The contact center industry in Brazil has been growing, in large part as a result of its close proximity to American companies. According to recent research from Frost & Sullivan (News - Alert), the Business Process Outsourcing element of the industry is presenting a strong business case in this part of the world.
For those companies that are seeking to outsource their contact centers or other business processes to reduce operating costs, improve quality and redeploy resources toward core activities, Brazil is becoming more and more attractive. However, even with the benefits the country offers, there are still challenges.

As the contact center and BPO industries continue to embrace globalization, the competition within the market has become nearly daunting. At the same time, companies have a wide range of options when seeking to outsource their business processes that can be safely and easily turned over to another provider.

 “Customers today have a choice of BPO service providers and an array of outsourcing models to best suit their business needs,' noted one Frost & Sullivan analyst working on this project. “However, as in the case of any economic restructuring chapter the world has seen, this new wave of globalization faces its share of short-term challenges - some political, some economic.”

Brazil offers a very divergent market that consists of many companies that have attained a level of process maturity. On the other end are companies that are unaware of the potential within the outsourcing concept and have failed to capitalize on the opportunities to expand and grow.

Adoption levels of BPO options in the region remain basic as companies have not yet ventured into the complex BPO areas. Many of these companies have also restricted themselves to basic contact center and human resource processing services. As many companies throughout the world – the U.S. especially – continue to struggle with tighter budgets and pressure to cut costs, outsourcing BPO services is becoming a more attractive option.

Brazil is strengthening its value proposition as it not only offers close proximity to U.S. companies, it can also offer skilled, bi-lingual agents, catering to a diverse and growing customer base for many companies. While the complexities offered – or lack thereof – in the contact center could make or break a deal, it could also make for more competitive offerings if companies are looking for simplicity.

The global contact center market has been growing for some time, with no end in sight. While India has dominated the global outsourcing market for years, other countries and regions have emerged as formidable competitors. As for the future of the Brazilian market, much will depend on the country’s willingness to embrace the potential in the market and make it easy for companies to capitalize on it.