When AI meets empathy: Inside TP in the Philippines’ vision for smarter, more human service

The IT-BPM industry has evolved from transactional, straightforward support to complex, high-value services, with the industry-wide shift pivoting from the traditional BPO contact center model to multi-faceted digital business services that require both speed and empathy. Staying ahead of the curve, TP responds with agility to rethink the role of technology as a way to enhance how people deliver services. TP in the Philippines discusses this strategy as its esteemed leaders converse with IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) President and CEO Jack Madrid on an episode of IBPAP’s IT Factor Podcast. 

TP in the Philippines has embraced this industry shift by developing its own innovation framework and unique high-tech, high-touch approach to blending AI capabilities with emotionally intelligent human support, and automation. This transformation is imperative for future-proofing Filipino talent, enhancing global competitiveness, and equipping the organization with appropriate tools to meet evolving market demands head-on. 

Orchestrated Intelligence 

Recently, TP has launched the Foundational AI Backbone (TP.ai FAB), an integrated technology platform that safely orchestrates AI, human experts, and technology at scale. Said platform will enable the organization to further deliver exceptional services on internal and external fronts alike. 

TP.ai FAB will underpin TP’s three-pillar growth strategy: 

1) Growing the core business with AI: leveraging technology and AI to deliver enhanced client outcomes, strengthen value propositions, and accelerate growth. 

2) Extending vertical plays: expanding industry-specific solutions, end-to-end AI-enabled offerings, and scaling specialized services globally. 

3) Unlocking new opportunities in AI: accelerating growth in markets across the AI value chain, focusing on data services, technology, consulting, and digital marketing. 

Supported by a strengthened leadership structure, TP plans to significantly invest over the next three years to accelerate AI deployment to drive execution. Together, these initiatives position TP to harness the full potential of its human and technological capabilities, expanding the organization’s total addressable market, including new markets, scaling high-margin business models, and delivering meaningful value to clients. 

High-Tech, High-Touch with High-Value Service 

TP in the Philippines prides itself on its high-tech, high-touch approach, with the high-touch component reflecting its investment in emotional intelligence (EI) across its leadership and workforce to prepare them for the people-centered aspects of digital business services, while high-tech pertains to its application of advanced technology solutions and services.  

Rahul Jolly, Chief Executive Officer of TP in the Philippines, puts it this way: “Empathy, from my perspective, drives innovation. Empathy focuses on the human side of understanding our clients and their customers. Successful projects, in my view, start with a deep understanding of customer needs.” 

TP’s strategy, now enhanced further by TP.ai FAB, combined with its unique high-tech, high-touch approach, also enable increased tailoring for clients down to selecting TP Experts to be assigned in their respective verticals and areas of expertise. This combination of AI tools and strategy has been proven effective in delivering results with measurable client outcomes. 

Last year, TP in the Philippines delivered immense value to its clients. TP’s accent tools boosted efficiency and brand loyalty for a client, while also improving net promoter score (NPS) for a technology firm. In another instance, the use of TP Recommender, a microservice solution that uses AI models to predict propensity to pay and optimize debt recovery strategies, resulted in improving cash collections and recovery rates for clients.  

“We dig deep to have a clear understanding per vertical, per client, per customer—what do they need? What are their issues? How can we properly support them?” Chief Operating Officer of TP in the Philippines Tanya Famador said to Madrid. “And if we properly just harness these data and understand them, then we can truly tailor what our customers' needs are,” she added. 

Assessing Talent Potential with Data  

TP’s strategy in the Philippines extends to how the organization leverages data to assess the potential of the talents it hires, and to determine the approach in their development and vertical selection. Through behavior-based assessments and real-time evaluations, the organization can spot candidates who may not have direct experience in particular fields but possess the right mindset to succeed. Such a mindset includes critical thinking skills, emotional awareness, or problem-solving abilities.  

In complex verticals such as Healthcare, TP experts who exhibit emotional intelligence, empathy and compassion notably outperform those who depend on strict procedures. In Travel, critical thinking trumps tenure since the former has a more significant understanding of the customer’s emotional context, thereby transforming a service into a solution.  

“At the end of the day, we're looking at building emotional intelligence, and the Philippines is deeply connected to emotional intelligence,” said Jeffrey Johnson, Chief People Officer of TP in the Philippines. “The Philippines ranks on the higher end of a population that's connected to their emotions. And that's an exciting opportunity for our clients to tap into,” he added.

Operationally, TP in the Philippines provides a blueprint for how businesses can deliver enterprise value while preparing their workforce for the evolving skill needs as use of advanced AI tools increases. Beyond delivering outcomes, TP in the Philippines continues to drive meaningful results and progress to all its internal and external stakeholders through its upskilling and inclusive development initiatives that are augmented by advanced tools.

As the IT-BPM landscape continues to evolve, TP’s strategy in the Philippines sets a responsible model for the industry, anchoring itself on how human empathy, inclusive growth, and future-forward technology go hand in hand as co-drivers of impact, transformation, and innovation. When AI meets empathy, the result isn’t just smarter service; it’s a service that feels more human—something that customers remember and value most.  

Watch the IT Factor podcast episode here.