VIVA NOLA September 2018
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TECH TALK<br />
Tech Su ppor t: Cal l<br />
Cen ter s i n Lati n<br />
Am er i ca by The I.T. Guy<br />
The massive use of technology<br />
nowadays requires a more and<br />
more advanced level of knowledge<br />
to solve and overcome technical<br />
problems with the different devices<br />
that we use. To offer technical<br />
support to users, many American<br />
companies have found that Latin<br />
America has an ideal workforce to<br />
support this mission, as it not only<br />
offers high quality technical support,<br />
but also offers service in Spanish to<br />
the more than 35 million Spanish<br />
speakers who reside in the United<br />
States and who have an annual<br />
purchasing capacity of 432 billion<br />
dollars.<br />
Thanks to the American influence in<br />
Latin America and to the fact that<br />
many Latin Americans have resided<br />
in the United States, it is easy to<br />
find bilingual personnel in this<br />
region. Multinational companies<br />
find qualified employees and<br />
manage to save costs in salaries<br />
when operating in Latin America,<br />
and although this practice causes<br />
controversy in the United States<br />
because it takes jobs abroad,<br />
outsourcing benefits these<br />
companies and Latin American<br />
countries.<br />
With VoIP technology, or<br />
over-the-Internet calls, call<br />
12<br />
centers can operate<br />
from any country and<br />
receive multiple calls,<br />
as if they were taking<br />
place within the same<br />
geographical area.<br />
Call centers are not<br />
limited to offering<br />
technical support. Call centers can<br />
perform other functions like<br />
telemarketing, sales, surveys,<br />
appointments, cell phone activation,<br />
fund-raising, and reservations,<br />
among others.<br />
Many people who lived in the<br />
United States and who return to<br />
their country of origin, either by<br />
choice or in many cases by<br />
deportation, seek employment in<br />
these call centers because their<br />
English proficiency allows them to<br />
get a competitive job, and also<br />
because they get to work with<br />
peers who share similar interests<br />
and lifestyles influenced by their<br />
time living in the United States.<br />
In some cases, the English<br />
proficiency of these representatives<br />
is so good that the customer never<br />
realizes that the call is being<br />
answered in a different country.<br />
The countries in Latin America<br />
where most call centers are located<br />
are Mexico, Guatemala, and Costa<br />
Rica.<br />
65% of calls from the United States<br />
are answered outside of the<br />
country. The high demand for call<br />
center jobs in Latin American<br />
countries has created a need for<br />
schools to offer higher level English<br />
classes since many college<br />
students seek part-time call center<br />
jobs while pursuing their careers.<br />
A full-time job at a call center is well<br />
seen in Latin America. These jobs<br />
created by American companies<br />
have become a great source of<br />
employment and contribute greatly<br />
to the economy of Latin American<br />
countries.<br />
M ULTINATIONAL<br />
COM PANIES W ITH CALL<br />
CENTERS IN LATIN<br />
AM ERICA<br />
HP<br />
AT&T<br />
what do call<br />
centers mean for<br />
workers in l atin<br />
america? scan to<br />
watch video>><br />
Dell<br />
Proctor & Gamble
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