in this issue
Why Having The Right BPO Partner Matters
by Kevin Herrera, Founder and CEO, Protel BPO, Belize City
The Answer Is Much, Much Closer Than You Think. Here’s a solution to contact center staffing challenges that is “UnBelizeable.”
Hindrances to Hiring? You’re Not Alone
Across the United States and throughout every industry, the biggest challenge companies face is access to reliable labor. In the U.S., there are 11 million job openings, but according to Randstad, a mere 6.5 million people are listed as unemployed. Companies are ready to hire more help, but help is hard to find.
Got a Problem with Labor? Get to Know Belize:
- Large pool of talented and eager candidates
- Politically and economically stable
- Close proximity to U.S. (three-hour flight from Miami)
- Strong U.S. cultural alignment
- Rapidly gaining attention from global brands
For some companies, the labor shortage is keeping them from meeting their objectives, including new technology implementation. A new study found that among 64% of participating organizations, the labor shortage was the single most important roadblock to introducing new technology in the workplace. However, at the beginning of 2020, only 4% of companies listed labor as a major challenge.
Agent Attrition and Labor Availability: Complicating Factors in the Customer Experience
Here at Protel BPO, we know that for in-house contact centers, a difficult aspect of the labor shortage is that the rate of agent attrition is around 35 to 40%, according to Time Doctor. When considering the first 90 days of employment, that number climbs to a startling 90%. This puts companies in a difficult position, because 79% of consumers say that their experience with a company is equal in importance to the product or service they are purchasing. This finding demonstrates the increasing significance of a company’s dedication to engaging a customer in a comprehensive and personalized experience. However, quality service is hard to achieve if your employees are exhausted.
In addition, companies attempting to staff an in-house contact center confront challenges around available labor. It can be difficult to recruit candidates with the right education, skills and motivation to thrive in contact center services. The pool of available labor paired with attrition rates make it nearly impossible for companies to cultivate excellent customer experiences with an in-house contact center.
The customer experience can occur throughout a variety of formats, from social media to the company’s website or through an email campaign. In many instances, the customer experience includes a combination of formats.
Surprisingly, the bulk of customer service is still occurring over the phone, with Omnicus reporting that 76% of customers opt for a phone call when contacting customer service.
Given the current labor shortages and the importance of a positive customer experience, companies are looking outside their four walls for a solution — a solution that may be closer than anticipated.
What Belize Offers: It’s UnBelizeable
Belize offers a different perspective on labor challenges, because there is a talent pool of highly educated candidates — and contact center agent positions are desirable and even coveted among the available labor pool. As a result, in Belize, the rate of agent attrition is only 10 to 25% among contact center service providers.
While that statistic alone, provided by The BPO Network, could motivate companies to consider Belize as an outsourcing destination, there are many more reasons why Belize is uniquely positioned to support contact center services. First, there are many interesting facts about Belize that are little-known to the rest of the world.
According to The Fact File:
- This beautiful country covers 22,966 square miles.
- It has a rich history and is home to over 900 Mayan ruins sites.
- Madonna’s hit song La Isla Bonita is about San Pedro, Belize.
- The world’s largest sea sinkhole is in Belize; the Great Blue Hole is a deep-sea diving paradise.
- Belize is the only Central American country with English as its official language.
Belize is a fascinating country for many reasons, but for companies looking for contact center services, outsourcing to Belize presents a competitive opportunity. Belize offers the benefits of a culture where becoming a contact center agent is a sought-after position. The talent pool in Belize is well-educated and eager to work.
In Belize, becoming a contact center agent is a sought-after position. The talent pool in Belize is well-educated and eager to work. Incentives at many contact centers help maintain Belize’s rank as the fourth – largest location for the contact center industry.
Belize Warmth: Rising in Popularity for Large-Scale Brands
Adding to the appeal of Belize is the culture of the country, which is warm, inviting, and positive in nature. The contact center service industry is thriving in Belize, and it is attractive to companies in the U.S. for a couple of important reasons:
- Contact center services in Belize are 60 to 80% lower than in the United States
- Leaders in Belize are committed to the BPO industry. Significant national infrastructure investments, including a fiber-optic network and campaigns to reduce telecom tariffs and provide incentives for new business development, have all helped contact center service providers lower costs and expand their businesses.
- Belize is a culture where becoming a contact center agent is a sought-after position. The talent pool in Belize is well-educated and eager to work. Incentives at many contact centers help maintain Belize’s rank as the fourth-largest location for the contact center industry.
- The BPO industry is a major employer in Belize, with approximately 10% of the Belize workforce employed by BPO companies.
No News from Belize? That’s Good News
Belize shares the language of the United States, but it also shares the American culture and time zones. It is only a short flight from Miami, and Belizeans like to joke that it’s easy to have breakfast in the U.S. and lunch in Belize. Belize is also refreshingly stable compared to many other countries in the region. In 1983, the late Morley Safer, correspondent for CBS’s show 60 Minutes, famously reported, “The good news from Belize is there is no news from Belize,” beginning decades of political, economic, and cultural peace in the country. Perhaps the most distinguishing characteristic of Belize is the friendliness and warmth in the culture. Every conversation feels like one with an old friend, which makes Belize an ideal source for customer service talent.
What Makes a Successful BPO Partner?
At Protel BPO, we know it’s important to work with a provider that takes a unique approach to contact center services, elevating the agent experience to provide better service.
The best BPO is built on a foundation of honoring its employees. In promoting the happiness and satisfaction of their teams, agents then offer a top-notch experience to the customers they serve. There are several ways in which best-in-class BPO providers outshine their competitors to attract and keep the best talent in the BPO industry:
- INCENTIVE PROGRAMS: Agents participate in a points system to earn rewards and promotions. When agents are hired at the best BPO companies, they are surprised at how quickly they are recognized for their efforts, because some companies require agents to work for years before they are offered a raise or promotion.
- SUPPORT: Agents are offered a high level of support throughout their workday. Ideally, there are 16 agents assigned to one team lead, plus a dedicated quality assurance supervisor, creating an 8:1 ratio for agents to support personnel.
- COMPENSATION: The best BPO companies offer their employees fair, competitive wages.
- COMMUNITY SERVICE: The leadership of a best-in-class BPO is highly committed to serving the community, and they invite employees to volunteer, as well. Agents are even given the opportunity to select the organization that the company supports each month.
- PRIDE: The hiring process is highly selective. Employees hired by the company know they have met rigorous qualifications and they take pride in being a part of the team.
This commitment to hiring the best people and then supporting agent teams makes these BPO partners a standout in the industry, but there are other direct benefits they offer to customers:
- VALUE: A quality BPO provider offers a lower-cost alternative to in-house or domestic contact center services.
- GROWTH: BPO in Belize is thriving in a crowded industry and attracting and retaining the best talent.
- QUALITY: A best-in-class BPO’s highly selective hiring process means that their clients’ customers receive exceptional customer experiences.
Belize Is a Place Where People Can Be the Top Asset
The best BPO companies are built on an unusual concept: the idea that prioritizing the happiness, satisfaction, and support of their agents leads to better customer experiences. When agents are excited to come to work, feel supported in their jobs, and know that their efforts will be rewarded, they provide better service to customers. The company culture that the ideal BPO embraces provides a warmth and positivity that gets passed on to the customer in every transaction. And with nearshore pricing, it’s a combination that is nearly impossible for companies to resist.
This isn’t a magic formula, nor any kind of marked science. It’s actually simple. Companies want more than customer service; they want a complete customer experience that builds a loyal relationship. Nobody provides exceptional customer services quite like the nearshore BPO because no one genuinely appreciates the natural positivity, the energy, and the people of Belize like the BPO industry.
Kevin Herrera |
About the Author:As the founder and CEO of Protel BPO, Kevin is focused on providing exceptional customer experiences to clients through nearshore call center services executed with the highest level of excellence. Under Kevin’s leadership, Protel BPO has successfully created a positive work environment where every employee feels valued and supported, making Protel BPO the right choice for a nearshore BPO solution. He regularly spends time on the agent floor, getting involved in day-to-day operations and has grown the company to 500-plus employees since its founding in 2013.
Protel BPO, located in Belize, offers high-value, high-quality contact center outsourcing solutions at competitive rates. Learn more at protelbpo.com |
