Yoni Epstein (centre), chief executive officer of ItelBPO, addressing this week’s Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange. Also photographed are (from left) Councillor Suzette Brown (PNP, Montego Bay South Division); Patrick Prendergast, acting director UWI Western Jamaica Campus; Conrad Robinson, manager JAMPRO Western Regional Office; and Gloria Henry, president, Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce. (PHOTO: PHILP LEMONTE)
JAMAICA is now among the most sought-after destinations for major clients of Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services with the local sector expecting to increase to 20,000 the number of jobs available by year end, according to Yoni Epstein, chief executive officer of ItelBPO in Montego Bay, St James.
The sector, he said, currently employs 17,000 people and has been growing at just over 20 per cent over the past few years.
According to Epstein, Jamaica is more competitive than some of its counterparts for several reasons, including the fact that it is in the same time zone as the North East United States, it's an English-speaking country, the incentive package is competitive globally, there is a large pool of skilled individuals, the attrition rate is much lower, and the devaluation of the dollar has made retail pricing competitive with places like The Philippines.
He was speaking at a special Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre this week to look at how that city has grown since it attained municipality status almost 35 years ago.
Epstein explained that the opportunity exists for Jamaica to benefit tremendously from the sector, which has provided some one million jobs in The Philippines and India, and 40,000 in the nearby Dominican Republic.
"If you look at our track record we have been growing at 21 per cent per annum in the last few years. And in order to maintain competitiveness with the region we need to grow more than 20 per cent, but the opportunities are out there," he said, adding that the United States will always need to outsource these types of jobs.
"They can either send it to The Philippines, where you have to fly two to three days to get there and spend two to three weeks to understand the operation, or go [to Jamaica] where you are sure you will get better English and better-qualified individuals for the same price," he said.
According to Epstein, Jamaica has been able to create a lot of flair in the international markets as a BPO destination.
"Years ago when I started my company, when you went to a BPO show in the US no one knew that Jamaica was in this industry... We go to shows nowadays and, because we have been going consecutively in the last three years, everybody recognises your face. They know that Jamaica is here yet again, and they know that Jamaica is a great destination for BPO," he said.
As for the lottery scamming, which threatened to put a dent in the sector in 2012, Epstein said that is no longer a hindrance as operators have invested significant sums to protect their clients' data.
"People don't realise the levels of security that some of these call centres have to implement to ensure we are protecting our clients' data and the integrity of it," Epstein said. "Individuals are going into a building that they cannot gain access to unless it's their shift. Individuals are having to put their personal items into lockers so that they are going into a sterile environment," he explained.
"Computers in these sterile environments can't take CDs, they can't take jump drives, they can't download information, and individuals are only allowed to go to websites to which the clients' needs allow access. You have some companies that have cellphone finders that they walk around to see if anybody has slipped things in.
"As for CCTV, the money that has been invested in this sector by the operator is tremendous to protect the integrity of Jamaica's ability to provide services," Epstein added.
Now, Epstein said, when clients speak about Jamaica, it is similar to the commendations given to the tourism sector and the service that is provided by hotels.
"You don't get better productivity than we find in Jamaica, and clients say it all the time, and all the companies can have a long laundry list of recommendation of customers because of our abilities," he said.
Epstein described the operations of major BPO players like The Philippines as usually 'black and white'.
"If you have something that is a very easy undertaking they can do it very well. They speak good English and the price is cheap. But when you talk about companies that are big into retail and adding value and needing sales in order to generate their turnover, that is where Jamaica has its [advantage]... because we have that natural ability to provide a level of confidence that you are making the right sale," he said.
Jamaicans, he said, are very entrepreneurial as they will surpass targets once they are given an incentive.
"It is just innate and natural in our culture, and that is where we have seen huge successes in the BPO industry, and that is why a lot of the companies that are here, stay here and grow here."
He noted that the BPO sector here caters to major clients such as Amazon, Delta Airlines, Sandals, Ryder Trucking, and AT&T.
"The opportunities are truly endless for us because of our abilities," he said.
