With Zimbabwe having moved up 15 places up the Legatum Prosperity Index rankings since 2010, the conditions of outsourcing have never looked riper. The government of Zimbabwe has since launched a policy that emphasizes growth, innovation, transformation and renewable economic development achievable through the application of ICT (Information, Communication & Technology). This encourages virtualizing of your non-core services because there’s a professional market available for them.
This small landlocked country is quickly becoming a significant player in remote work in Africa. So, what advantages are propelling global countries to farm out their services to Zimbabwe? This article explores why you should consider Zimbabwe as your new virtual partner and how you can do it.
The Top 8 Key Benefits of Having A Virtual Team in Zimbabwe
The most cutting-edge remote work markets in Zimbabwe right now include call centres, digital marketing, SEO, IT services, and Virtual Staffing Solutions such as Virtual assistants, virtual administration teams and so on. Probably what makes Zimbabwe an attractive outsourcing destination is how it is exceedingly small-business friendly. With reasonable fees, you’ll be able to operate a professionally skilled team of employees. Zimbabwe has been performing incredibly well in Safety & Security, as illustrated by the Prosperity Index rankings. This automatically means that the remote working industry in Zimbabwe has a great deal to offer in the direction of reliability and security. Some of these prime benefits include:
Neutral Language
In comparison to other significant players in the outsourcing industry, such as India, Zimbabwe has an appreciable advantage when it comes to language. English is an official language in the country and is used to communicate on a daily basis. It is estimated that about 89% of Zimbabweans can fluently speak English and this statistic is only second to Seychelles that scores around 93%. As a result, the BPO industry has tons of people in the workforce who speak excellent English and have clear English accents that are similar to the Americans. This becomes a favourable feature for voice-based services like customer-service centres and virtual staffing. Businesses based in the US, UK and Australia do not struggle with hiring talent from Zimbabwe because language is never an impediment.
Young, Vibrant Demographic
Zimbabwe has a fairly young population. The average age is somewhere around 19 years old. This is the demographic that grew up in a world that already had the technology and as a result, they have a deep understanding of how it can be used to level up in business. The majority of these have attained or at least have access to top-level education which naturally positions them well for the BPO sector. This makes their initiation into the marketplace smoother because they have all the skills required to be successful.
Cultural Influence
Zimbabwe is heavily exposed to western and eastern cultures through media influences. Internet penetration (stands at 33% in 2020) is also a major player in bringing cultures together through social media, interactions and video platforms. 83% of the total population in Zimbabwe has a mobile connection which is where most access the internet. You’ll easily come across Western trends or slang on a random tour in the streets of the capital city, Harare. In as much as this might seem like a much smaller fact in the mix of things, it gives you the assurance that your newly hired talent understands your background, how you prefer things to sound along relatability.
High-Quality Deliverables
Zimbabwean BPO agencies are largely result-oriented. Performance efficiency has been a central feature in ensuring that it is visible amongst a long list of other remote work organisations in the continent. It also helps to know that the number of returning global companies from the USA, the UK and Australia are a result of client satisfaction.
Data Privacy and Security
As expressed above, Zimbabwe has improved drastically in its performance in the Security & Safety sphere. This is not only apparent within the country but also when it comes to the safety of sensitive corporate information. The Zimbabwean government has been intricately instrumental in guaranteeing that the BPO industry thrives and continues to grow through implementing policies of sustainability. The policy of sustainability was also put into place to reduce the amount of brain drain happening in past years. With the boost in remote services, the rate of unemployment reduces, the quality of living shoots up and GDP improves. With virtual teams, it will inevitably involve the sharing of confidential company data. The government also has international standard laws in place that protects corporates in this respect. This was through the passing of the Cybersecurity and data security bill in 2019.
Reasonable Costs
Easily the first reason why global companies decide on virtualizing their services to Zimbabwe is the affordable costs. The cost of labour in Zimbabwe is almost half of that in the US, UK or Australia. As a business owner, you massively save on payroll expenses and other tertiary costs such as HR costs, legal costs, equipment expenditure, office space, compliance and other known business operating expenses. In most cases, businesses can save almost up to 60% in costs simply by assigning their services to Zimbabwe.
Easier Access to Professional Talent
Gathering up the correct talent for a job can be a difficult task. BPOZimbabwe is a renowned outsourcing firm that ensures that you won’t have to lift a finger to find the correct task force. This is because they simplify the hiring process by connecting you to a hire that is ready and willing to take up the job. This is mostly because the education system in Zimbabwe is set up to favour the BPO industry. What this means is that you’ll know exactly the type of talent that your new hire has at the time you select them. Zimbabwe, generally, has no lack of talent because every year there are about 30,000 students graduating from universities across the country. The 4.99% rate of unemployment in the country is proof that there is a ready and waiting market for professional talent.
Reduction in Management Issues & Legal Liabilities
Running a business comes with a hoard of responsibilities that demand your time, resources and attention as a business owner. From paying attention when your in-house staff punches in the numbers for taxes to how they interact with customers, you will almost always be busy. Taking these tasks to, say, an accountant or virtual staff frees up your time so that you’ll never have to compromise on the quality of time you’re dedicating to actually doing your job. Outsourcing agencies such as BPOZimbabwe which have been in the industry for a while are now well versed and tapped in with legal requirements and tax regulations meaning they are able to handle HR, Accounting and Tax compliance without a problem. Virtual companies are also legally able to handle your customer and client relations so that all your business processes are streamlined perfectly. BPOZimbabwe in particular supports you by allowing you access to a dedicated HR and management team that will help you select talent, assign projects, train and work on tax returns. For once you’ll be able to focus on your actual job.
Now that we’ve gathered why Zimbabwe is the most suitable destination for your virtual services, let’s briefly zoom in on how these opportunities can be delivered to your business. How can you make contact and still ‘not lift a finger
How to make Contact?
The simplest way would be through an agency. In as much as getting to the individuals yourself sounds like cutting off the middle man consider these factors. BPO agencies are more familiar with the talent and environment of their respective countries which is why you’re frankly better off getting your talent from them. Here are a few reasons why:
- There is the ready availability of experienced professionals thereby helping cut HR costs since the established BPO agency already has all the resources. This includes a database of talent to readily tap into.
- You’ll save a lot of time and quickly get the talent required to propel work forward since BPO agencies have set processes of hiring that are almost instant but effective
- Proven records of competency are important. They protect you from future performance problems. BPO agencies are an excellent source of customer feedback, in this regard
- Having to purchase the latest licensed version of software to streamline work processes with your new talent already sounds like too much to commit to. BPO agencies have access to updated technologies and the relevant expertise which proves again that they are a great option for both small and large global businesses. The productivity software for business you’ll likely find are Microsoft Teams, Office 365, G-suite, Asana, Click-Up, Slack and so on.
But where will you get such an agency?
BPOZimbabwe is the top employer for virtual services in Zimbabwe. We aid in consultancy services and helping you focus on other critical areas of your business whilst we handle the tough work. We have a proven record of working with global businesses that have diverse cultures and even different timezones. We’re critically result-oriented and we treasure the relationships that are formed out of our satisfactory relationships with our clients.
After you’ve made the (wise) decision to work with BPOZimbabwe, we’ll look at your current systems and processes, and thereafter draft a proposal. This will be based on the roles in your business that we believe can be handled by our virtual team. This enables the effective identification of suitable candidates and a stress-free plan for training and integration into your current team.
Some of the most in-demand services that we offer are:
If you cannot find the service you’re seeking on the list above then please contact us to see what more we have on offer. For a much more detailed explanation into our hiring process please read here.
BPOZimbabwe has a state-of-the-art global delivery centre located in the capital city of Zimbabwe called Harare. We have been in the industry for 5 years now and provide services at comfortably competitive prices and within a quick turnaround time. If you’re looking to assign your services to Zimbabwe, feel free to get in touch with us and we will be more than happy to serve you.