Matt KendallNearshore Americas’ 6th Nexus conference, held in San Francisco, California, lived up to billing—it was all about the talent, making it a breath of fresh air amid the pall of massive layoffs and “digital disruption” that hangs over many events.
Nexus 2016 focused on talent centers for software development firms, a budding entrepreneurial ecosystem in Mexico, aligning workforce skills with BPO niches in the Caribbean, and the growth of captives/shared services centers in Latin America.
In order to easily view the highlights, we’ve rounded up the complete collection of Nexus videos here in one place, allowing you to relive the important moments, or experience them all for the first time.
The Costa Rica Model: Presidential Lessons from a Thriving Nearshore Market
Kicking things off to a flying start was a fascinating and insightful keynote speaker, Laura Chinchilla, former President of Costa Rica, who presented her knowledge on the theme of the Costa Rica’s position as a thriving nearshore market.
According to the former president, around 10 Latin American countries are experiencing success in the nearshore industry, with Costa Rica being one of the most prolific. But the key question was how this small nation is putting itself on the nearshore map?
“Development is not about a nation’s size or wealth,” said Chinchilla. “Development is all about talent.”
Customer Engagement in the Age of Omnichannel: What’s Really Driving Change?
Today’s relationship with customers is more complex than ever, with the rapid influx of new engagement channels creating a mix of challenges for nearshore customer service providers. While voice is not yet a thing of the past, channels such as email, chat, social media and video are fast becoming more popular with end-users, and the industry has no choice but to react to this trend.
Robert Dechant, CEO at IBEX Global; Cindie Smith, an independent customer experience consultant; and Ian Jacobs, Senior Analyst at Forrester Research, discuss this topic in depth in an insightful panel session that really drives home the importance of omnichannel capabilities on the nearshore.
What is Driving The Captive Explosion in Latin America?
Latin America is experiencing a continued influx of companies implementing the captive model, as well as introducing shared service centers and centers of excellence. These internal initiatives—owned by the company, not outsourced—provide both regional and international companies economic benefits, as well as simplified scalability and increased quality control.
Luis Ojeda, Deloitte’s Shared Services Leader for Latin America, breaks down the key data points of industry trends that are driving the captive explosion in Latin America.
What You Didn’t Learn in Vendor Management School
Every industry is different, so suppliers must be agile and flexible in their ability to meet the demands of their clients. That was the message driven home by Prem Shanker and Robert Chojnacki who spoke on behalf of Southwest Airlines at Nearshore Nexus 2016.
Among other key points, Shanker gave suppliers a strong message: “It’s really important for Southwest Airlines to be understood by a supplier before the sale pitch is made, because if the cultural appreciation is not there, it would be like speaking in two different languages.”
Discovering the Silicon Valley IT Corridor
Even though the United States is the biggest market on the planet, it isn’t necessarily the easiest to break in to. As such, nearshore companies, particularly those located in Mexico, need to understand the basics of approaching potential clients and collaborators in their neighboring country.
Speaking on this topic at Nexus 2016 were Sanjay Dayal, CTO of Agralogics; Guillermo Gonzalez, Executive Director of MexicoIT; Jorge Villalobos, CEO of 3DMX and Frank Guerrero, Vice President of Product for xTV Networks, with Toby Redshaw, Former CIO of American Express and Partner at Kevington Advisors acting as moderator.
State of Nearshore: The Pursuit of Higher Value
Finally, our very own Research Director, Sean Goforth, broke down the findings of Nearshore Americas’ State of the Nearshore 2016 survey, in which outsourcing professionals expressed the benefits of nearshore delivery, the characteristics of particular geographies, and the outlook for the region amid rapid technological change.
Nexus Illuminate Awards
During the opening of the event this year, we introduced a new way to recognize key figureheads and achievers in the industry: the Nexus Illuminate Awards.
The Illuminate awards celebrate those who excel in their dedication to nearshore, from the most innovative and pioneering entrepreneurs or individuals, to the cities and companies that preserve links within the nearshore community, particularly those representing beacons of considerate and humane entrepreneurship in the region.
The key takeaway from Nexus 2016 is that nearshore is a community filled with savvy executives who are deeply thoughtful about business. Not only that, but people in this industry think hard about how their businesses impact society and how they can improve the quality of life in the countries they operate in. A hugely encouraging and motivating thought for members of this great community.
What were your favorite memories of Nexus 2016? What would you like to see at the next event? Sound off in the comments below.
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