BPO Culture - KM2 Solutions

The Importance of Culture

When Selecting a BPO Partner

August 2022

Culture is fundamental to a successful BPO partnership and should be one of the key considerations when selecting an outsourcing provider. The culture that permeates from the corporate level to the agent, the cultural alignment between that provider and the client, and the cultural affinity and synergy that drives the agent-to-customer relationship on behalf of those clients. To better understand the different facets of culture and how they all play a unique but vital role in the client/provider relationship, we must first look at the evolution of business process outsourcing itself and how experience, or perhaps trial and error, has made culture a key differentiator.

In the early 1990s, attracted by lower labor costs, U.S. companies first began outsourcing to countries like India and the Philippines. This approach became known as “offshore outsourcing” and remains to this day a viable option for companies looking to reduce costs and optimize resources. But a lot has changed over 30 years, not least the prevalence of the internet, improvements in global communications infrastructure, and essentially the overall ongoing digital transformation. This technological evolution has broadened the playing field with more attractive geographies positioning themselves in the sights of companies looking for high-quality, cost-saving outsourcing solutions closer to home. And this growing trend of “nearshore outsourcing” has exposed significant cracks in the traditional offshore model.

Aside from the obvious geographical differences, which are quite literally night-and-day, one of the main conflicts to emerge within the offshore/”farshore” space has been a cultural one. While obvious cultural differences have always presented challenges, as companies begin to broaden their outsourcing requirements, particularly in the realm of Customer Experience and in an age where effective communication and brand buy-in is key, the common cultural failing that presents itself is the lack of interpersonal or “soft skills” among the agent workforces. Sufficed to say, the inability to interact with customers in a fluid fashion or devoid of affinity has become a pressing issue and one that is increasingly shifting the spotlight to the nearshore. So, what gives the “nearshore” the cultural edge?

Nearshore locations such as the Caribbean and Latin America are quite literally on the doorstep of the continental U.S. They share the same time zones and are a short hop in flight terms from most major U.S. cities. This already highlights greater ease of doing business than in the “farshore”, but how does that impact culture? Given the historical migratory nature of the Americas, it is a commonplace theme for the regional neighbors of the U.S. to have some ties. Whether through family, education or simply through travel, the majority of skilled workers that the nearshore BPO market attracts will have been exposed directly to American culture.

A byproduct of proximity, nearshore markets are under a constant cultural influence from the U.S. The media, the brands, the music, and the mutual interests in the same sports all fuel a commonality with the U.S. consumer. This level of cultural affinity is vital in providing quality customer experience in the modern age in ensuring that off-script interactions remain fluid and conversationally relevant and enhance the overall brand experience. And beyond just understanding the idioms, linguistically, this ongoing cultural exposure neutralizes regional accents making it, in most cases, an indistinguishable experience from an “onshore” or captive U.S. alternative, albeit at a far lower cost.

Of other great importance is cultural synergy – a symbiosis that has to exist between the agents and the brand. A successful BPO provider operates as an extension of your brand and will invest heavily in hiring the best possible talent and, through rigorous screening and assessments, allocate the right candidates to the right programs. This drives a positive workplace culture and is key to achieving better performance while reducing attrition and fostering a sense of brand ownership and pride within the agent workforce. All of this, in turn, results in more positive customer interactions, increasing brand loyalty.

The alignment of a provider’s culture, values, beliefs, and ethics characterizes the organization and guides its best practices. A core vision must exist from the top-down and be reflected in every aspect of the business. These ingredients must come together to form a strong corporate culture at the heart of the company and become the foundation for its success, dictating how management and employees interact both internally with each other and externally with its clients and their customers.

KM² Solutions, a U.S.-owned and operated BPO, is a pioneer in nearshore outsourcing. For almost 20 years, its exclusive nearshore strategy has led to exponential growth across the Caribbean and Latin America. Its success has largely been achieved by its own cultural awareness. Not indifferent to the process of selecting a BPO provider, KM² only invests in countries where all the key components of culture align, ensuring the best possible outcomes for its clients.

About KM² Solutions

KM² Solutions ( KM2 Solutions ) operates contact centers throughout the Caribbean and Latin America, providing outsourced inbound and outbound customer service contact services for voice, chat, email, and mobile. KM² Solutions provides these services to clients in financial services, multi-unit healthcare, insurance services, travel & hospitality, eCommerce, technology & telecommunications, home services, and other sectors. The company provides clients with a host of solutions, including customer support and care, telesales & retention, claims management & processing, appointment setting & schedule management, loan origination & verifications, back-office processing, and technical support. KM² Solutions maintains PCI DSS compliance, completes a SOC 2 audit annually, and has a Compliance Management System that meets the FDIC standards.

The Importance of Culture

Proximity

Affinity

Synergy

Alignment

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