World’s largest PC maker

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DELL Inc., the world’s biggest personal computer maker, said on Tuesday it would double its workforce in the Philippines. At the launch of its first call center in Manila, Michael Dell, chairman of the US-based company, said its call-center operations would expand to 1,400 seats from the original 700 target. To date, the company has 300 employees in the Philippines. The company’s 145,000-square foot customer contact center is located in the SM Mall of Asia and will be part of a network of 30 contact centers all over the world. “This new facility is a result of the direct way we do business, and its an important investment that demonstrates our commitment to providing customers with the best possible experience whenever they contact Dell,” the company executive said. “Our new team members, working with state-of-the-art technology, are the foundation for our growth and expansion in the Philippines,” he added. President Arroyo, who inaugurated the contact center, said in her speech that the increase in Dell’s workforce will help the Philippines achieve its employment targets in the next four years. The President said the government expects the number of call center and business process outsourcing (BPO) workers to reach two million by 2010. To date, there are 125,000 call center and BPO employees in the country. This was a far cry, she said, from the 2,000 when call centers were starting to rise in Manila. Mrs. Arroyo said the increase was largely due to the language and technical competency of Filipino workers. Dell said that the SM Mall of Asia site will also carry some of the newest services used by the company including TechConnect. TechConnect is a web-based tool that enables employees to provide better technical and customer support by remotely connecting a customer’s computer through a broadband connection. Using the technology, call-center agents can quickly detect and help repair problems and guide customers in the removal of spyware or viruses. “In addition to our day-to-day resolution of customer issues, we are providing workplace amenities and career development opportunities. Dell is a great place to build a contact center career and achieve success in business,” Michael Garrison, the company’s country manager, said. The call center will also be equipped with seven training areas, four technology demonstration laboratories, reduced fees at a local gym and access to shopping and entertainment facilities. A lounge would be fully equipped with computers connected to the Internet and a library for the use of employees. During the formal launch of the contact center, the company also presented one of seven Dell computers it will donate to the Pasay City East High School. Dell will not only provide the computers but will also give free computer training as well. This will be part of Dell, the city of Pasay, Intel Philippines and Gilas’ “Connect Pasay” project. It is a community-collaboration program to support public high-school student’s use of technology to facilitate learning and enhance familiarity with information technology. Gilas is a nationwide consortium that helps schools connect to the Internet. The consortium includes the country’s largest conglomerate, Ayala Corp