South Africa is steadily asserting itself as a key global hub for the BPO, LPO and call centre services sectors in 2017 and beyond.
Ranked 74th on the World Bank's ‘Ease of doing business report’, it is placed well above those regions it views as being its main competitors - India (130) and the Philippines (99) - scoring highly in topics such as protection of minority investors, obtaining credit and paying taxes. What’s more, The World Economic Forum ranked South Africa among the top 50 countries, noting its innovation investment (making South Africa the region’s most innovative economy), its efficient financial markets (placing among the top 15 in the world) and its strong institutions and robust legal framework. Plus, of course, South Africa recently won the ‘Outsourcing Destination of the Year 2016’ at the GSA UK Awards, it’s third victory in the category in five years.
The sourcing delivery destination has been working hard to continuously improve the business environment that the country can offer. The first world infrastructure is a particular draw for service providers, with world class airports, good road systems and a capable digital infrastructure. With such a robust telecoms and transport infrastructure already in place and well established, the cost of operating a business in the country has been rapidly falling, making it an attractive competitor for business investment. Thanks to time zone similarities (South Africa is two hours ahead of the UK) and direct flights from London airports, South Africa also claims an advantage over its competitors with ease of access.
The highly skilled and English speaking workforce is also comparatively cheap, with wages roughly half that of the equivalent UK worker. South Africa’s strong higher education system provides plenty of graduates with perfect English language skills. Alongside this, many South African companies have been using impact sourcing, a practice supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, designed to reduce poverty by offering career development opportunities to people who otherwise would have limited prospects for formal employment due to poverty.
Many large organisations have already set up operations in South Africa including Amazon.com, Bloomberg, TalkTalk, Lufthansa and British Gas. Four of the leading six UK contact centre service providers have operations in the country including Capita and Serco, and organisations such as State Street, Old Mutual and Prudential also leverage South Africa’s robust legal and financial services systems as well as its pool of talented graduates. Further, numerous leading law firms already have operations there, including Eversheds, Hogan Lovells and Pinsent Masons.
Summary
Thanks to low comparative costs, the high standard of living and the comparatively low risk stability of South Africa in the region, many will consider South Africa a great option for shared services and contact centre services. Boasting a vibrant and dynamic democracy with a credible opposition, the South African economy and business future will continue to offer great potential for a wide variety of services. The OECD predicts economic growth to strengthen in 2017 and 2018 thanks in part to continuing infrastructure improvements, consumption and investment.
Although the South African government needs to stick to its consolidation path to maintain its competitive business environment, the region has undoubtedly risen above its competitors for the past decade and will remain a key market for BPO, LPO and call centre services sectors for the foreseeable future