GUATEMALA SEES RAPID GROWTH IN CALL CENTERS

Cultural affinity and proximity to the United States combined with a government effort to promote English education have led to an expansion of call centers in Central America's largest country.

"The call center industry is growing very rapidly mainly because of the large, highly skilled bilingual labor pool that we have in Guatemala," says Mario Lopez, commercial manager of Transactel, an outsourcing company. "Our clients have told us that Guatemalans are great listeners, and that gives us an edge in customer services and sales."

The number of outsourcing agents in Central America-for both international and domestic services-will grow from 21,000 to 40,000 by the end of next year, according to a study by the Zagada Institute, a consulting firm that focuses on emerging markets in Latin America. The region is attractive to companies looking for call center support for their businesses that cater to the large Hispanic population in the United States.

Help Desk Now, Esso and Telefonica have call centers in Guatemala. Representatives from PeopleSupport Inc., a Los Angeles-based business process outsourcing provider, traveled to Guatemala City early this month to assess the investment climate there.