South Africa was recently announced as the winner of the National Outsourcing Associations Off-shoring Destination of the Year award. Within South Africa, Cape Town is the leading city for BPO investment and has attracted some top international companies with big brands. The growth in the industry is indicative in how the number of agents has increased from 20 428 agents in 2007/8 to 27 552 in 2011/12. This represents a 10,5% year on year growth and looks set to continue.
Why is South Africa and specifically Cape Town such a popular choice?
COSTS:
South Africa offers cost savings of 50-60% over UK onshore operations.
Incentives offered by Trade and Industry department provide added incentive and cost saving.
Telecommunication costs, previously high relative to those of competitor destinations, have reduced dramatically in recent years, by an average of 38% per annum. On the back of these new incentives the savings will increase even further.
SKILLS:
Cape Town has a large pool of English speakers who have a cultural affinity with Europe and the UK, as well as an accent that the UK market finds acceptable. Two of the countries top universities (UCT and UWC) are located in the city and the culture of academic excellence mean businesses can find the right people.
LIFESTYLE:
Cape Town is one of the most beautiful cities in the world making the transition for expats a lot easier to settle into life in Cape Town.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND TIME ZONES:
Cape Town’s infrastructure, showcased during the 2010 World Cup, is First World and first class, from roads and power through to education, health care and entertainment. This means it’s easy to do business here, and expatriate staff enjoy superb quality of life. Due to the similar time zones to Europe, Cape Town is well positioned to service these markets.
