Guyana: Nearshore's Best Kept Secret

With just 800,000 people, Guyana is one of South America’s smallest nations. But is has one feather in its cap separating it from the rest. “It is the best kept secret for native English in South America,” Michael DeSalles of Frost & Sullivan recently told Nearshore Americas. Qualfon has long been the biggest benefactor of these skills, and it is in the midst of a major expansion. Teleperformance, too, made a play into the capital of Georgetown last year. The dominance of these two may be scaring off other firms, however, so a large influx seems unlikely in the near term. But there is no doubt that the language talent is second to none on the continent. “I’ve plugged in with agents on the floor to listen to their calls,” said DeSalles. “You would think you’re talking to an American agent. There’s just a little, slight Caribbean accent, but not nearly as deep as, for example, Jamaica or Barbados.”