Poland, Philippines tied for 2nd place; Mexico returns to the Top 5 in 2022
India and South Africa are this year’s most favored offshore delivery points, according to the 2022 Ryan Strategic Advisory Front Office CX Omnibus Survey. The input of nearly 700 enterprise contact center leaders in the annual produced a statistical tie for first place between both destinations. This is the first time this has occurred in the six iterations of this annual survey.
Though singularly the first-place finisher last year, South Africa’s resilience is remarkable. BPO watchers will recall that Durban and Johannesburg were gripped by rioting in mid-2021. The tumult had the potential to sour interest among CX stakeholders in key demand markets. Instead, South Africa has rebounded nicely. Its hold on the top spot is a testament to the determination of South African CX stakeholders to ensure their delivery destination’s global viability.
India’s return to first place from the number 2 spot last year also speaks to a legacy offshore location that has done much to maximize its relevance in the eyes of enterprise CX managers. Indian operators have carved out a strong reputation among those looking for digitally-driven interactions. In fact, among survey respondents in the UK and Australia, India pipped South Africa as the most preferred offshore destination and placed a strong second in the US and Canada.
Poland and the Philippines tied for second place in this year’s top 5 most favored offshore rankings. In 2021, these two countries were also tied, albeit for third place. Poland enjoys significant interest not only from West European survey participants, but the country also fares well among those responding from North America. Meanwhile the Philippines, one of the most established English-language delivery points in the world, was especially strong among survey respondents from the US, the UK and Australia.
Malaysia’s hold on third place in the 2022 top 5 most favored offshore locations attests to that country’s reputation for multilingualism and quality CX outcomes. Its status as a nearshore delivery point for Australian end-users was clear. Respondents in Australia ranked Malaysia exceptionally well.
Egypt maintains its fourth-place status in this year’s survey. The North African CX powerhouse continues to garner interest from all major demand markets, based on its scalability, multilingualism, and reputation for quality outcomes. In fact, out of the roughly 50 offshore and nearshore locations under analysis in this year’s research, Egypt was the most consistently ranked across all demand markets. It is perhaps the most multilingual offshore CX delivery destination in the world.
Rounding out 2022’s top 5 most favored offshore locations is Mexico. Left out of the top tier of ranking since 2018, Mexico’s renewed popularity owes to a very strong performance among US and Spanish respondents, as well as relatively solid interest among Canadian participants. Within the American nearshore, Mexico was the top-rated destination, narrowly edging out Guyana for this spot.
Were there surprises in the 2022 top 5 most favored offshore destinations? Apart from ties for the gold and silver medals, the answer is a definitive yes. Outside of the top 5, strong showings from Jamaica and Fiji are intriguing. The fact that many Central & Eastern European locations failed to perform well is sure to be fodder for discussion. Notably, Serbia, Kosovo and Bosnia rounded out the 3 least favored locations across the gambit of 50 choices. The relatively mediocre standing of other American nearshore delivery points in Central America continues a multi-year trend.
What is clear is that the offshore dynamic is fluid, and enterprise CX decision-makers recognize that they have a variety of choices. The key for the outsourcing community in these locations is to find a way to remain as relevant as possible in the eyes of these buyers.
