Dear Editor,

Artificial intelligence (AI) is not the job killer some might fear; instead, it is a catalyst for transformation within the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector. Rather than eliminating jobs, AI is reshaping them, creating more opportunities in areas that require human intuition, emotional intelligence, and expertise.

This shift is perhaps best exemplified by the ongoing restructuring of companies like Ibex, which is currently in the process of rebalancing its workforce in both the United States and Jamaica, focusing on high-value sales accounts while automating low-value customer care tasks.

As a Jamaican working in the BPO sector, I have witnessed first-hand how sales roles offer not only more financial reward but also greater professional fulfilment. Many BPOs, such as Ibex, Fusion, and Advantage, are shifting their focus towards sales-based accounts for clients like Xfinity, Comcast, and FedEx.

These roles demand the human touch — skills that cannot be easily replicated by machines. Meanwhile, customer care accounts for companies like Eastlink, StubHub, and Walmart are increasingly being handled by AI-powered chatbots and language learning models (LLMs). It’s not that customer care is becoming obsolete, it’s that technology can now handle these interactions more efficiently, freeing up human workers to concentrate on areas where they truly add value.

The decision by Ibex to close two of its contact centres and cut its desk space by a third is reflective of this broader industry trend (Jackson, 2024). But this move does not spell doom for the workforce; rather, it marks a strategic pivot towards higher-paying and more impactful roles.

Mervyn Eyre, head of Fujitsu Caribbean, perfectly captures this sentiment, noting that AI’s role is to “create efficiencies, allowing BPOs to focus on high-value clients and leave customer care to chatbots”. This notion of AI as a tool for enhancing efficiency, rather than a threat, is key to understanding the industry’s future.

Egbert von Frankenberg, CEO of Knightfox, echoes this perspective. He explains that AI is driving the shift towards efficiency and allowing BPOs to “do more with less”, all while creating more job opportunities in higher-value sectors. This is because AI frees up resources that can be redirected towards roles requiring human intuition and creativity — traits that are indispensable in sales and other high-touch sectors.

As BPOs like Ibex lay off staff in the wake of this restructuring, other companies are eagerly snapping up the talent, recognising that sales are where the smart money is shifting. Sales roles in the BPO sector pay more and require skills that are quintessentially human — negotiation, empathy, and the ability to build relationships. These are the skills that allow agents to connect with customers, close deals, and generate revenue

This makes them far more valuable to businesses still recovering from the financial blows of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing conflicts affecting global supply chains, such as those between Ukraine and Russia and Israel and Palestine. Many companies, particularly those in the United States and Canada, are looking to rebuild their sales teams with skilled agents who can help them navigate these economic uncertainties.

Jamaica’s BPO sector is in a prime position to capitalise on this shift. With over 60,000 Jamaicans currently employed in the industry, the nation’s BPO workers possess the cultural warmth, resilience, and communication skills necessary to excel in high-value sales roles.

While no new jobs were reported in the sector over the past six months, the industry is far from stagnant. Instead, it is evolving — transforming itself to meet the demands of a marketplace in which the human touch in sales is more valuable than ever before.

AI’s role in this evolution is not to replace human workers but to augment them. It takes over the repetitive and routine tasks, like basic customer care, and allows people to focus on areas where they can shine.

The story of Ibex, and the larger trends in the BPO sector, shows that AI is not a force for destruction but for reinvention. Automating the low-value tasks that once dominated the industry was inevitable, as AI is creating space for human talent to thrive in areas that require the very skills that machines lack.

As more BPOs shift their focus towards high-value sales roles, the demand for human workers will only continue to grow. This transformation is an opportunity for Jamaican workers to take on more rewarding, better-paying jobs, positioning themselves at the forefront of a new era in the global BPO industry.

Horatio Deer

horatiodeer2357@gmail.com