English Proficiency is the New Black

This Frost & Sullivan Market Insight presents a broad overview of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) market demand for English proficiency for call volumes originating from the United States. It highlights the key industry trends. In preparing this report, Frost & Sullivan conducted interviews with executives from the following companies: Alorica, Callzilla, ibex, Sutherland Global Services and Teleperformance This study will provide insights into the background, trends and context for creating successful next generation contact centers in the Nearshore region. The author has travelled extensively throughout the region and includes his personal observations and perspectives on nearshore contact center trends. Unless otherwise noted, the opinions expressed in this assessment are those of Frost & Sullivan and have been developed through our research, interviews and analysis. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the companies cited above. We sincerely thank these firms for their participation in this study. For the purposes of this Market Insight and future North American outsourcing studies, Frost & Sullivan defines “Nearshore” in the following way: Nearshore means routing voice calls, automated responses, chat, text, email or other communications - from the United States and Canada - to delivery sites in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. Frost & Sullivan believes that there is increased acceptance and trust, on the part of North American companies to utilize outsourcing firms for customer care, technical support and sales. Service providers claim that companies can reduce their operating expenses by 30 to 40 percent by considering nearshore outsourcing options. BPO Client Nearshore Expansion Plans Frost & Sullivan believes that there is increased acceptance and trust, on the part of North American companies to utilize outsourcing firms for customer care, technical support and sales. Service providers claim that companies can reduce their operating expenses by 30 to 40 percent by considering nearshore outsourcing options. Clients are getting more sophisticated when it comes to the demand for English-speaking agents. That drives a level of specialization to meet the market need within certain lines of business (LOB). For example, a client might ask for agents with telecomm knowledge that have mastered the industry lingo and lexicon. Mature markets pay a higher hourly wage for this kind of expertise. If service providers are looking for sales talent, they go to markets that are more transactional and goal-oriented like Panama or Costa Rica. What About Nearshore Locations with Native English Speakers? According to online magazine Nearshore Americas, there are 12 English-speaking countries – excluding the USA and Canada – across the Caribbean and Central America, and together they offer over 6.7 million native English speakers that can be recruited for BPO and contact center work. Author: Michael DeSalles