Bula Fiji: the perfect outsource provider

Fijian BPO operators are increasingly becoming the first choice for New Zealand and Australian companies, thanks to superior service and a talented workforce.

Why should New Zealand businesses outsource their customer contact services to Fiji-based providers? BPO Council of Fiji executive director Sagufta Janif is happy to count the reasons.

Culture fit is the first key reason, she says, particularly when comparing with the Philippines experience.

“Speaking from our clients’ experiences, Kiwis and Fijians mostly work with a flatter management structure, whereas in the Philippines there is a more hierarchical structure.

“This means Fijians can comfortably raise issues, share ideas and solutions with management, but in the Philippines staff may feel that it is a poor reflection on their performance if they deliver the bad news to management and this can cause serious implications for the business.” 

Sagufta says Fijian providers have been serving New Zealand companies for decades and fully understand Kiwi consumers and their needs.

“English is also our official language used by the public sector, businesses, schools and universities for communication.” 

The second key attraction is Fiji’s high standard of transportation and infrastructure – in particular, telecommunications, high-speed Internet, and 24/7 uninterrupted power supply – all critical for maintaining a premium service delivery.

“Of course, our people will always be our greatest asset,” says Sagufta. “We have more than 5000 new university graduates every year. This means your business is served by a highly qualified team.”

With the high number of graduates and the prestige associated with the sector, Fijian BPOs receive hundreds of job applications for every vacancy advertised, she adds.

“If you have holidayed in Fiji you would agree that Fijians have superior customer service skills. The positive customer experience derived from our service culture is what sets us apart from any other destination.”

Staff loyalty is another factor in Fiji’s favour – with BPOs reporting a staff turnover percentage in the single digits.

With 85 percent of Fiji’s BPO workforce aged below 30, digital skills are also very high.

Fiji’s relatively close proximity to New Zealand, along with its beautiful tropical landscapes also make Fiji the ideal business partner, with holiday options available once Covid travel restrictions are lifted.

Maintaining service continuity

It’s well known that Fiji was hit hard by the pandemic, but vaccinations continuing at pace the plan is to open the borders in November after achieving 80 percent herd immunity.

Fiji’s rock-solid infrastructure has allowed a hybrid work model for call-centre staff, with many able to work from home and maintain service continuity.

“BPOs are recognised as essential services in Fiji,” says Sagufta. “Therefore allowing them to provide uninterrupted services to their clients.”

She says Fiji’s BPO operators were able to create employment during the pandemic due to the increased number of overseas companies moving outsourced operations from the Philippines and India to Fiji.

“Initially it was just for risk diversification purposes as many of these companies faced a lot of disruptions in the countries they were outsourcing to. But after experiencing high levels of efficiency with Fiji’s service providers, some of these companies have now moved their operations to Fiji permanently.

“We are becoming a primary destination for outsourcing for both Australian and New Zealand companies.”

A positive outlook

Following some strong lobbying to government by the BPO Council of Fiji and other stakeholders, a number of growth incentives are now in place to boost Fiji’s BPO sector further.

These comprise various tax holidays and exemptions, as well as duty concession packages for infrastructure investments, including the importation of raw materials, machinery and equipment.

The Council has also been working hard to ensure all customers and clients receive the best quality service. It has worked on guidelines, policies and industry standards to ensure risk-free operations for companies choosing to outsource to Fiji.

Sagufta Janif says all the hard work is paying off. Fiji is gaining a lot of attention as an outsourcing destination.

“Some BPOs have increased their teams by 100 percent to meet the demand for their services.”

She’s looking forward to seeing more New Zealand brands and companies partnering with Fiji-based BPOs to help achieve their vision and goals.

Competitive without cutting corners

CDM Direct is an Australian-owned contact centre solutions provider offering customer experience, acquisition and retention solutions to businesses worldwide. Since 2021 it has partnered with Fiji-based call centre Centrecom to run inbound and outboard campaigns.

Kris Ram, GM at CDM Direct New Zealand, says there’re three major reasons why the partnership works so well.

The first is the language advantage. Fijians speak fluent accent-free English, which results in high quality engagement and customer satisfaction.

“I know because as a born-and-bred Fijian I’ve experienced English-based lessons from the age of five,” says Kris.

Secondly, the commercial benefits can’t be ignored. “Fiji provides an excellent cost advantage. We’re able to sharpen our prices and compete with the likes of the Philippines, making our offering much more competitive WITHOUT losing quality.”

Thirdly, Centrecom is engaged on a ‘co-sourcing’ basis rather than ‘out-sourcing’.

“It means I have total control. Centrecom’s leadership team proactively provide me with daily reports, regular meetings, opportunities to interview all agents working on my projects, and world-class contact centre technology.”

The key to any successful partnership is communication, willingness and transparency, says Kris, “which I receive without hesitation from Centrecom.”

Fiji makes a successful BPO base “because Kiwis and Aussies are familiar with it, Kris adds.

“It’s long been a preferred holiday destination and we all appreciate that ‘Friendly Fijian Smile’.”

Aside from the commercial advantages, that ‘warm Fijian hospitality’ trumps any other offshoring alternative, he believes, and there is capacity to grow.

“Due to Covid-19’s impact on tourism there are now thousands of well-educated, highly-capable and customer-centric Fijians keen to deliver the ‘people power’ necessary for the BPO sector’s growth.

“For companies weighing up outsourcing options, I highly recommend they seriously consider Fiji. It will be totally worth their time and money.

Tower’s Fijian team closely connected

Auckland-based Tower is a leading general insurer with operations across eight Pacific Island countries. It recently celebrated its 150th anniversary and has its sights firmly set on creating new innovations that make insurance simple and rewarding for customers.

Tower’s Pacific business is an important part of this vision. It has operated in Fiji 140-plus years – however, the Tower Fiji of today is very different from its predecessor.

The focus is still on helping Fijians access great quality insurance, but today the company is fully digitally enabled. Employees can now work from anywhere with an Internet connection.

Tower has created a major operations centre in Suva that operates alongside one in Auckland and another in Rotorua.

Tower’s Suva service centre provides additional support to Tower’s New Zealand team when facing increased customer enquiries, as well as supporting other back-office functions. This is especially helpful after a natural disaster event, where increased event response support from unaffected regions can be provided – a benefit that works both ways.

The Fiji and New Zealand service centres are closely connected, with the Fijian team a vital and valued part of the business – passionate, smart, well-educated and proud to be part of the broader Tower group.

A lot of effort goes into engaging and integrating Tower’s Pacific teams with the broader business, which is demonstrated with high engagement results and the teams delivering against key performance metrics.

While Covid-19 significantly impacted all businesses, Tower’s investment in people and technology means their entire team can work from home and continue contributing to business outcomes. They can keep helping customers and running the business, while also keeping people safe and adhering to government guidelines.

For more information about Fiji’s BPO sector initiatives contact [email protected]