HSBC’s call centre opened on Malta 11 years ago

Why our tiny island has attracted so many call centres

ON THIS tiny island, there are more than 10 call centres – with a total staff of over 1,000 – which service clients worldwide.  HSBC set up its international call centre here back in 1999, which helped to give other operators with a fairly good idea about Malta, its culture, the people and their work ethic as well as its customer service capability. 

Local and foreign operators succeeded here as a result of a continuous supply of local labour -- available within a short period – who have an aptitude to learn call centre skills and excel at customer satisfaction.

Among our advantages and strengths crucial to call centres:

§  English is the official language and many people are multilingual – 68 per cent of Maltese people are at least tri-lingual.

§  An EU member state with proximity and easy access to North Africa and the Middle East due to our strategic position in the central European time-zone

§  Political and economic stability

§  A highly productive workforce with low turnover and labour costs 25 per cent cheaper than western Europe along with low social costs

§  Privacy and security legislation in line with the EU’s and a supporting infrastructure and a strong business tradition.

In addition, we boast a secure and pleasant Mediterranean lifestyle, complete cultural affinity with the west but with, due to our history, understanding of the southern and eastern cultures.  And a beautiful climate year-round.

The government agency responsible for the attraction for FDI and the growth of the local industry, Malta Enterprise, offers a number of incentives to operators setting up in Malta, including financial and fiscal incentives for capital investment, job creation and training of workforce, ongoing development of the enterprise and research and development.

Alan Camilleri, executive chairman, Malta Enterprise; info@maltaenterprise.com.