Paul O'Hara is the Executive Vice President of Business Development at TP EMEA. He is based in the Tyneside area of North-East England.

Paul recently published an article on Customer Think magazine titled "AI Won't End BPO - It'll Supercharge It."

Mark called Paul to ask Paul about the article. What was Paul trying to say? How does he believe that AI and human-focused customer service can be blended? How can smarter more value-driven CX be planned using AI?

Paul outlined many of these ideas in his article, but Mark questioned him further on the reasons he felt the need to talk about AI in this way. Mark even mentioned this conversation with Paul in a SubStack article he published earlier this week.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pauloharateleperformance/

https://customerthink.com/ai-wont-end-bpo-itll-supercharge-it/

https://www.tp.com/

https://markhillarysp.substack.com/p/ai-in-customer-service-isnt-about

Summary:

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the impact of AI on Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) with Paul O'Hara, EVP for Business Development at Teleperformance (TP). O'Hara argues that AI will enhance, rather than replace, BPO services. He emphasizes the importance of blending AI with human expertise to deliver smarter, scalable, and value-driven customer experiences. O'Hara highlights that BPOs, with their operational backbone and regulatory compliance, are better positioned to design and scale CX solutions. He predicts continued growth in the BPO industry, driven by automation and ethical outsourcing, and stresses the need for performance-based models over traditional metrics.

Elona Ymeri is the service delivery manager at Assist Digital. She is based in Tirana, Albania.

Elona spoke to Mark Hillary about the role of smaller BPO destinations. What can they offer that is harder to find from the big locations? Is the continued influence of AI and other automation technology reducing the need to consider working in locations where large numbers of agents can be found?

Elona talked about Albania within this context, but also explored beyond Albania alone to consider other locations in Europe that might have an interesting and innovative new approach to BPO.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elonaymeri/

https://assistdigital.com/

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Summary:

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan introduce an interview with Elona Ymeri, the service delivery leader at Assist Digital in Tirana, Albania. Alona highlights Albania's mature BPO sector, employing nearly 30,000 people, and its strategic position as a nearshore option for European companies. She emphasizes Albania's cultural alignment, linguistic skills, and the country's investment in AI and digital transformation. Alona also discusses the shift towards intelligent operations, combining human talent with technology, and the importance of compliance and strategic partnerships in the future of BPO.

Joanne Morrison is the founder of Outmarket. She is based in Toronto, Canada.

Outmarket is a specialist marketing agency that is focused on BPO and CX companies.

Telling potential customers about your services has always been important, but as BPO gets more complex, more international, and AI changes how marketing can function, it is more important than ever to get great advice.

Peter Ryan called Joanne to talk about these changes and her advice for marketing in CX in the 2020s.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joanne-morrison-52299711/

https://www.outmarketbpo.com/

SUMMARY:

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the challenges and mistakes in BPO marketing with Joanne Morrison, founder of Outmarket. Joanne highlights underinvestment in marketing, with typical BPO budgets being a fraction of the 2-8% recommended for B2B services. She emphasizes the importance of diversifying marketing efforts and leveraging AI beyond content creation. Joanne also stresses the need for effective post-event follow-up and risk-taking to stand out in a competitive market. She advises using AI for backend tasks like coding and research to improve efficiency and differentiation.

Miguel Familia is the CEO and co-founder of Wise BPO. He is based between the Dominican Republic and St. Petersburg, Florida, USA.

Miguel has a long history in CX, but one year ago he decided to create a new BPO brand - serving clients from the Dominican Republic.

Peter called Miguel to learn about his story of creating a new CX brand, his background in this industry, the advantages of the DR, and his vision for the future of CX.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/miguel-familia-b0b37812/

https://wisebp.com/

SUMMARY:

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan introduce Miguel Familia, CEO and co-founder of Wise BPO in the Dominican Republic. Miguel shares his journey from starting in BPO at 17 to establishing Wise BPO, emphasizing the importance of people over technology in customer service. He highlights the challenges of securing initial business deals and the success of engaging with new prospects. Miguel advises budding entrepreneurs to be genuine in their interactions.

This week we have a group of CX and BPO experts who recently visited Georgia. This nation of 3.6m people is positioned on the Black Sea, at the intersection of Europe and Asia, and is working hard to position itself as an attractive destination for CX and BPO sourcing.

Peter Ryan talked to people who travelled with him to visit Georgia this year to explore questions such as the ease of doing business there, the opportunity for multilingual CX, and how Georgia is attracting more digital and high-tech talent.

Featured in the discussion:

Elona Ymeri

Service Delivery Manager, Assist Digital

Tirana, Albania

https://www.linkedin.com/in/elonaymeri/

Traci Freeman

Managing Member, Believe Consulting

Johannesburg, South Africa

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracifreeman/

Jasen Shirley

Head of Customer Service and Sales, North America/Canada, SIXT

Riverview, Florida, US

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasen-shirley-688a651b8/

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https://www.investingeorgia.org/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/enterprisegeorgia/

https://www.enterprisegeorgia.gov.ge/

SUMMARY:

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss a recent visit to Georgia sponsored by Enterprise Georgia, highlighting the country's potential as a CX and BPO destination. The trip involved 15 stakeholders, including Jason Shirley, Ilona, and Tracy Freeman, who all shared their impressions in the discussion. Key points include Georgia's cultural alignment with the West, fast internet, co-working spaces, and ease of business setup. The Government Services Center was praised for its efficiency and customer service. The discussion also touched on Georgia's multilingual workforce, advanced skills, and the potential for complex services. Comparisons with Jamaica and other established BPO destinations were made, emphasizing Georgia's readiness for higher-value outsourcing.

Traci Freeman holds a number of roles, including as the managing member of Believe Consulting, but in this conversation we focused on her role as a partner of the Africa Federation of GBS Associations.

This federation is aimed at unlocking Africa's potential in the BPO, CX and ITO sectors. Enhancing Africa's standing as a hub for innovation, knowledge exchange, and technological advancement, promoting partnerships, youth employment, and digital enablement while driving best practices and standards.

Mark Hillary called Traci at her base in Johnannesburg, South Africa to talk about the work of the federation and the opportunities for CX and BPO across all of Africa.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracifreeman/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/africa-gbs-federation/

https://africagbsfederation.org/

SUMMARY

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the Africa Federation of GBS Associations, an initiative led by a team including Traci Freeman to promote Global Business Services (GBS), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), and IT services across Africa. The federation aims to manage perceptions of Africa as a high-value destination, foster knowledge sharing, and support regional development. Key countries like Egypt and South Africa are leveraging their experience to help emerging markets like Kenya, Rwanda, and Ghana. The federation, launched in February 2024, includes members from various African countries and aims to host global community engagement events by 2026-2027.

Kwame Agyei is the founder and CEO of Appoynt. He is based in London, UK with operations in Ghana.

In this conversation with Peter Ryan, Kwame tells the story of how and why he founded Appoynt during the Covid pandemic and the opportunity for more businesses to work with partners in Ghana.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kwame-agyei-b3ab1333/

https://www.appoynt.co.uk/

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SUMMARY

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the growth of BPO services in Ghana, highlighting Kwame Agyei's venture, Appoynt. Kwame, an accountant by background, founded Appoynt during the COVID-19 pandemic to leverage Ghana's talent and regional advantages. The company specializes in back-office support, accounts receivable, and customer support for SMBs in the US and UK. Kwame emphasizes the importance of understanding market capabilities and building trust through quality service. They also discuss the potential impact of proposed US legislation on offshoring and the emerging potential of Ghana as a BPO hub.

Enea Dervishi is the Operations Director at Simetrix Solutions. He is based in Durres, Albania.

Last month, Enea published an article in Customer Think titled "From Beaches To Business: Is Albania's BPO Wave About To Break?"

The article kicked off a fevered discussion on LinkedIn because it did not focus on the usual BPO regional comparisons - how many airports, graduates etc... it directly compared the BPO possibilities in Albania with much larger and established destinations such as South Africa and India.

Albania is on track to join the EU soon and although it is in Europe, companies there can compete with many regions that are much further away. Is it a hidden gem for European nearshoring?

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss this and then Mark speaks with Enea in the interview.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/edervishi/

https://simetrix-solutions.com/

https://customerthink.com/from-beaches-to-business-why-albanias-bpo-wave-is-about-to-break/

SUMMARY

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the emerging CX delivery destination of Albania, highlighting its potential to compete with established BPO hubs like South Africa and the Philippines. Enea Dervishi, Director of Operations at Simetrix in Albania, notes the country's 20-year experience in BPO, multilingual capabilities, and cultural alignment with Western markets. Albania's proximity to Europe and its agile, personalized service are key attractions. Dervishi emphasizes the need for coordinated promotion and plans to expand Albania's presence in both the US and Europe, targeting American companies unfamiliar with Albania's BPO capabilities.