Near shore contact centers in Mexico have experienced significant growth in the past decade and are now considered to be key players in the contact center industry. For those of us who make our living in this industry in Mexico, it’s been very gratifying to experience this growth. However, as we look ahead to the coming new year and beyond, it’s important to keep a watchful eye on what the future holds for nearshore contact centers in Mexico.
PREDICTIONS FOR THE FUTURE
From our perspective, we see three primary factors that will impact the future of Mexico’s nearshore contact centers. Those three factors are:
- Telecommunications Infrastructure
- Demographics of the country
- Immigration of citizens returning to Mexico
In our Centris White Paper Why Mexico? We discussed two of these three factors.
Telecommunications Infrastructure: For many years, Mexico battled with a Telecommunications system that was unreliable and well below modern-day global standards. Realizing the need to be more competitive with a reliable communications infrastructure, the Mexican government partnered with the U.S. government to invest in a shared telecommunications system.
“The head of the nation’s Secretariat of Communications and Transportation, Gerardo Ruiz Esparza, expects Mexican telecommunications infrastructure to be bolstered by an influx of US thirteen billion dollars over the course of the next three years. To this figure, the Mexican government is expected to add an additional US $7.5 billion to advance its “Red Compartida,” or “Shared Network,” project. Ruiz-Esparza recently noted that “in past two years the sector has seen foreign direct investment receipts of US $6.7 billion.” Source: TECMA
Since Mexico shares a long border with the US, it proved beneficial to both nations to invest in a shared telecommunications system. This system was very instrumental in making Mexico’s contact center industry much more efficient and reliable, paving the way for the success we enjoy now… and the success we will continue to see moving forward.
Demographics of the country: The demographics of the country was another factor we discussed in our white paper; specifically, population growth. Our white paper detailed how Mexico’s population was expected to increase by 1.7 million, bringing the total population to 131,452,016 by the end of the current calendar year of 2018. Interestingly enough, Mexico’s current population has exceeded this estimate. According to the latest data, Mexico’s population is now: 132,877,910. Additionally, Mexico’s population tends to skew a bit younger with the majority falling into the 15 to 64 year-old age range.
With a growing population, and particularly one that skews younger, Mexico can anticipate a steady workforce for many years to come.
Immigration of Mexican citizens returning: Finally, another factor that we anticipate will benefit the contact center industry in the future is that of Mexican nationals returning to Mexico from the United States. The United States has been home to countless Mexican immigrants over the years. However, many have been living there without the benefit of citizenship and eventually find they are forced to return to Mexico. While it remains to be seen how much of an influx we will see of nationals returning home, we can anticipate that it will be a significant number. As we stated above, Mexico’s population is currently at more than 132 million, which is more than was anticipated at the start of 2018.
This influx of nationals returning home to Mexico will greatly benefit our nation going forward. Many of those returning have lived in, and been educated in, the US for many years. A well-educated and well trained workforce enables Mexico to compete more effectively on the global stage.
As we head into a new year, Mexico is well positioned to continue to provide superior nearshore contact center solutions. Our bilingual agents bring to their jobs an understanding of American culture as well as the ability to speak perfect English when serving U.S. customers. These strengths, combined with a growing workforce, indicate a bright and strong future for our nearshore contact centers.
