Business Process Outsourcing – A case for Mauritius

Broadly, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is a business practice wherein a Company outsources certain functions and tasks to another organisation. It can be further broken down into two streams, mainly Voice and Non-Voice, which each encompasses their own functions.

 

The BPO concept is not a new one and the trend of outsourcing certain functions to external companies in international jurisdictions has been growing steadily over the last few years. There are a variety of reasons why a company may seek to outsource these functions but the ultimate goal is ensure that the company is running as efficiently as possible whilst at the same time keeping costs down.

 

As the gateway to Africa, Mauritius has positioned itself as the destination of choice for BPO for companies looking to do business in Africa as well as those that have already established themselves here and that are looking to shore up some knowledge and skills gaps within their existing staff compliment.

 

When choosing which international jurisdiction and partner to work with, there are some crucial factors which need to be considered.

 

First, given the current global lockdown, many companies are feeling the pinch and are looking at ways to reduce cost whilst keeping the quality of work at the highest standard. Just because a number of companies and business owners have had to unfortunately retrench staff, it doesn’t mean that the functions those staff fulfilled are no longer needed. A short-term solution to fulfilling these functions, whilst waiting for business as usual would be to outsource these functions at a lower cost. For example, have your accounting function handled by your BPO provider. Mauritius is competitive from a cost perspective when compared to a number of international jurisdictions. By taking advantage of the reduced costs, companies can keep functioning during this difficult time and be in a position to hit the ground running when the lockdown is lifted. And, hopefully, hire back those people that were made redundant.

 

Secondly, it is important to ensure that whilst paying a lower cost, the business is still getting quality work. Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that the people fulfilling the various outsourcing roles have the necessary education and experience to properly fulfil that role. The BPO employees in Mauritius and particularly within MITCO are fluent in multiple languages at a professional level. They are well educated and have qualifications from internationally recognised universities and professional bodies. As mentioned earlier, BPO is not a new concept and Mauritius was one of the first countries to position itself as the destination of choice and as a result, the BPO employees have been able to gain much experience in the field. This is important as both your business and client experience will not suffer when moving away from your current base of operations.

 

Lastly, the geographical positioning of the country in which you position yourself is crucial. Mauritius may be a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean however its geographical closeness to Africa has allowed it to develop a deep understanding of what it takes to do business in Africa. Present day Mauritius has also benefitted from its history with French, English and Asian cultures all represented. This gives Mauritius a unique insight into the requirements and commercial cultures of countries around the world. It is important as it allows for the seamless integration of the BPO team into the existing business.

 

This is obviously a non-exhaustive list, and it is important to fully understand the ramifications for your business of going the BPO route. Here at MITCO we commit to fully understanding our client’s business before providing any solutions.

 

If you would like to further discuss the concept of BPO and how it could assist your business, please feel free to contact the Business Development Team by email bd@mitcoworld.com