Campaign To Change Stereotypes About BPO Sector

The Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ) has embarked on a global services sector (GSS) awareness campaign aimed at changing misunderstandings and stereotypes surrounding the industry and highlighting the higher-end career opportunities that exist.

GSS, more commonly associated with business process outsourcing (BPO), also includes operations in areas such as information technology-enabled services (ITES), knowledge process outsourcing (KPO), and legal process outsourcing (LPO).

BPIAJ Marketing Specialist, Cheryl Neufville-Crooks, said that the objective of the campaign is to “change the conversation around the sector among tertiary students and academia and attract better talent to the industry”.

“We also have to change the negative and/or inaccurate perceptions of key influencers, including business leaders. We also have to encourage investments to the sector by consistently demonstrating growth and impact on society. We also have to demystify myths publicised in the media,” she added.

Ms. Neufville was speaking at a JIS Think Tank at the agency’s regional office in Montego Bay, St. James, on Monday (November 18).

She noted that the BPIAJ, launched in September 2012, acts as the national representative body, serving the ICT and BPO sectors in Jamaica. The Association currently has 72 members and is expanding its membership.

“The membership spans across corporate developers, financial institutions, training institutions, and other service providers and individual members. There is also an associate category, including key industry partners and government stakeholders such as Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO) and HEART/Trust NTA,” Mrs. Neufville-Crooks said.

In the meantime, Supervisor at Contax 360 BPO Solutions in Montego Bay, Huandrae Frater, told JIS News that he started out in the sector as an agent and is being promoted to operations manager.

“To be frank with you, I heard the stories about the BPO being a mere call centre where there’s very little chance to get ahead in life,” he noted.

“Actually, I told myself that I just wanted to earn some school fees and move on. It didn’t turn out like that, as not only does my company give me the opportunity to further my studies but to also learn and grow in the company. Coming here to Contax 360 has been a great decision on my part,” the young supervisor said.

Vista Print’s Nicole Reid, for her part, has described her entry into the sector “as one of the best decisions I have ever made”.

“I too knew about the stereotype… the stigma surrounding the BPO sector,” she noted.

“As a single mother, Vista Print has helped me out with 80 per cent of my tuition and has given me the opportunity where I have moved from being an agent to a more senior role and also provided even further chance for upward mobility. I couldn’t have asked for a better workplace,” she told JIS News.