00:00You know, there are call centers all over the world, as you know, in many different countries.
00:04What is it about Costa Rica that is special?
00:15First, I'm here.
00:16Besides that, we're nearshore compared to offshore.
00:20Offshore is more Philippines, India, and the Middle East.
00:23Nearshore, I'm on mountain time zone.
00:25You could be here on a direct flight.
00:27Plus, you're looking at English-Spanish capacities.
00:30Costa Rica is the only democratic society in Central America.
00:34We have no standing army, 95% literacy rate.
00:37Neutral accent, excellent scalability because companies such as Amazon, HP, Intel, and Oracle are here.
00:46So our labor pool is incredible.
00:48People are coming to the plate with structure and discipline, especially being bilingual.
00:54And if we're capable of molding them and they're not coming into the center with bad habits, in fact, a
01:00lot of people have either lived in the States, family in the States, know people here from the United States.
01:06They're very attuned to the North American market.
01:08So, you know, it's almost seamless.
01:10It's a very easy transition for companies to work with our organization here virtually because it's really not missing a
01:17beat.
01:20From a, you know, as we talked about, it's a very, it's a clearly a very competitive industry.
01:26And you've talked a little bit about the benefits that you have in Central America.
01:32And would you say that, how do I want to put it, is the pay better where you are than
01:45the offshore call centers?
01:46I have to imagine it must be significantly.
01:50We are, the prices are more competitive in India and the Philippines.
01:56And the skill set's about the same.
01:57It's really depends on the coach and the environment and company culture that could make a difference.
02:02And if someone is, is really picky in regards to accents, fine, you can choose it that way.
02:08But no, in, in, in Costa Rica, it can be expensive.
02:12If you're looking for a certain technical support, trilingual agents, maybe a supervisor, a manager that's been at a center
02:21for 10 years and can bring to the table certain resources.
02:23But if you're comparing it to the United States, we're about a half or a third of the cost because
02:29you're just looking at independence when we're doing full benefits and overhead.
02:33Right.
02:33And plus, it could be great for somebody to work with an offshore or nearshore call center so they can
02:41focus on other areas of their business to scale.
02:43In the, in the United States, Carol, a lot of people see telemarketing as a transitional job.
02:49They may look down upon it.
02:50Well, that's what Hollywood does sometimes by seeing movies like the Wolf of Wall Street, Boiler Room and Glen, Gary,
02:56Glen Ross.
02:57Not everybody sells stock and we're not out there doing those sort of things.
03:00Many people that we know earn a living by making and receiving phone calls with or without the infrastructure of
03:06a call center.
03:06So it could be something to retain a client.
03:09You can get a referral, an upsell.
03:11And you and I both know that from an exit interview point of view, we can find certain areas to
03:17improve or what our competition has done to earn that business.
03:21And for me, it's very important to listen to the frontline workers, the ones that are receiving these phone calls
03:26and making these phone calls,
03:27because they're the ones that need to keep their dignity and not compromise their ethics and make sure that they
03:33have all the resources and the list is good and the rebuttals are there and the CRM is up to
03:38speed for them to feel fulfilled and to reduce their fear levels.
03:43Because it's very easy to reduce attrition.
03:46There are so many sort of preventative measures that you can put in place before trying to find a cure.
03:52And the biggest thing for me, and you mentioned this multiple times, is there are some outside factors that may
03:59affect somebody's work performance that I am not aware of.
04:03And I don't want to pry into people's personal lives.
04:05But if there is a chance that we can reset, find the balance, and recharge their batteries, because a lot
04:12of the times, Carol, they're here more hours than they are with their own family,
04:17then that is our sort of obligation as real leaders, to be able to give them that sort of job
04:23stability.
04:25Richard, you said you closed your first deal in early 2008.
04:29I assume that was a deal you closed on your own.
04:32Are you still closing all the deals?
04:33How do you find your business?
04:36Through multiple channels and mediums.
04:39I have a lot of people out there that are referring my business, and that's the best business you can
04:43get.
04:43I'm very heavy with SEO, just like yourself.
04:46So it's almost a contribution without asking for anything in return.
04:50I will definitely give a free sample for you to try my food, and then some.
04:54When people contact me, it's really theirs to lose, because I'll be more than happy to consult and to earn
05:02their business through merit and through my own suggestions and experience.
05:05Because it could be intimidating to work with someone that could be thousands of miles away or entrusting a very
05:12important part of your business to someone you've never shaken their hand before.
05:16But for me, it's very important to let people know that I'm accountable for their account, that I have moved
05:24abroad.
05:24And I've dedicated my life for this, and a lot of people like that sort of hands-on, getting that
05:30direct line to the CEO approach.
05:33And the way that I was taught, my friend, is no surprises.
05:36Since there is attrition, and we may not get a two-weeks notice from time to time, the best relationships
05:42are built through chaos.
05:43If I can work through a situation by letting them know what's happening, making a suggestion, and putting in an
05:50action plan, those are the sort of long-term relationships, because they know I call the balls and the strikes,
05:56and I'm always there to make things work.
05:58And that's the sort of experience that I had as a CEO that maybe I didn't get in the beginning
06:03at my friend's center, because I wasn't C-level.
06:06But then again, that was a chance for me to learn the business from the inside and out, to see
06:11the good and the bad, and sit in the rows and break the bread with the agents.
06:14And I almost skipped, like it's almost going from college to the pros.
06:18I was never a supervisor.
06:20I was never a manager.
06:22I went from a specialist employee at my friend's center to owning one.
06:26And so maybe it was best for me, because I never lost the essence of what got me into this
06:33industry in the first place.
06:36Carol Schultz here.
06:37Thanks for watching this excerpt from Authentically Successful.
06:40The conversation doesn't end there.
06:43So if you want to hear this episode in full and all my conversations with many other successful founders and
06:49CEOs, please visit verticleelevation.com slash podcast.
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