Advantages of Nearshore Call Centers in Costa Rica. Real People, Real Business Podcast

It's a great question. We work with clients in Canada, the United States, and some of Costa Rica. But there is a huge difference, Stephanie, between the offshore centers in India, the Philippines, and the Middle East, compared to nearshore centers in Costa Rica, for an example. Our proximity to the United States our skill set, our Spanish and English language capacities, our infrastructure. And you yourself, you've been here three times and you love it. We're the only democratic society in Central America, so there's no standing army. We have a 95% literacy rate, an amazing labor pool. So I'm looking for companies that want to scale, that have an overflow, want to compare apples, or just looking for our sort of specific infrastructure, company culture, hands-on, sort of mentality that might be able to produce different types of results for a company. And so as long as they keep an open mind, working with us near shore could be an amazing option for them.
Real People, Real Business - EP #63 with Richard Blank - Creating Connection & Balance With Games
A weekly podcast and show by Stephanie Hayes, Business Strategist. Each week, Stephanie interviews business owners who have real, in-the-trenches stories and experiences to share.
Real People, Real Business is my online show featuring business owners and entrepreneurs who are in the trenches, creating and growing their dream businesses, one step at a time. Sometimes we need inspiration and answers from folks who are closer to where we are, and who share the same experiences, constraints, challenges and opportunities that we do.
I’m Stephanie, and I work with experienced business owners who are trying to figure out what’s next in their businesses. They have pushed themselves to achieve enough success that they know their business is viable, but feel they have run out of options for growth. I help them create a new vision and strategy for their business so that they can feel completely aligned, excited and energized about their new direction with a clear path for financial and personal growth.
Tired of hearing amazing stories that are inspirational but feel out of reach? Craving some real talk with people who are just like you? In Real People, Real Business, Business Strategist Stephanie Hayes interviews business owners that are building their businesses and making progress through grit, determination and action. They are working through the everyday challenges and celebrating incremental wins on their journey to their dream. Every one has a story, and each of these entrepreneurs are telling theirs in funny, vulnerable and heartwarming ways that will make you say "Yes! That's me!" and leave you with creative ideas for breaking through that next roadblock that might just have you stuck. Celebrating all businesses and all business owners, and creating a community of real people.
After following his love of Spanish and majoring in Spanish communication in college, Richard Blank landed an internship with Telemundo and the Importers of Corona which prepared him for a once in a lifetime opportunity taking him from Philadelphia to Central America.
In this episode, you’ll hear how a friend’s offer to teach English in Costa Rica launched Richard's entrepreneurial journey. By working in his friend’s call center, he learned the ins and outs of the business, gaining the confidence to become an entrepreneur himself, founding his own call center company - Costa Rica’s Call Center.
Listen in to Richard’s refreshing, positive, and relationship-centered approach to building a successful business. Learn about the fun business culture he has instilled in his company, born out of a very unique hobby that goes the extra mile in creating a positive experience for both his employees and customers.
Richard reveals the complex nature of running a call center business in a foreign country, the differences between offshore centers and near shore centers, and how he combats attrition.
He goes on to discuss the type of clients he gets the most joy working with, the criteria he uses to determine if a client is a good fit, how he differentiates his business from his competitors, and the old school approach he follows that has led to his business growth.
Running a call center has its challenges and Richard describes how he navigates them, the impact the pandemic has had on the call center industry, what he predicts happening in his industry in the future, and the importance of human interaction in creating a positive customer experience with a company.
Finally, Richard shares the 3 things that convinced him he could be an entrepreneur, the number one core value he remains committed to in his business, and the one difference between what is out there in the business world and what is real.
Stephanie Hayes
Business Strategist & Coach