Business
South Africa bidding to become call center capital of the world
India may be the world leader in call centers but in South Africa the government is hoping to grow its own industry, so the person calling you in the future could be a South African.
Amazon and Aegis are among the internationally renowned companies using South African call centers. British company Coracall has also opened a call center in South Africa. The company’s CEO, Philip Lightfoot, says he looked at other international call center destinations, including India and the Philippines, but was lured to Durban. “The main reason for coming to South Africa was the pool of talent, with regards to the employees we could bring in,” he says.
The government of South Africa wants to attract more companies like Coracall to its shores, as well as grow its own domestic industry. It has introduced a number of financial incentives in the hope of achieving this. Companies are now eligible for grants for investment and training, as well as tax breaks for job creation.
According to South Africa’s national association for companies operating in the “Business Process Service and Outsourcing” market, this competitive edge is beginning to deliver results.
The industry grew over 85% from 2007 to 2010. Around 10,000 people are currently employed in this sector but that is expected to rise to 40,000 by 2015.
