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  • January 17, 2025
  • By Lafayette Moran, vice president of CX contact center partnerships, Advensus

The Top 5 Nearshore CX Outsourcing Destinations for 2025

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With artificial intelligence playing an ever-increasing role in routine contact center transactions, mass outsourcing to population-dense offshore locations may become less desirable for strategically minded businesses. Instead, 2025 will see businesses looking to nearshore locations with perhaps smaller but more highly educated populations that can support higher-value outsourcing engagements. While advantages differ from country to country, the locations below were selected for their proximity to the U.S., common time zones, cultural alignment, and competitive wage rates.

  1. Trinidad and Tobago

Any time we’re talking smaller locales with a niche workforce, saturation is always a concern. But despite its relatively small population of 1.5 million, Trinidad and Tobago has tons of room to grow in the business process outsourcing (BPO) space. Its small but mighty population is native English speaking and well educated, with a high literacy rate. Unlike some other Caribbean BPO hotspots, it stands out because it doesn’t compete with a tourism-driven labor market. This ensures companies have uninterrupted access to skilled professionals and wage rates that are kept stable.

It has made a concerted effort to move away from the oil and gas industry and is very supportive of the burgeoning BPO industry. The country has low energy rates, and its southern location below the hurricane belt helps protect it from disruptions. Its infrastructure has evolved over the years to help it emerge as our No. 1 nearshore pick for 2025.

  1. Dominican Republic

With a population of more than 11 million native Spanish speakers and a thriving urban center in Santo Domingo, the Dominican Republic is No. 2 on our list. Santo Domingo boasts the biggest talent pool in the country with a diverse range of skills available. Its history as a BPO center dates back to the 1990s and it has developed strong infrastructure as a result. Government incentives and its population’s evolving English language skills make it attractive to major international corporations and BPO companies alike. Like Trinidad and Tobago, the Dominican Republic is far from reaching a saturation point in terms of finding skilled talent. Companies looking to make the country their next CX hub will need to consider the challenge of finding available real estate in Santo Domingo. Partnering with an established BPO in Santo Domingo that understands the nuances of operating in the region will be important to ensure business success. 

  1. Jamaica

Another mature outsourcing destination on the list is Jamaica, where businesses have a variety of BPO hotspots to choose from, including Montego Bay, Kingston, and Ocho Rios as well as the emerging city of Portmore, just 15 minutes from Kingston. Some Jamaica locations are more tourist-oriented and that can be a challenge in terms of competition for skilled labor. At the same time, nearshore locations with a robust tourist industry can sometimes create a customer service culture that lends itself well to CX outsourcing.  

  1. Honduras

Like many nearshore locations, Honduras was hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. The country’s infrastructure was challenged to support waves of employees turning to remote work, and the pressure to transition to meet this need was immense. Fortunately, the country had already begun taking steps to improve its fiber-optic lines and infrastructure just before the pandemic and today stands as a beacon of rapid nearshore evolution. Almost one-third of young people receive bilingual education. With government mandates to increase English instruction across the public system, this will only increase.

  1. Barbados

While not the most cost-effective option on our list, Barbados offers many advantages in the world of nearshore options. Dedicated operating facilities in business parks are available at competitive rates; the country has a long history of political stability; and the government maintains a supportive business environment with transparent policies and regulations. Its high standard of living, which makes it a more expensive option, is balanced by the high quality of talent, safety and favorable labor laws. For high-value, knowledge process outsourcing, it’s an attractive option.

Make 2025 the year you rethink your outsourcing location strategy.

Lafayette Moran is vice president of CX contact center partnerships at Advensus. Moran has more than 25 years of experience in customer care and customer experience, with expertise in contact center strategy, vendor selection, sales, and operations.

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