South Africa’s GBS/BPO sector recognised by international Award and our President
South Africa has increasingly become a country of choice for GBS/BPO services among international clients in the UK, USA and Australia, among others. This has positively contributed to our sector’s ability to employ over 270,000 across six cities, and generate a total income of $461-million, $272-million which is attributed to traditional BPO and BPaaS accounts for $188-million. This is according to McKinsey, which released a report on the local industry’s growth in September 2020.
So significant is this growth that South Africa was awarded first place in the 2021 Favoured Offshore CX Locations in the world by the Ryan Strategic Advisory and Knowledge Executive and other global thought leaders in April. This is a massive win for us, not least as we have been hovering in second place for the past three years, but have now overtaken India, the Philippines, Egypt and Northern Ireland to take our place as no.1 in the world.
A large contributing factor to our industry’s success is thanks to the symbiotic relationship that the sector has with government. Between 2007 and 2001, the DTI invested R1,3-billion for sector support and other operational-improvement support programmes. This was followed by a further R1,2-billion in 2019. So noteworthy is this that our President, Cyril Ramaphosa, lead with our industry’s win in his daily ‘From the President’s Desk’ newsletter on 12th March. In it he commends the proactive efforts of government and the sector over the years, emphasising how the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition worked closely with Business Processing South Africa to market the country for investment by embarking on roadshows and campaigns around the world, demonstrating our strength and capabilities.
He further highlighted why South Africa is such an attractive offshore market. We have sophisticated digital infrastructure, including mobile networks and high-speed broadband, we have a young, dynamic and skilled workforce that delivers a world-class service, and we have a deep knowledge in technology and financial services.
Coupled with our English proficiency, our attractive exchange rate and largely similar time zones, it is plain to see why South Africa is a destination of choice for many of our clients.
We see this on the ground at SA Commercial: Our services are being increasingly put on the global map as we expand our operations and adapt digitally – all the while working remotely. In fact, according to the McKinsey report, South African contact centres were very fast in adopting a remote working operation, all the while minimising disruption for clients. Now, a year on from when the pandemic began, 70% of our team continues to work from home and significant gains have been achieved as an increased sense of ownership amongst our employees grows.
We also believe that our privacy and protection standards are world-class, thanks to our accreditation with ISO 27 001 and ISO 9001. This gives clients peace of mind that their data is safe, according to the highest security standards available.
As a player in the local GBS/BPO industry, we are incredibly proud to have been recognised by our President and will continue to collaborate with government. This will no doubt ensure that the sector will increase on a positive trajectory, putting us on the world stage for our range of quality services and expertise that meet international clients’ needs.
To read the full article from the President, click here.