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DESPITE
the presence of thousands of its remittance centers
here, Western Union is determined to pursue a franchise
strategy meant to capture the hearts of business-minded
Filipinos.
Ian
Marsh, Western Union executive vice president and
managing director, said that by pursuing a franchise
strategy, aside from providing business opportunities
for those who would want to operate remittance centers
themselves, they would also convey a strong message to
Filipinos in terms of using formal channels in receiving
money coming from Overseas Filipino Workers.
“Our
main driver is that sending money through formal
channels means benefits like convenience, security, and
speed, and opening up more centers mean more Filipinos
would be able to avail themselves of these benefits.
Also, by pursuing a franchising strategy, we also
provide opportunities for those who want to go into
business,” Marsh said in an interview with
BusinessMirror during the opening of
Western Union’s Asia Regional Operations Center (AROC).
At
present, Western Union has seven prime agents in the
country, including popular pawnshops, and several
sub-agents as well. Through franchising, it would also
mean a wider presence for Western Union. “We want to be
where the people are,” he said.
Meanwhile, the AROC, which opened last Friday, handles
various customer relations functions for Western Union’s
clients all over the world, with a staff of 100
call-center agents capable of handling phone, fax, and
e-mail inquiries in 23 languages, and serves 37
countries and territories around the world.
It is
only the fourth such center for
Western Union globally, and is located along Edsa in
Quezon
City. The three other centers are located in
Costa Rica,
Dallas in Texas, and St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
The
call-center capabilities of the AROC is being handled by
Western Union’s partner, Vision-X Inc., a call-center
operator, which owns the facility where the AROC is
housed, and is in-charge of recruitment and training of
the AROC’s call-center agents.
Marsh
also hinted at the possibility of expanding the center
by adding more people. He said that Western Union serves
a tremendous market, from China, Indochina, Thailand,
and of course, the Philippines, which is responsible for
a huge bulk of overseas workers exported to most parts
of the world.
“These
countries represent a huge market already that we are
serving, and that’s in Asia alone. Putting up a call
center here is not only smart, but also an effective
move as well,” Marsh adds.
Also, by
opening the call center, Marsh said
Western Union
not only helps create jobs, but also builds the
confidence of many OFWs in terms of remitting their
hard-earned money here. “We ensure that the money they
send home gets to their relatives fast and safe, and
that is our responsibility,” he said.
For his
part, Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila, in a
speech, lauded the opening of the AROC, saying it is a
“true testament to Western Union’s confidence in the
Philippines and on the strengths and capabilities of the
Philippine IT and IT-enabled services sector.”
More
importantly, he said, opening its call center here “is a
manifestation of the company’s faith and belief in the
Filipino skills and talent.” |
