The Contact Centre world’s best-kept Secret

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As exchange rates and economies change around the world, so too does the list of countries vying for offshore call centre services and back office outsourcing work. One of the industry’s best-keep secrets is a country which boasts an array of advantages, it’s no wonder more and more businesses are outsourcing there – can you guess which country this is?

– It’s only a few hours’ flight from Australia.

– The time zone is just 1-2 hours ahead of Sydney (depending on daylight savings).

– English is the lingua franca.

– The people are renowned for warm, friendly customer service.

– Workforce attrition is extremely low (outsourcing companies report single digit annual attrition)

– And the costs are at least 50% less than Australia! 

Finally, this country was a finalist in the Outsourcing Destination of the Year awards presented by the Global Sourcing Association, and won the European Outsourcing Association (EOA) Awards Offshoring Destination of the Year award.

If you haven’t guessed already, the country we are referring to is Fiji.

Ebook: Cost of Outsourcing in Fiji

Geographical Advantage

For executives flying from Sydney, Fiji is closer than Perth!  It also happens to be one of the most popular travel destinations for Australians, therefore offers an extensive choice of direct flights.   And with a very similar time zone, Australian businesses can communicate with their Fiji partners easily, with no early morning or late night conference calls.

This geographical proximity to Australia and New Zealand, along with Fiji’s abundant English-speaking workforce, led the International Monetary Fund’s Chikahisa Sumi to recently endorse and encourage Fiji’s pursuit of customer service outsourcing to grow its economy.

Language Advantage

English is the official language of Fiji and is widely used in government, business, and education. English was the sole official language in the Fiji Islands until 1997 and remains one of the official languages, including Hindi and Fijian. Due to its heritage as a British colony until 1970, the education system in Fiji is based on the English language and all lessons are delivered in English from age 5. The education system is still state funded through to tertiary level so many Fijians have tertiary qualifications, from institutions such as the University of Fiji, Fiji National University and University of the South Pacific.  Graduates, who comprise the majority of workers in the contact centre/BPO industry in Fiji, therefore have fluency in both spoken and written English.  The Fijian accent is very neutral, contributing to a positive customer experience from a call centre in FijiListen to a Fiji call sample on our call centre audio map.

Workforce Advantage

The Fiji workforce is loyal by nature (unemployment rates hover around 4.5% in 2023).  Fiji Outsourcing companies report unusually low annual attrition rates (below 10% in 2022), which have a flow-on benefit in terms of much lower recruiting and training costs than other destinations. Fijians regard working in a contact centre supporting international brands as a prestigious career path, and this contributes to their long average tenure.

Further, Fijians have excellent customer service skills, fostered by the rapid growth of the tourism industry, with its emphasis on service and hospitality.  Culturally, Fijians are known to the world as the friendliest people on earth with the renowned ‘Bula’ spirit, and their dedication to ‘make people happy’. The Fijians are a non-confrontational people and this old school ‘the customer is always right’ ethos makes for a very warm and welcoming customer experience. 

Fiji’s Cost Advantage

Fiji has an irresistible cost advantage, which offers Australian companies more than 50% savings when compared to delivering a contact centre or back office operation onshore. Most tasks can be completed at a cost of A$11-$15/hour in Fiji. This makes for a compelling business case which will even put a smile on your CFO’s face!

Interested in finding out more about Fiji as an outsourcing option? Contact us at info@matchboard.com.au.  If you’d like to get in touch with outsourcers in Fiji, just enter your needs here and we’ll connect you.

Related content

Fiji as a Contact Centre Hub (white paper)

Fiji – BPO paradise in a post-COVID world (white paper)

Contact centres in the Philippines – surprising facts

Contact Centres in Australia

Last updated on: June 15, 2023