEN provides. The immediate assistance of a
technical service scientist is crucial to the preservation of the integrity
of the samples that a scientist or medical technologist is working on,
because tissue specimens can have very short expiration periods.

By bringing molecular biologists, biochemists, and medical
technologists into its shared service organization, QBS Manila has
become a center of scientific knowledge in the country for molecular
biology research and medical instrumentation. It enables clinical
laboratories and research institutes to advance faster in the areas
of health care, academic discovery, and disruptive innovation in the
various fields of biology.

QBS Manila is the second business service center created by
QIAGEN, an international biotechnology company with around 35
subsidiaries consolidated under the Dutch holding company QIAGEN
NV. Their first business service center, QBS in Wrocław, Poland, was
founded in 2012. The success of the QBS in Wrocław provided a
template for the creation of QBS Manila.

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