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| Convergys Puts Another Call Center in Cost Rica |
CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Offshore and outsourced telephone calls getting under your skin when you try to straighten out a bill, or get help with a product. There's more of that coming your way from Cincinnati-based Convergys Corp., which soon will have 1,600 people working the phones from call centers in Costa Rica in Central America. The expansion has been big news in Central America, but hardly noticed in Cincinnati, where the mainstream media hasn't mentioned the latest outsourcing operation. The president of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla Miranda, left the capital in San Jose to dedicate Convergys' newest addition earlier this week. She toured the production floor in tow with two top Convergys' execs. Here's a brief press release from the Costa Rican trade development board, which says the new hires will handle transactions and take calls in English.
The Cincinnati company -- which has taken economic development aid from officials in its hometown -- set up shop in Costa Rica in March 2009. It now has three facilities there. Call Centre Clinic, an industry trade publication, says Convergys is growing:
"Once this third site is fully staffed, Convergys will employ over 1,600 talented employees in Costa Rica. Convergys will employ over 500 individuals in the new 35,000 square foot Convergys Costa Rica III contact center. Six training rooms will help ensure that employees are well prepared to provide superior customer experiences to the customers of Convergys’ clients."
Christine Timmons Barry, a senior V.P. with the Cincinnati company, said Costa Ricans are bilingual, which means that customer care calls can go back to America, where most people speak English. She didn't say what the Costa Ricans are being paid -- probably far less than U.S. workers would earn. So cheap labor may be behind the interest in Costa Rica's labor pool. Said Timmons Barry:
"Our clients appreciate the high quality bilingual customer care we offer from Costa Rica, and it is client demand that is fueling our continued growth here. Costa Rica boasts a highly-educated, dedicated, bilingual population that shares a strong cultural empathy with our client’s customers. The opening of this new facility will help ensure that Convergys continues to meet our global clients’ current and future need to provide superior customer experiences.”
Costa Rica is the new “in” location for “near-shoring.” With a population of about 4 million people, Costa Rica boasts the region’s oldest democracy, political stability, infrastructure and an impressive 95% literacy rate. A Free Trade Agreement with the United States has companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Hewlett Packard , and Intel making substantial investments in Costa Rican outsourcing call centers. It ranks behind powerhouses India and China as one of the most competitive offshore outsourcing destinations offering high-paying, highly sought-after jobs.
ReplyDeleteGlobal competitive pressures are forcing United States corporations to lower their costs. Today, it is necessary to do offshore outsourcing just to remain competitive. After careful analysis, many companies have now expanded their operations in Costa Rica . It is attractive in terms of cost and breadth of capabilities.
Business conditions are stable and secure, not like other countries with lower levels of working conditions and unstable governments. Our Costa Rican Call Center offers the highest quality bilingual call center support for wages that are 40%-80% lower than the United States. There are plenty of English speakers attuned to the needs of the North American market.
We encourage you to visit one of our call centers on your next personal vacation or business trip to Central America’s paradise, Costa Rica. While you are here, we would recommend taking an extra day of your trip to visit breathtaking virgin beaches, play golf next to the ocean, try your luck at deep sea fishing, explore tropical jungles, climb volcanos or just relax in natural hot springs. Come and see for yourself why call center outsourcing in Costa Rica is a perfect solution for your growing company and a powerhouse in the BPO industry.
http://www.costaricascallcenter.com