Matt KendallWith feet on the ground at the Outsource2Jamaica (O2J) Symposium and Expo 2018, Nearshore Americas had the opportunity to catch up with industry leaders, governmental decision-makers, and buy-side stakeholders to better understand where Jamaica BPO stands and how it could be improving.
We invite you to check out this unique collection of videos, which highlight some of the country’s most important efforts toward becoming a higher-value BPO market, and the challenges of achieving that goal.
Governmental Support
To support further BPO growth, Jamaica’s government has plans to build out new, purpose-designed infrastructure and buildings, as well as partnering with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to develop a new finishing school for agent training. Gloria Henry, President of the Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ), revealed some of these initiatives at the conference, explaining the potential to tap into the IT services sector as a result.
Jamaica’s Technological Ambitions
With its already established BPO strengths, Jamaica is aspiring to move into a more technologically driven approach, with efforts to train software developers and engineers. Diane Edwards, President of Jampro, and Melarka Williams, Founder and CEO of Ingenuity, touch upon these efforts, explaining how the government and local educators tie into these necessary ambitions.
The Buy-Side View
On this buy-side panel, moderated by Kirk Laughlin, Managing Director at Nearshore Americas, Jeremy Jones, Director of Corporate Services at Sandals Resorts, Shanique Donaldson-McIntosh, Manager of Customer Experience at Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS), and Ronnie Thompson, Senior Director of Customer Experience at Ford, provide valuable insight into how BPO in Jamaica has already helped them transform their customer value proposition, and where it could go from here.
Blockers to Growth in Jamaica
Despite clear success in certain areas, there are still many bureaucratic blockades holding the country back from its full potential. Senator Aubyn Hill, CEO at the Economic Growth Council, gave a rousing presentation that pinpointed the main hurdles for talent development, investment, and faster economic growth.
The Management Deficit
Jamaica is experiencing a common talent gap that comes with fast-paced growth, in that senior management is extremely scarce. Speaking from the vendor side, Miro Batista, President LatAm at Alorica, details this issue, and explains how Jamaica could better focus on developing management talent for BPO.
Site Selection Difficulties
With growth comes the challenge of finding enough people to support that growth, which in Jamaica is amplified in Montego Bay, as alternative cities attempt to catch up. Jeff Papas, Executive Vice President of Site Selection at ESRP, breaks down some of the considerations for BPO site selection in Jamaica, explaining where and why talent is flourishing.
Digital Education and Higher Value
While Jamaica has been successful in developing customer service skills, there is a digital gap within the education system that needs to be addressed. Industry analysts Mark Hilary and Peter Ryan comment on the Jamaican opportunity on the global BPO stage, and how the local industry could be improving its value proposition.
To view the full collection of videos, visit our feature page here or our YouTube Channel. For more articles on O2J and BPO in Jamaica, check out the links below.
Add comment