BPO expert says Jamaica remains in an advantageous position

Jamaica remains in an advantageous position in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry going into the second part of the year and through to next year, despite the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, says an international expert in the field.

Principal of Ryan Strategic Advisory (RSA), Peter Ryan, said for North American investors, Jamaica is an attractive option and will remain so going into the second half of this year and definitely 2021.

“I think that the efforts on the part of the trade association, the Government, as well as individual players working together, [are] truly paying off, and with such a focus on business continuity, certainly alongside that of quality and the ability to deliver quality interactions, Jamaica is certainly in a position of advantage,” he added, during a virtual Global Digital Services webinar ‘Jamaica a resilient location for outsourcing’, hosted by JAMPRO and RSA, on Tuesday (August 11).

According to Mr. Ryan, the country has a number of factors that put the BPO sector in a favourable position.

“One of the reasons why Jamaica is continuing and I think will continue for an extended period to gain interest from outsourcers who perhaps are already on the ground, who want to expand or ones that aren’t yet there, is obviously the very strong reputation for quality delivery when it comes to third-party services,” he said.

“There’s a workforce in Jamaica that is very solid and associated with good quality and good work ethics. The location of Jamaica and its cities, its international airports are incredibly accessible for prospective clients and outsourcers, and the outsourcing executives themselves, and it has a proven track record,” Mr. Ryan added

Other key factors, the foreign analyst pointed out, are that Jamaica’s BPO industry is built on a very strong partnership among the industry, industry players and the Government, which respond strongly to the needs of the industry; an active industry association; strong connectivity that facilitates seamless interactions between agents and consumers, both locally and internationally; a good work-from-home business model and a solid command of English.

“Jamaica itself has also got a very strong track record in not just attracting some of the biggest global outsourcers but also having developed a very thriving domestic outsourcing community. Certainly, some of the most important names in the world are operating and thriving in Jamaica right now, as well as some of the homegrown operators,” he further noted.

Mr. Ryan also pointed to a 2020 buyers of BPO front office services survey, in which Jamaica is positioned as one of the top-10 countries in the world. The survey was done by his company in different countries across the world.