Pereira’s Perils on the Way to Call Center ‘Promised Land’
January 23rd, 2012By Patrick Haller
Positioned in Colombia’s lush Coffee Triangle region, the city of Pereira has been called “Paradise.” However, it has probably not seemed that way to some of the local population. In 2009 the city was hit by the highest unemployment in the nation at 24%, despite being home to a Suzuki motorbike plant, Busscor (the main manufacturer of vehicles for Colombian mass transit systems), textile plants and, of course, coffee production. As a possible remedy to that situation, the government of Pereira – like that of its smaller sister-city Manizales – has created a stream of incentives to attract IT companies and call centers.
The Five Ws of World-Class Customer Service Training
January 6th, 2012By Rosanne D’Ausilio, Ph.D.
The interaction anyone has at any level with your employees, including you, gives a customer an opportunity to make a judgment about you, your company, and all companies like yours. I’m not just talking about call centers here. All technical support or help desk personnel are included as well. As a matter of fact, anyone who is in the customer service business – period.
The preamble to the United States Constitution begins, ‘We, the people…” I feel strongly that we, the people, are what make the difference in life, both personally and professionally. But how does that relate to customer service?
COUNTRY PROFILE: Belize Gets Serious about Becoming a BPO Player
December 20th, 2011
By Clay Browne
Once a sleepy backwater of Central America, and known more for its beautiful beaches than the strength of its economy, English-speaking Belize is beginning to spring to life as a 21st century outsourcing destination.
Belize’s economy has long been dependent on agriculture, but tourism has grown significantly over the last couple of decades to become the largest foreign exchange earner in the country. The BPO industry in Belize is still quite young. Yet there are clear signs that private industry and public agencies are seriously examining how to create the right ecosystem to foster long term growth.
US Law Could Restrict Call Center Outsourcing
December 12th, 2011Source: Computer World UK
Call centre offshoring comes under bipartisan attack in Congress – Law would penalise companies that move call centres overseas
Four US lawmakers (three Democrats and one Republican) have teamed up to attack call centre outsourcing by introducing a bill that would penalise any company that moves a call centre overseas.
The bill would make any company that moves a call centre offshore ineligible for any federal grants or loans. It would require the US Labour Department to maintain a list of employers who relocate a call centre overseas and force companies to provide at least 120 days’ notice before doing so.
It would also require a call centre worker to disclose his or hers location at the beginning of the call, if the caller request it.
The US Call Centre and Consumer Protection Act (HR 3596), was introduced by US Representative Timothy Bishop and announced …
KPO and Latin America’s Bumpy Road up the Global Services Value Chain
December 5th, 2011
Neo and The Matrix are emblematic of the next-gen environment of KPO
BPO’s sexy cousin shows little momentum in the region
By Luke Bujarski
A recent NASSCOM study on Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO) bares a sobering reminder of Asia’s continued dominance in the global services arena. While small compared to the opportunities still available through the back office, BPO’s sexier and more sophisticated cousin is quickly gaining ground both in terms of market size, and as a competitive differentiator between full-service outsourcing providers.
El Salvador’s Effort to Improve English Starts to Have Real Impact
November 25th, 2011By Jon Felperin
One of the most pervasive and challenging issues across the Nearshore region is establishing English language training programs that actually do work – and actually produce well-trained professionals. One country that has been working on this in a sincere way for over ten years in El Salvador – in large part because of the commitments several major contact center players have made. The results of focused collaboration between private industry, federal government and USAID is beginning to show good results.
LatAm Free Trade Zones: Are they Really Built to Support BPO and IT?
November 16th, 2011By Jeff Pappas
Over the years, the US has been Latin America’s primary outside investor and leading trading partner, followed by Western Europe. Latin America’s leading imports in past years have included cars, chemicals, electrical equipment, farm machinery, and pharmaceuticals, while its leading exports include bananas, coffee, cotton, meat, wood, and rubber.
Inter-American Development Bank Awards Uruguay Loan for Services
October 28th, 2011
IDB launches first loan program targeted at outsourcing services in LatAm
By Patrick Haller
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will provide a loan of ten million dollars, plus three million dollars that will be contributed by the Uruguayan government, in order to foster further development of the nation’s services sector. The IDB office focused on integration and the trade sector in the Southern Cone is based in Montevideo and this helped to promote the regular and fluid interaction between Uruguayan authorities and the IDB representative, and established a permanent dialogue from the very beginning of the loan process.
As Nearshore Moves Up the Value Chain, Infosys Execs See More Opportunities
October 25th, 2011
By Luke Bujarski
Infosys BPO rolled out the red carpet last week in Boca Raton, Florida, for the fourth-annual BPO Summit and Colloquium. Between the catamaran ride, golf and the various delicacies offered by the Boca Raton Resort and Club, two key Infosys execs came out as champions for nearshore: Head of Sales for LATAM Humberto Andrade and Ritesh Idnani COO of Infosys BPO.
Convergys Officially Welcomed to Bogota (See Our Photos)
October 21st, 2011NSAM Staff Report
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos was joined by Dr. Diego Molano, Minister of Information Technologies and Communications, Convergys Senior Vice President of Operations Christine Timmins Barry and other dignitaries to officially welcome Convergys to the Colombian capital, Bogota, at a special dedication conference yesterday.
The Bogota center began operating in January 2011 and employs 850 bilingual agents who service incoming calls for an international telecommunications client by phone, web-chat, SMS and email. Convergys plans to increase the number of staff to 1,000 by the end of the year, and eventually reach 5,000 positions, and expand the offering to include customer service, technical support, help desk, back office, and IVR support to a diverse portfolio of Convergys clients and their customers.
“The opening of this facility in Bogota demonstrates Convergys’ commitment to Colombia and to our employees here for the outstanding work they perform every day,” said Timmins Barry. …
