We chose Fiji…here’s why you should, too

MINDPEARL’S model has always been 24x7, multi lingual services which has meant operating offshore locations since we began operations in 1999.

Mindpearl South Africa was established in 2001 and the benefits of that location for call centre offshoring have been well documented over the years.

More recently, we began a search for an additional location which would provide native level, fluent English speakers and be cost competitive with established locations, such as India and the Philippines.

Mindpearl opened a 1,000-seat, state of the art facility in the capital city of the Fiji Islands, Suva, in November last year.  Factors that helped make Fiji a location of choice:

§  Previously a British colony, Fiji has excellent cultural connections and affinity with the UK, USA, Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

§  Fiji has a literacy rate of 94 per cent and a total population of over 800,000.  A high number are of a suitable age and literacy to be eligible for call centre work.

§  Following independence in 1970, a British system of education was inherited and as such the language of instruction is English.  Consequently, native English language skills are excellent and readily available, helped by the fact that primary, secondary and tertiary education is still funded by the state.  In addition to the University of the South Pacific and the Fiji Polytechnic School, Fiji also has a teacher training college and medical, technological, and agricultural schools.

§  The focus on education and a strong leisure and hospitality sector combined with the demise of traditional industries such as textiles and high unemployment (in the range 11-32pc) are all factors which contribute to there being a readily available and affordable workforce.

§  The communications infrastructure is first class due to the proximity of the Southern Cross cable which links Fiji to New Zealand, Australia and the USA.  It is currently delivering 295 gigabit/s of fully protected bandwidth and has the potential as demand growth requires to increase to 1.2 Tbps using the existing 10 Gbps technology or 4.8 Tbps using 40 Gbps. The network is almost 30,500 km long, including 28,900km of submarine cable incorporating around 500 optical repeaters (placed every 40-70km to boost signals) and 1,600km of terrestrial cable.

§  Fiji’s time zone is GMT+12 and operates on a 24x7 basis with an on-site backup generator, water supply and 24-hour security.

Cost competitiveness aside, the added benefit we believe Fiji can offer is the “cultural and linguistic understanding” that can often be weak in certain other offshore locations -- hence the overall quality/value of customer interaction is excellent.

Mindpearl Suva has 650 workstations at present, with ample space to accommodate 1,000 in the current building.  Among the first customers whose calls are being handled from Fiji are local airline Air Pacific, the UK’s Coca Cola Enterprises and Swiss International Air Lines.

Alan Graham, chief commercial officer, Mindpearl; alan.graham@mindpearl.com

Mindpearl’s call centre in Suva, Fiji, can grow to 1,000 workstations