TACLOBAN CITY – TeleTech, an American call center company, is eying to set up call center locators in Leyte province.

Recently, TeleTech senior executives visited to reassess if the province is ready to host a call center locator.

The provincial government office hosted a forum where the company was given an overview of Leyte’s real estate, human workforce and telecommunication facilities, which are prime factors in setting up alternatives sites in the province.

“The company’s plan to put up a multi-million investment would entail abundant supply of quality manpower to meet the growing head requirement,” said Gov. Jericho Perilla in a statement.

According to the Leyte Tourism and Investment Promotion Center, the province can provide 300 “good and qualified” call center agents if the company will locate in Leyte.

Cynthia Nierras, Department of Trade and Industry regional director for Eastern Visayas, believes that he number of potential call center workers could still increase.

“This number can still increase following the offering of courses and special trainings by the universities in the area as well as the regional office of Technical Education and Skills Development Authority,” Ms. Nierras said in interview.

TeleTech officials also made a site inspection of the Information and Communication Park in Palo town. The park site was recently name as Philippine Economic Zone Authority Information and Communication Technology Park.

“The ICT Park can house up to 1,000 enterprise locators. About 3.6 hectares of the total area is now developed, with readily available office spaces, gymnasium, commercial stalls, quadrangle, parking spaces, and security services,” Petilla said.

Bayan Telecommunication and Globe Telecom Innove assured TeleTech that their phoneline service in the province is already equipped with the needed broadband through fiber optic cables, DSL and WiFi for call center operation.

Provincial officials are confident that the presence of telephone companies, broadband network and Internet protocol applications will add points to TeleTech’s assessment.

In 2005, TeleTech assessed the province’s capability of establishing a call center locator. Se factors failed to pass the company’s standard.

A resolution pushed by the provincial council gives an incentive through an exclusive existence for a number of years before any other call center locator can invest the same in the province.

However, result of the assessment by the visiting TeleTech officials has yet to be revealed by the provincial government.