Jamaica’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 …

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By Patrick Haller

With 2012 in full-swing, a critical look at what lies ahead for Nearshoring  is in order. With a shaky global economy, and some forecasts calling for a sluggish year in IT and BPO sourcing, this is no time to be complacent.  Whether it’s building solid skill sets, creating sufficient scale, matching client’s expectations, managing expansion, or doing business amidst social change and myopic political theater, providers have a lot to confront. We tapped some of the leading experts in the Nearshoring space for their answer to the burning question: What is the single biggest challenge you think the Nearshore outsourcing industry faces in 2012?

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By 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?

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By Patrick Haller

San Andres, Colombia is a top vacation spot for Colombians and foreigners from around the world. Long-known for its relaxed vibe, coral reefs, snorkeling and similarities to Jamaica (including a vibrant Rasta culture and worshipful love of Bob Marley), it is perhaps one of the last places one would think of to open a contact center. Yet, that is exactly what Barranquilla, Colombia-based Transcom did a year ago.

So, what happens when the high-demands of a 21st century call center are put on the shoulders of a culture that is more familiar with sandals and sunshine than service-levels and client “sat”?

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By Luke Bujarski

Given its close proximity to the mainland and ample bilingual workforce, Puerto Rico should stand out as an ideal Nearshore platform for call centers and BPO operators – right? 

Not so fast: Cost arbitrage aside – a lack of coordinated planning around a knowledge economy may have also set Puerto Rico back a long way behind similar Caribbean and Central American (CCA) markets, particularly for knowledge-intensive services. Here, lessons can be drawn from the successes Costa Rica has had in attracting technology-enabled captive operations. And, given the right global market environment, Puerto Rico could see expansion beyond the current 5,000 or so contact center seats.

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Source: 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 …

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By K. Dominic McKenzie 

Jamaica’s BPO sector will receive an employment boost of up to 1,000 people when Convergys, one of the world’s contact center players fully staffs its new  Montego Bay operations in 2012. In a speech  this week, Dr. Christopher Tufton, Jamaican Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, said that Convergys will offer jobs for Jamaicans who are leaving secondary and tertiary education institutions. Jamaica currently has about 30 players in the local BPO industry – and the arrival of Convergys couldn’t have come at a better time, as Jamaica looks to accelerate ICT activity.

[caption id=”attachment_16600″ align=”alignright” width=”300″ caption=”From left: Patrick Casserly, ICT ambassador/special envoy in the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce (MIIC); Sancia Bennett Templer, President of JAMPRO; Dr. Christopher Tufton, Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce; and Phillip Gore, Chairman of the …

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– Company will provide employment for nearly 1,000 when fully staffed –

Convergys Corporation (NYSE: CVG), one of the largest agent-assisted customer service companies in the world, and the Jamaican Government announced today plans to open the first Convergys Jamaican contact center. The center will be located in Montego Bay, and will employ nearly 1,000 people when fully staffed in 2012.

The Jamaican government strongly supports its BPO industry as part of its economic growth plans, and Montego Bay is the country’s hub for BPO providers, where most of Jamaica’s 30-plus BPO companies currently operate.

“We are very pleased to welcome Convergys to Jamaica,” notes Dr. Christopher Tufton, Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce. “Known worldwide for providing multinational companies with highly effective and reliable customer management services and solutions, Convergys offers Jamaicans new employment and career opportunities in an industry with a bright future in Jamaica. Moreover, more jobs …

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Source: The Gleaner

Jamaica is at a crossroads. The recently published Global Competitiveness Report ranks the country as having the worst macroeconomy in the world (142nd out of 142 countries) despite the relative stability in key macroeconomic variables such as interest rate, the exchange rate, inflation and the country’s international reserves.

Further, the IMF report titled Regional Economic Outlook, Western Hemisphere: Shifting Winds, New Policy Challenges, published earlier this month, argued that poverty, unemployment and inequality in Jamaica are the worst in the Americas. Haiti, which is regarded as the poorest country in the Americas, has fared better than Jamaica in terms of its income distribution. Haiti’s GINI coefficient, the measure of wealth distribution in a country, stood at 59.2, while Jamaica scored 59.9.

A serious reading of Jamaica’s development challenges will show that there are serious structural problems in this country, and we are not addressing them. Sloganeering should not …

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By Patrick Haller

Institutionalized corruption, crime so high that it merits its own website, a state of emergency, low education levels and employee distrust of executives might not be the first things that come to mind when thinking of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T), but this archipelagic nation of just under 1,400,000 inhabitants has been plagued by all of these things –since pirates first landed upon its shores in 1498.  This week Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said the State of Emergency and curfew implemented in several areas of Trinidad since August 2011 will remain in effect until security improves.

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