Alorica Opening Shows Dominican Republic Cannot be Overlooked
April 23rd, 2013
By Peter Ryan
Alorica’s recent inauguration of is contact center in Santo Domingo was an eye-opener for Ovum analysts who traveled to participate in the event. Getting a perspective on what had become a somewhat overlooked delivery location in recent times being refreshed with one of the Caribbean’s most advanced contact centers provided a valuable insight into the potential future of the country’s industry. In Ovum’s view, the Dominican Republic carries opportunity for vendors (and their clients), providing more opportunities for site diversification and added-value multilingual service delivery from the very competitive Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) region.
Finding Refuge in Code: One Man’s Uneasy Journey into Tech and a New World
February 13th, 2013
By Patrick Haller
Going from having no computer at home to being a core part of the development teams at Intellysis, one of the leading Nearshore outsourcing software development firms in the Dominican Republic, Ronald Lantigua has traveled a long road in two short years. Always one to hit the books instead of hitting a ball in the street, or hitting on girls, like other young guys in Colorado Canabacoa, a lower income suburb of Santiago, Lantiguawas thought of as a nerd, a label that didn’t bother him as his was one of the few families that actually valued education, something that is rare amongst working class of the Dominican Republic.
Santo Domingo: A Business Traveler’s Guide
July 27th, 2012By NSAM Staff
The oldest European city in the New World, Santo Domingo’s enchanting colonial past and cool Caribbean breezes promise excitement and inspiration to the ready business traveler.
Armed with an intensely urban ambiance, Santo Domingo is a business, political and media epicenter with a laid-back and casual spirit. Home to the bachata, merengue and salsa, Santo Domingo is to Dominicans what Havana is to Cubans, a throbbing pulse that keeps the entire country alive.
Where to Stay
In the heart of the colonial city, business travelers can enjoy Santo Domingo’s rich history while still having their every need met at the Sofitel Nicolas de Ovando, a 16th century mansion that was restored and reopened as a modern hotel with all the trimmings. The beautiful structure offers spectacular views of the Ozama River and is a short walk from Parque Colón.
The thrill-seeking executive can opt for the Renaissance Jaragua Resort and Casino, where …
BPO Brief: Expect Aggressive Growth in the Dominican Republic
February 29th, 2012By Luke Bujarski
Martinez: More than just a job.
The contact center industry in the Dominican Republic is poised to double in size from 10,000 to 20,000 bilingual agents by 2017. This is the message passed on by Eddy Martinez, president of the export and foreign investment agency CEI-RD, as well as key industry insiders during detailed discussions with Nearshore Americas. However, concerns about the availability of high-tech talent suggests that the DR still has some way to go before moving into higher-end software and application development services.
Caribbean IT Talent Supply: Can Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Barbados Go Higher Value?
March 4th, 2011
Well known for tourism, but how does the Caribbean fare in IT services?
By Tarun George
Traditionally a region reputed for call center and voice support work, the governments and promotion agencies of the Caribbean have been pushing to move up the value chain into higher level services. The arguments for time zone, proximity and cultural affinity are quite valid for the Caribbean, perhaps more so than for Latin America.
The question is how serious is the demand for Caribbean IT services from a nearshore services perspective? And are there enough technically skilled workers to satisfy that demand? We spoke with top contacts in three Caribbean countries – the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Barbados – to get the answers.
12 Things You Didn’t Know About the Dominican Republic
December 20th, 2010By Dennis Barker
Known to much of the world for sugar and beautiful beaches that look like sugar, the Dominican Republic continues to develop its role as a service provider to the rest of the world. In fact, the services sector now generates more revenue than agriculture (and would be an even bigger sum if you factored in the salaries of Major League Baseball players born here).
The government appears committed to growing the call center industry, and business is responding. The DR is a country with great opportunities but also, along with its top trading partner to the north, great challenges. Here are some facts we hope shed a little light on this Nearshore contender.
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Photo Op of the Week: President Chinchilla and the Importance of Getting Out of the Office
October 15th, 2010
We all know presidents have a lot to do – no matter what country they preside over. However, there is nothing more powerful than that president getting out of the presidential office and getting into the intersection of trade, commerce and education. President Laura Chinchilla, a friend of Nearshore Americas, is clearly setting a tone around her new administration that strongly encourages investment from multinationals – especially in the area of ICT. (The press release describing Chinchilla’s visit to the newly christened 500-employee Convergys facility in Costa Rica follows below).
Another president working hard to deliver some of that same energy to his country is Dr. Leonel Fernández Reyna, president of the Dominican Republic, who recently visited the The University of Texas at Austin to nurture ties between the university and the DR in the areas of IT and technical education exchange.
Dominican Economy Rebounds with 6% Growth this Year
July 21st, 2010Dominican Republic’s economy will grow 6 percent this year as the recovery begun in the second half of 2009 strengthens, affirmed the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (Cepal) in its regional Economic Study 2009-2010 disclosed today.
The study also says Latin America’s economy will grow 5.2 percent this year, and a 3.7 percent increase of the GDP per inhabitant
“The growth is higher than anticipated, but the performance is very heterogeneous within region,” said Cepal executive secretary Alicia Bárcena when announcing the figures.
The study stresses the growth in Mercusur countries and those “which had a greater capacity to implement policies and those with strong internal markets, boosted by the regional space and the high participation in the exports to Asia.”
According to the report Brazil will lead South America growth this year with 7.6%, Uruguay (7%), Paraguay (7%), Argentina (6.8%) and Peru (6.7%), followed by Panama (5%), …
Teleperformance Says “No Comment” On DR Expansion
April 26th, 2010
Teleperformance - one of the most acquisitive Contact Center and BPO providers in the Nearshore region during the last few years – has some big plans in store for the Dominican Republic. The plans are so big, in fact, that the company doesn’t want to talk about them quite yet. In the meantime, Nearshore Americas can start to paint the picture for you. Read on to hear the details.
By Karina Cuevas
Despite claims that the tourism industry has the hottest career prospects for smart young college grads in the DR, the call center/BPO industry has risen to become the top career choice for many of these individuals.
Like so many countries in the Caribbean/ Latin America region (CALA), the Dominican Republic has a robust and growing tourism sector. Just like global services, tourism requires skilled talent and a steady stream of new recruits. Many skeptics have claimed that the Caribbean islands will never be able to rise to become real BPO powerhouses because there will always be alternative career paths in tourism. Is this true?
