Western Union opens RP call center

REPORT FROM BUSINESSWORLD New-York listed global money transfer service network Western Union on Friday opened a regional operations call center in Quezon City as part of its expansion activities in the Philippines. David Larkworthy, Western Union se-nior vice-president and head of global operations, told reporters that the Asian Regional Operating Center in Muñoz, Quezon City, will initially employ 100 Filipino agents. "We consider this new facility to be yet another avenue to deliver the highest level of service to our customers as well as our agents," Mr. Larkworthy said. "By opting to locate the [center] here in the Philippines, Western Union shows its confidence in the Filipino customer service representatives who are known not only for their professionalism, but also their innate friendliness. Filipinos are always happy to help people," he added. Western Union officials declined how much the company invested in setting up the regional operating center. Ian K. Marsh, Western Union executive vice-president and managing director for Asia Pacific, said the Quezon City call center is just the fourth of its kind worldwide. Western Union has regional operating centers in Texas and Missouri in the US, and in Costa Rica. "As part of Western Union’s continued expansion and commitment within Asia Pacific, [the center] will provide dedicated customer service, agent support as well as backroom operations for 37 countries and territories in the region," Mr. Marsh said. He said the new operation center is capable of accepting 2,000 to 3,000 calls everyday, in 23 languages including English, Filipino, and Mandarin. Western Union operates through a network of more than 305,000 agent locations in over 200 countries, and territories worldwide. Famous for its pioneering telegraph services, the original Western Union dates back to 1851. Western Union has been in the Philippines for the past 19 years. Mr. Larkworthy said Western Union partnered with global customer interaction solutions provider VXI Global Solutions, Inc. for the Quezon City call center’s facilities. In addition to amenities including sleeping quarters, lounges, recreation rooms and a cafeteria, the center’s customer service representatives will also participate in VXI’s four-phase best practice training program. "We provide operating center proficiency training by familiarizing and keeping customer service representatives up to date with our leading-edge call center solutions and technologies," VXI president David Zhou said. "The four-phase training program is expected to develop them into the country’s top performers in delivering superior customer contact experience by meeting, if not exceeding, expectations in terms of customer empathy, cultural alignment, professionalism and expertise," he added. Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila welcomed the opening of Western Union’s operations center. "We are extremely pleased that Western Union, a significant global player in the financial industry, has chosen to consolidate and centralize their regional support for both business partners and customers in the Philippines," the Trade chief said in a statement. "This reaffirms the fact that the Philippines is well-poised as a preferred location for Southeast Asia’s hub for call center services," Mr. Favila added. — Jeffrey O. Valisno/BusinessWorld