Due to the precariousness of the English language, in recent years’ companies in the Contact Center & BPO sector have decided to close thousands of jobs in the region and relocate their investments to other markets where they have no difficulty in recruiting qualified personnel.
Reports at a global level show that the command of English is one of the weaknesses at a Central American level.
In Panama, a Government Contact Center is tendered for services, which will provide attention through telephone calls, web chat, e-mail and other means.
Panama Government Purchase 2019-1-46-0-08-LP-003549:
"The Government Contact Center should have an Interactive Voice Response and Multiple Media Access (IVR) System and computer telephony integration (CTI) that allows agents to synchronously receive the call and record conversations for quality monitoring. Updated copies of the technical specifications of these platforms and their integration should be sent to the AIG.
In Panama, a bill that regulates the activities of call centers has been approved, leaving companies in the sector free of direct and indirect taxes.
The National Assembly reported that, in a third debate, approval was given to Bill 653 which regulates the activity of call centers for commercial use.
According to a statement from the Assembly during the discussion, it was learned that only 32 call centers are operating in the country, despite the existence of 134 licenses issued by the Public Services Authority(ASEP).It was said thatthis activity generates around nine thousand jobs in the country.
The Panamanian government bill proposes eliminating the differentiated tax treatment for this activity's internal and external operations, and establishing a neutral rate of 0% of income tax on the profit generated by these commercial operations.
The Minister in charge of Economy and Finance, Eyda Varela de Chinchilla, presented two bills to the National Assembly: one that regulates the activities of call centers for commercial use and another on intangible assets, according to an official statement by the ministerial institution.
After declaring the first tender process void, the Panamanian government is calling for a new tender for maintenance of the SUME 911 technology platform.
After declaring void, onJanuary 17 of this year, thetenderfor the "renewal and maintenance service of the technological platform for the unique 9-1-1 emergency management system for a period of 60 months" a new call has been made with the following details:
The number of jobs in call center companies fell by 37% between 2012 and 2016, due to the difficulty in finding skilled labor for this activity.
Limited supply of staff with the skills needed to work in a call center and higher wage demands on the part of those who do meet the requirements are some of the reasons behind the reduction in activity in the call center industry in Panama over the last five years.In 2012, 12.643 employees were registered in call center companies, while last year the figure was reduced to 7,900, according to data from the National Authority of Public Services published by Prensa.com.
The Ministry of Government in Panama is putting out to tender the service of renovation and maintenance of the technological platform for the 911 system, for a period of 60 months.
Panama Government Purchase 2016-0-04-911-08-LP-003840:
"Due to the complexity of SUME 9-1-1 a "Turnkey" type service is required, through which the contractor must be responsible for all the requirements described herein.It includes warranties, support, maintenance and parts, both hardware and software throughout the duration of the contract, plus updates arising from applications and software during the contract period, including increments in physical infrastructure required of the updates in question.All components must be harmoniously integrated into the technology platform for optimum functionality.
The Ministry of the Government of Panama is inviting bids for the renovation and maintenance of the SUME 911 technological platform for a period of 60 months.
Panama Government Purchase 2016-0-04-911-08-LP-003419:
"In order to continue providing continuous service and quality for users of SUME 911 the following services and maintenance needs to be renewed:
APAC Customer Services has announced it will increase its workforce in Panama with the hiring of 100 more employees for its four centers operating in the country.
The company hopes to fill 100 vacant posts before 17 March with customer service representatives who can speak fluent English and Spanish.
APAC Customer Services began operations in Panama in 2006 with 500 employees and currently operates four call centers with over 2,000 employees.
$13 million were invested in a new building to house support operations for the Americas and the Caribbean.
A statement by the Presidency of Panama reads:
The President Ricardo Martinelli was on hand to inaugurate the new Dell building on Wednesday with an investment of more than $13 million as part of its expansion of operations in our country.
"I want to congratulate Dell for these new facilities and for its 10 years in Panama, whose contribution to the Panamanian economy has been significant", said the president.
The National Authority for Government Innovation in Panama is putting out to tenders a contract for call center services for the operation of the 311 Citizen Service Center.
The purpose of the tender is the recruitment of call center services, maintenance, software support for the proper operation of the 311 Citizen Service Center and the purchase of a smartphone APP for the 311 Citizen Service Center.
With an investment of one million dollars, the Panamanian National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation is putting out to tender support services for laptops provided to students.
The government procurement is for the acquisition of support services to laptops (laptops), which have been delivered to students by the Ministry of Education.
Allied Global has announced plans this year to add 800 jobs to its operations in Guatemala, making a total of 3,200 employees in Central America.
Along with the opening of 800 new jobs in Guatemala, Alejandra Rivas, marketing manager of the company, said they have plans to open a new call center in Honduras in May.
"Allied Global began operations in Guatemala in 2005 with call center services in Spanish for regional companies.
The battle rages between companies to procure staff with the necessary skills, especially proficiency in a second language, for their call centers.
The call center industry in Panama, which employs 12,000 people in total, has three major competitors: Dell, Sitel and Star Contact, companies with several thousand employees in a market where the supply of bilingual human resources is reaching its maximum.
The Public Utilities Authority has granted the company FAKEMY a concession to provide call center services for commercial use.
A resolution by the National Authority of Public Services (ASEP) states that the concession awarded to FAKEMY SA “allows a person or entity located in the Republic of Panama, to provide customers and business users located in Panama or abroad, assistance related to: the supply and trade or technical information about products or services, order taking, complaints handling, reservations and / or confirmations, account balances, telemarketing, sales promotion and