South Florida?s largest call-center company is opening its first offshore location in the Dominican Republic, reports the Sun Sentinel of Florida. Plantation-based Precision Response Corporation announced it would employ 300 people at the center to be located in Santiago, and the initiative could expand to hire as many 600 bilingual (English-Spanish) workers. Journalist Doreen Hemlock explains that this is part of a trend to ?nearshore,? or open operations closer to home, thereby making it easier for managers to monitor the projects that would be just a short plane ride away and conveniently operating in the same time zone.<\/p>\n
?The Dominican Republic is especially popular for the nearby centers because of its relatively low costs ? comparable to India and less expensive than Jamaica and other English-speaking Caribbean islands,? said Philip Dickenson Peters, chief executive of Zagada Markets Inc, a Coral Gables firm focused on Caribbean offshore services.<\/p>\n
Peters explains call-center jobs in the islands are considered to be among the better-paid positions, with workers tending to stay put longer. Plus, employees are familiar with the demands of US clients, since tourism has brought a “long legacy of dealing with Americans and offering them customer care,” said Peters.<\/p>\n
Hemlock also reminded that proximity and lower costs help explain why Verizon International Teleservices has grown its Dominican Republic operations, providing phone calls, data entry and other services to both international and domestic clients and employing roughly 4,000 people since 1996. The company expects to add 10% more employees to their ranks this year, due to the booming US Hispanic market.<\/p>\n
Precision Response employs more than 10,000 people worldwide, including 6,000 in South Florida. Overseas, it operates in India and the Philippines.<\/p>\n
See http:\/\/www.sun-sentinel.com\/business\/local\/…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
South Florida?s largest call-center company is opening its first offshore location in the Dominican Republic, reports the Sun Sentinel of Florida. Plantation-based Precision Response Corporation announced it would employ 300 people at the center to be located in Santiago, and the initiative could expand to hire as many 600 bilingual (English-Spanish) workers. Journalist Doreen Hemlock … <\/p>\n