The calls call center They constitute the most visible face of the BPO export sector, but it is not the only activity that offers outsourcing services, as these have diversified into the segments of telecommunications and technology, finance, manufacturing, retail and electronic commerce, human resources, media. communication and entertainment, travel and transportation, health and insurance, logistics and distribution, public and construction services.
This export sector emerged around 20 years ago in Guatemala and began with what was previously known as export activities. call centerproviding services locally, to North America and other Latin American countries, explained Eduardo Castillo, president of the association attached to the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport).
The sector has grown between 15% and 17% on average annually, so it currently generates more than 55 thousand direct jobs, and around 2 indirect jobs for each of these. That is, people who are dedicated to administration, maintenance, related industries, transportation, technology and others, he adds. This also means that of the total number of employees mentioned, 60% are from the call center segment and the other 40% from other BPO activities, adds Castillo.
The new service offering includes automation of operations, attention to specific technical issues; Services are provided in Spanish and English, and have gradually been added in other languages, such as German, French, Italian and Portuguese. And also in certain activities in which it is no longer only required to master another language, but also a bit of experience or technical or specialized skills such as medicine, marketing, human resources, finance and even legal services.
That is, current tasks require knowing how to answer a call in a national or foreign language, but also providing more specialized capabilities such as analysis in sectors such as mass consumption, distribution, health, media, transportation and services specialized in financial issues, law and others, Add.
The services generally provided are by telephone, email or chat, which are called front office because they have a direct relationship with clients, but there are also back office, which are tasks related to the administration and proper internal functioning of a company. Here you can mention financial processes, accounting closings for a particular month, accounts receivable or payment application. And with the advancement of technology, some areas already allow automation, robotics and the use of artificial intelligence.
The figures of the sector
Apart from the average growth data in recent years and employment, the sector reports other figures:
In 2023, services worth US$922 million were exported, which represents an increase of 5% compared to the year before that. In relation to the number of people working in this industry, versus the total population in Guatemala it is 0.2%, although in countries like Mexico it is 0.7%, so there is a lot of opportunity for growth.
Last year, this industry helped generate Q507 million of income for the Guatemalan Social Security Institute (IGSS), Q33 million for the Technical Institute of Training and Productivity (Intecap), and an equal figure for the Company’s Workers’ Recreation Institute. Private (Irtra). In addition, Q433 million of value added tax (VAT), and Q27 million of income tax (ISR), derived from salaries paid in the sector, whose average is Q5,150 per month.
By 2024, the industry has positive prospects since, in the manager’s opinion, there has been exponential growth each year and he considers that the country is no longer taken into account only because of the average cost of labor, but because it has the ability to embrace new technologies to offer more services, which allows it to position itself and compete with other markets or countries in the region.
Challenges to overcome
However, work must still be done on training people in English fluency, for example, apart from working on increasing the technical skills that companies are demanding, the infrastructure to operate and citizen security.
Another challenge is the decentralization of services to various departments, to create a more integrated ecosystem, which is why spaces for discussion and contact are being opened, such as the first edition of the Guatemala BPO Innovation Summit held this Wednesday, April 24, in which The panorama, the future of the sector, growth with the trend of nearshoring and success stories of cities that have created opportunities.
The aim was to “listen to what other countries have done and try to replicate good practices in Guatemala to continue growing, which in the end is no longer just an issue of job creation, but also how Guatemala positions itself in an ecosystem of competitiveness.” global so as not to be left behind. When we compare Guatemala with Mexico, Costa Rica or Colombia we fall short,” Castillo added.
Examples of success
Below are examples of companies that operate in Guatemala and that already have a solid track record in outsourcing services:
Alorica
Alorica has 15 years in Guatemala and 25 years of providing BPO services in other countries, both in local and export markets.
Luis Marroquín, senior director of Operations and Country Manager of the firm, explained that the firm offers a wide range of outsourced services, including customer service through calls, chat, email, content moderation and social media management. .
In addition, process automation through robotics and artificial intelligence services, as well as real-time voice translation technology in more than 75 languages. This “will revolutionize the way of doing business in the country and the region and will allow fluid and effective communication with clients from different parts of the world, further improving their experience and operational efficiency,” he explains.
The executive explains that his service generally extends to global clients, including prominent companies in the Fortune 500, covering a variety of industries from retail, telecommunications, energy and media, among others.
The company has created 115 thousand jobs in 18 countries, offering services in more than 35 languages to more than 250 clients. In Guatemala’s BPO sector it has around 5 thousand employees, thanks to the growth of the company’s sales and services in recent years, derived from greater demand, the expansion of the customer base, improvements in operational efficiency and prices.
Regarding sales, the company has maintained annual growth of around 10% in recent years and “our goal is to continue expanding through the diversification of services, the implementation of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and process automation, and the exploration of new geographic markets,” he added.
Conduent
Diego Mellado, leader of the Transportation Projects Office of the Conduent firm, explains that the company has 36 years of operating in the Latin American market with various types of services, such as solutions for transportation and toll collection.
In Guatemala it began operating with another brand more than 20 years ago, and in 2017 the new brand was formed that absorbed this operation and its experience. The company mainly offers technological solutions, but also tangible ones.
For example, the Transportation Services Unit that Mellado directs is responsible for providing support through safe and affordable ecosystems for the mobility area.
such as the management of road use charges (tolls), with more than nine million steps processed per day in the countries where it operates, and more than 300 transportation agencies served.
Another is the transit service, which is mainly dedicated to fare collection, smart mobility through Artificial Intelligence, mobile dispatch tools, control of public transportation routes, as well as issuing tickets for public transportation such as trains and buses ( regarding 100 million daily, in several countries)
In Guatemala we work on the three pillars of the company: transportation services, commercial services and government services. “The country is constantly evolving and appreciating Conduent’s international leadership to consider professionals to provide services from here,” he added.
Globally there are more than 60 thousand employees and in Guatemala there are more than 5 thousand. “Here we have a range of services, from associates who provide call center service or call handling for various brands, and in the area of professional services with expert consultants in operations processes, projects, integration, financial consulting, human resources and marketing. , among others”.
Xerox
The company Canada and Europe in the area of digital transformation.
Xerox was born in the United States and its original line of business was the manufacturing and distribution of photocopiers and printers. It is currently in a digital transformation process to be able to provide other types of services such as robotic process automation, augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
The term robotic process automation (RPA) refers to software or bots, as they are also called, that carry out processes automatically and are basically used to execute repetitive tasks that do not add value to the operation such as data entry. , reading system information and generating reports, among others.
For example, these computer programs execute the same activities or processes that a person would do completely automatically and that is what allows for a more efficient process that can be executed more quickly and without human errors. They can be applied in different areas, such as accounting, billing generation, order processing and others, explained Eduardo Palacios, general manager of the company.
It indicates that software development has also been carried out in Guatemala and project management services are provided. Originally, the company had its call center in Guatemala, but today it is dedicated to providing services with greater added value, since the country has very well-trained and very creative people.
The expectations are to continue growing not only at the local level, since “we always seek to be at the forefront by offering services with the highest technology and above all, giving the added value of artificial intelligence that allows us to make forecasts and make decisions automatically. . So it is something that will allow our clients to have a more efficient process and in the end, they can also provide better service to their clients,” Palacios explained.
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