By Luke Bujarski
The next-generation of outsourcers could soon be relocating to a place most of us only hear about after the news of some high-profile tax scandal hits the morning papers. With only 55,000 inhabitants, it doesn’t take long to realize that the Cayman Islands will never be Latin America’s BPO workhorse. Yet, this has not stopped real estate group Cayman City Enterprise from working with the local authority to build out a 50-acre business park catering to, among other niche industries, outsourced services firms.
Trinidad Admits Past Stumbles and Tries to Gear Up for BPO
March 15th, 2012
Trinidad's Trade and Industry Minister Cadiz says: "We blew it"
By Kirk Laughlin
Spend a few days in Port of Spain, the tidy capital of Trinidad, and you get the sense that this country’s unrealized BPO and tech ‘future’ has been forecasted for so long, and trumpeted so widely that most domestic stakeholders view any effort by the government to execute a global services investment strategy with justifiable skepticism.
Of course, it’s not like the country lacks blue-chip potential. The richest of the major Caribbean islands, Trinidad boast a per capita GDP of $20,300, which ranks 61st in the world and puts the country among the top quarter of richest in all of the Western Hemisphere.
A Renewed Jamaica Proclaims “We’re Open for Business”
March 6th, 2012The Jamaica Investment Forum – held last week in Montego Bay – was easily one of the most polished and well-executed investor’s conferences we’ve seen in a while in the Nearshore industry. Built to highlight a range of investment opportunities, including energy, tourism, manufacturing and BPO – Jamaica put its best foot forward by highlighting the positive. “We have to work with the hand we’ve been dealt,” said Prime Minster Portia Simpson-Miller, emphasizing her desire to boost the country’s competitiveness. Over 600 investors participated in the three-day program. Click “more” to see our slideshow.
BPO Brief: Expect Aggressive Growth in the Dominican Republic
February 29th, 2012By Luke Bujarski
Martinez: More than just a job.
The contact center industry in the Dominican Republic is poised to double in size from 10,000 to 20,000 bilingual agents by 2017. This is the message passed on by Eddy Martinez, president of the export and foreign investment agency CEI-RD, as well as key industry insiders during detailed discussions with Nearshore Americas. However, concerns about the availability of high-tech talent suggests that the DR still has some way to go before moving into higher-end software and application development services.
Creating a Wildly Successful Outsourcing Program
February 24th, 2012
By Linda Tuck Chapman
Outsourcing is serious business and will have a long-term impact on your company’s future. Let’s improve the odds that it’s a positive one! Your customers and shareholders shouldn’t and won’t differentiate who delivers their services – your company or a third party. So the time you invest in planning your outsourcing program and sourcing the right service providers is time well spent.
Call-Center Heresy: Treat the Customer as Priority #2
February 8th, 2012
By Dan Berthiaume
Everyone seems to have at least one story about a nightmare experience dealing with telephone customer service. The fact that many call center providers are located in countries where language and customs are significantly different from US norms only exacerbates the problem. Some experts recommend that companies outsourcing call center functions attack the problem of poor customer service by focusing more attention on serving the needs of customers. But is that always the best strategy?
Jamaica Reaches Out to Global Investors
January 31st, 2012Jamaica’s growing reputation as a top Caribbean destination for investment in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and other key growth sectors is set to take centre stage on March 1-2, 2012, as the island lays out the red carpet for investors seeking opportunities in the region’s largest English-speaking economy.
The Jamaica Investment Forum 2012, which will be staged at the new Montego Bay Convention Centre, will focus on the business opportunities that exist in ICT, as well as other priority areas such as Tourism, Manufacturing and major privatization and development projects.
The Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, will head a high profile slate of local and international speakers at the Forum, which is being organized by JAMPRO, the country’s investment promotion agency, in partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Compete Caribbean Programme. The opening of the event will feature presentations from Anthony Hylton, the …
Caricom Nations Still Need to Comply
January 30th, 2012Source: The Jamaica Observer
Although mandated studies have found an estimated overall 64 per cent level of “compliance” in the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME), the harsh reality is that it is yet to be “fully embraced” by a number of member states.
That, basically, is the assessment of findings in reports submitted to the Georgetown- based Caricom Secretariat with free intra-regional movement of services and the right of establishment identified as the two areas of “major deficiencies” among the five “core regimes” of the CSME.
Additionally, there continues to be disappointment and discomfort with respect to the pace of progress in addressing the old problem of free movement of Caricom nationals with particular concern in relation to advancing the process of free movement of skilled nationals of the 15-member community.
The five “core regimes” of the CSME — the often claimed “flagship project” of Caricom which will mark …
Philippines’ Attrition is Spiking – Is Latin America Next?
January 27th, 2012
By Luke Bujarski
High employee turnover is something that sourcing managers have learned to put up with when offshoring IT and BPO tasks to India. But now the Philippines has also begun showing signs of overheating. Given Latin America’s relatively small labor pools, we worry that the region might follow suit and succumb to the same pressures that have pushed the Philippines to its limits. So far, rampant turnover has not been a major problem with LatAm markets. But just in case, we decided to take another look at some of the details around attrition and other symptoms of hot labor market conditions.
Second Annual Nearshore Nexus Comes to New York City this April
Nearshore Nexus, the only North America investor conference focused entirely on the Caribbean and Latin America IT and BPO sector, will take place on Thursday April 19, 2012, in New York City.
Nearshore Nexus will feature the best minds in global services to examine the growing role Latin America is playing in delivering quality outsourcing services to businesses across the Americas. The outsourcing sector in Latin America has been growing at over 20 percent per year – noticeably higher than the global average. The theme for the 2012 edition of Nexus is: “Intelligent Analysis of Outsourcing in the Americas.”
“I’m very proud of the fact that we will attract delegates and sponsors from over 15 countries in Latin America. This testifies to …
