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Jamaica sustains CX BPO momentum

As outsourcers consider how best to deliver customer management services across multiple hubs, the question ‘where next?’ looms large.  For English-language requirements, it is ever more apparent that Jamaica offers notable advantages for BPOs.  Several recent outsourced customer management investments on the island nation are the most recent validation of Jamaica’s promise.  Both third parties and their clients are actively looking to re-balance their delivery footprint in favor of value-driven destinations.  And Jamaica’s positioning is highly favorable, not only from a nearshore perspective but also for demand markets further afield.

Jamaica has steadily grown as a CX destination over the past two decades.  The island had long been a hub for servicing North American consumers from Montego Bay and Kingston, both of which rapidly expanded their stock of local and global providers.  Jamaica’s native English and strong familiarity with enterprise buyers proved key in its BPO development, as has the ongoing investments in infrastructure made by successive governments.

Today, the Jamaican CX landscape counts local success stories led by itel, the Caribbean’s largest home-grown outsourcing firm. It operates alongside the largest providers in the world, including TeleperformanceibexConcentrixHGS and Alorica, among others.

More remarkably, Jamaica’s inward outsourcing momentum shows no sign of slowing.  Recent industry press releases give a sense of how Jamaica is at the forefront of BPO CX discussions.  ibex announced earlier this year the opening of a new campus in Portmore, adding to its already significant presence in Jamaica.  And rapidly expanding outsourcing player Iterum Connections recently opened a new site near Kingston that houses nearly a thousand workstations. Transparent BPO plans to expand its geographic footprint into Jamaica in the coming months with a new site in Spanish Town. Also, with its announcement in SeptemberVentrica became the first UK-based outsourcer to open a standalone facility in Jamaica.

Such growth does not come by happenstance. So, the question becomes what is driving this interest in outsourced CX delivery from Jamaica?

A big reason for this trend relates to client favorability.  In the most recent Front Office Omnibus Survey of over 600 enterprise CX decision-makers conducted by Ryan Strategic Advisory, Jamaica was one of the top 5 most favored delivery points among North American respondents; it was also the most favored destination in the Americas. This fact is not lost on outsourcers tasked with servicing the end-users of Canadian and US clients.

There is also the quality factor.  Jamaica is seen as one of the leading destinations for providing sophisticated support in native English, offering one of the best quality/cost rapports anywhere in the world. This is done in an environment that is stable in terms of politics, the economy and public security. Given upheaval in other parts of the CX offshore world of late, Jamaica is in a very strong comparative position.  And, the extent to which all stakeholders in the Jamaican CX ecosystem, including BPO players, industry associations and public bodies work in tandem to ensure the best investment climate should not be underestimated.

Finally, Jamaica has a budding overseas opportunity in servicing consumers in different parts of the Anglosphere.  Iterum Connections and Ventrica have both made it clear that supporting British end-users is part of their strategic plans for their respective Jamaican deployments.  Others are certain to follow suit, effectively making Jamaica no longer just a nearshore hub, but a global offshore destination of choice.

Granted, prospective outsourcing investors should conduct their due diligence.  Jamaica has under 3 million people, and according to reports competition to attract solid talent to work in BPO is tight.  That said, as outsourcers are pressured by clients in English-speaking demand markets to find quality, stable delivery points, Jamaica stands out.

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