From SMIC to build 10-floor call center building:
Publicly-listed SM Investments Corp. (SMIC), the flagship holding company of mall magnate Henry Sy, will start construction of a 10-storey call center building beside the SM Mall of Asia within the first quarter next year.
This is on top of the existing building. At present, “Cyberzone” is the brand name for SM’s retail computer and cellphones at Megamall Ortigas and North EDSA. SM has a big client already:
Dell will lease the entire second floor of SM CyberZone 1 with total floor space of 14,000 square meters. A supermarket will operate in the first floor and the third to sixth floors will serve as parking facility.
Dell is currently training its team after moving out of other call center providers.
From running a “ShoeMart,” to outsourcing.
The top SM competitor is also buy. Robinsons Land opens Lipa, Bacolod malls to call centers. This will tap talents in Batangas and Negros, on top of their Cainta Rizal and Novaliches Quezon City locations.
So the mall lifestyle and call center lifestyle are converging?
Setting up a call center facility inside a commercial establishment such as malls is now an emerging trend among call center operators because of the insufficient office space available in the metro and easy access to mall amenities for the agents.
And probably because outside of the Metro Manila call center hubs, it is not practical – or safe – to go out in the streets in the middle of your shift.