This Location Watch was prepared with insights from Lee Cahalane of SupportNinja and Dr. Louis Siebrits of Resolv Global alongside broader industry research and market data on Colombia’s BPO and CX landscape. These perspectives highlight why Colombia is increasingly recognised as a leading destination for North American and European markets, and how its outsourcing ecosystem continues to evolve in both scale and sophistication.

Colombia CX and BPO Outlook – 2026

Colombia has firmly established itself as a high-performing outsourcing destination, combining bilingual talent, cultural alignment, and a rapidly maturing CX ecosystem. Once viewed primarily as a cost-saving alternative, Colombia is now recognised as a strategic delivery hub offering both scale and sophistication. The country has also remained relatively insulated from broader regional geopolitical tensions and is steadily overcoming outdated perceptions of political and social instability.

The country’s growth is underpinned by strong export performance, a large and skilled workforce, and increasing global confidence in its outsourcing sector. With BPO contributing significantly to employment and economic output, Colombia continues to attract investment while expanding into higher-value services.

Talent, Language and Service Culture

One of Colombia’s most distinctive advantages is its bilingual workforce, particularly in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Beyond fluency, Colombian Spanish is widely regarded as neutral and clear, making it ideal for pan-regional support across the US Hispanic market and Latin America.

Agents are often trained in global communication standards, enabling more natural and empathetic interactions that go beyond scripted responses. This service-first mindset is a key differentiator, especially as organisations seek to balance automation with human experience.

However, competition for highly proficient English speakers is increasing, making talent retention and development an important consideration for employers.

Strategic Location and Market Alignment

Colombia’s geographic position offers strong alignment with North American operations, with overlapping time zones enabling real-time collaboration and support. This removes many of the operational challenges associated with traditional offshore models.

For European organisations, Colombia also plays a valuable role as an extension of service coverage. It enables high-quality English and Spanish support into afternoon and evening hours, effectively supporting follow-the-sun models while maintaining operational control and service consistency.

Infrastructure, Scalability and Delivery Capability

Major cities such as Bogotá, Medellín, and Barranquilla provide modern infrastructure, strong connectivity, and secure operating environments aligned with international standards. These urban centres are supported by a broader network of emerging tier-two cities, helping providers scale efficiently while managing costs.

Local governments in these regions are also actively supporting the growth of the BPO sector through initiatives such as “English for Work” programmes and targeted tax incentives.

Colombia’s large population — the third largest in Latin America — further supports workforce scalability. This enables organisations to expand operations or adjust capacity in line with demand, an increasingly important requirement in today’s dynamic CX landscape.

Cost Efficiency and Operational Stability

Colombia remains cost-competitive compared to North America while offering greater operational stability than some traditional offshore markets. Lower wage structures are balanced by relatively healthy retention rates, supporting continuity and service quality.

This combination of cost efficiency and workforce stability makes Colombia particularly attractive for long-term CX programmes rather than short-term labour arbitrage.

Technology and Evolving Service Models

The Colombian BPO sector is actively embracing advanced technologies, including AI-assisted workflows, CRM platforms, and omnichannel support capabilities. Providers are increasingly equipped to manage voice, chat, email, and social interactions within integrated delivery models.

At the same time, the market is evolving beyond traditional BPO into Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO). Services now extend into areas such as technical support, digital marketing, finance, legal process outsourcing, software development, and R&D — reflecting a broader shift toward higher-value, knowledge-driven work.

Sector Coverage and Investment Momentum

Colombia supports a wide range of industries, including fintech, healthcare, retail, and technology. Its combination of sector expertise and scalable delivery models makes it suitable for both specialised and high-volume operations.

Global brands have increasingly chosen Colombia as a delivery hub. For example, Amazon and HubSpot operate significant technology and e-commerce teams in Bogotá, while retail brands such as Starbucks, Victoria’s Secret, Gap, Forever 21, Lacoste, and Versace utilise the country for customer support operations. Hospitality provider Marriott International and financial institutions including Bank of America and J.P. Morgan also maintain local operations supporting both back-office and technical functions.

In addition, tech and digital-first companies including AngelList, Modern Health, and Hired are leveraging Colombia for nearshore engineering and product teams. This trend highlights the country’s transition from a cost-focused BPO destination to a strategic hub for premium bilingual talent, particularly in Bogotá and Medellín.

What Clients Should Consider

While Colombia offers a compelling value proposition, there are several factors organisations should evaluate:

  • Language quality can vary between providers, making thorough vetting essential
  • Long-term success depends on strong operational alignment and governance
  • Pricing models are evolving, with increasing adoption of outcome-based structures and AI-enabled efficiencies
  • Talent competition, particularly for bilingual roles, may influence future hiring strategies

Bottom Line

Colombia has evolved into a powerhouse for CX and BPO. Its combination of linguistic strength, cultural alignment, scalable talent, and growing technical capability positions it as far more than a cost-saving option.

For organisations seeking resilient, high-quality, and scalable customer experience delivery, Colombia offers a well-balanced and future-ready solution. As global CX strategies continue to prioritise responsiveness, continuity, and value, Colombia’s role within outsourcing portfolios is set to expand further.

Over the past few years Bulgaria has certainly made it’s name in the world of contact centre outsourcing. Not only are business in Europe choosing Bulgaria as their nearshore destination of choice, but businesses in the US are now casting their eye over towards the east.

If you did ever find yourself in Bulgaria’s bustling capital city Sofia, you might be greeted by one of its 1.3 million residents with “Zdraveĭte, radvam se da se zapoznaem!” (Hello! I am glad to meet you). However, if you’re like me and rely on a translator, there’s absolutely no need to fear as over 1.7 million people in Bulgaria can speak English. Other European languages spoken in Bulgaria include (but not limited to):

We recently caught up with waterdrop®’s very own Martin Vatchkov to get an on the ground view of Bulgaria. Not only is Martin a Bulgarian national living in Austria, Martin has also previously outsourced his customer service operations within Bulgaria:

“Здравей (Bulgarian “Hello”)! Diving straight in on why Bulgaria, which is mainly driven by the fact that Bulgaria has a highly effective language school system, where most European languages are extensively and effectively thought, the baseline is rather high and difficult to beat.

The university of “St. Kliment Ohridski” in Sofia has added another building block to the already high level of schooling within Bulgaria. This has brought some rather rare languages to Bulgaria such as Japanese, Korean, Arabic or the Nordic languages to name a few.

Once you get past the languages, another strong positive for Bulgaria would be the Geographic location. +2 hours from GMT and +7 hours from EST in the US, with US shifts (16:00 to 01:00) being something normal. Distance in my opinion is another asset at around a 3-hour flight, from most places in the European peninsula which is a rather short flight. Companies have started to explore the whole country with the opening of offices at the seaside (Varna and Burgas) and not only the capital, Sofia.

On another note, the fact that Bulgaria is part of the EU and NATO, brings GDPR with ease (contractual wise, as no data is leaving the EU) as well as economic stability. Internet downtime is almost nonexistent with high speeds.

Last but not least, the BPO and ITO industries are rather filled with the younger part of the generation which bring a lot of ideas and high engagement rates. AI is no foreign word and working efficiently is certainly a big asset as both industries have been embodied quite well in the countries’ economy.”

Thanks Martin! Contact Centre Panel too has had some terrific experiences with contact centre’s in Bulgaria, and we think you will too.

Like what you hear about Bulgaria and want to find out more? Get in touch, we’re here to help.

Words cannot even begin to describe what the people of Ukraine have had to endure over the past 18 months, since the war began. However, through this adversity, the outsourcing industry in Ukraine has remained resilient and is still very much open for business – providing a lifeline to those who need it most.

Before the conflict, Ukraine was well on its way to becoming the European hotspot for incredible tech talent and cost-effective solutions for both BPO and ITO services. Has the war changed this? Well, the simple answer is no. Ukraine has had to adapt, there’s no question about that, including looking at how employees in the sector operate and remain safe (which is of the upmost priority). However, the country is still able to rival its Eastern European neighbours in terms of quality of service and cost effectiveness.

When it comes to outsourcing in Ukraine, it’s employees speak English to a very high level – which includes adapting to cultural nuances of other countries with ease. We would say Ukrainian’s have a firm grasp of how Western businesses work. This means Ukrainians are excellent at collaborating with teams from other countries, especially for those business who already have an inhouse team and are looking for an outsourced partner to supplement the numbers they already have internally.

I recently pulled up a chair and had a chat with another of Ukraine’s own, Konstantin Ryzhov, the CEO of Simply Contact. Operating since 2012, Simply Contact has several offices operating in Ukraine, including their Poland office as part of recent expansion. I asked Konstantin a number of questions about outsourcing in Ukraine, with the most pertinent one being, “why outsource to Ukraine?”.

“In Ukraine, we place a strong emphasis on education, especially language skills. This means our contact centers have people who are adept in various languages and also deliver services with high quality. Plus, Ukraine is amazing at adjusting and coming up with new ideas when times get tough. The way Ukrainian companies remain stable and grow during hard circumstances is truly impressive.”

As Konstantin mentioned, the advantages of outsourcing contact center services to Ukraine are quite noteworthy. Let’s take a moment to review these key points:

Multilingual agents

Ukraine can offer a broad range of languages, with high proficiency in English and other main European languages. It is an ideal choice for serving a global customer base.

Cost-effectiveness without compromising quality

In the realm of outsourcing, balancing cost and quality is crucial. Ukraine excels here, offering competitive pricing without compromising service standards. This balance is particularly attractive to businesses looking to optimise their customer service operations.

Time zone advantage

Ukraine’s geographical location and time zone are beneficial for serving European and Asian markets. Also, it offers reasonable alignment with North American business hours. This enables more effective and timely customer service across different regions, 24/7.

Diverse talent pool

Ukraine has a large and diverse talent pool. This variety enables you to find the right match for your specific customer service needs, whether it’s technical support, multilingual services, or industry-specific expertise.

Are you considering outsourcing to Ukraine, but want to find out more? Reach out to CCP, we’d be more than happy to help.

If you ever find yourself waking on the streets of beautiful Tirana (Albania’s capital), you may be greeted with the words Përshëndetje! Gëzohem që ju takoj (Hello! Nice to meet you) by one of it’s 520,000 local residents. However, if your Albanian is rusty like mine, then the country offers the ability to tap into other European languages which includes (but not limited to):

If you speak to any businesses within the UK/Europe, most will already know about Albania’s proficiency as a nearshore outsourcing destination. But, why is this? To find out we spoke to Albania’s own Gerti Haxhiu, CEO of Simetrix Solutions (a prominent BPO in Albania/Kosovo), on why Albania remains a popular nearshore destination of choice for UK/European businesses:

“Albania continues to be a popular nearshore destination of choice for UK/European businesses due to several key factors. First and foremost, the country offers a strategic geographic location with easy accessibility to major European markets. Moreover, Albania’s competitive cost of labour and favourable business regulations make it an attractive option for companies seeking cost-effective solutions without compromising on quality. The country’s skilled and multilingual workforce further enhances its appeal as a destination for outsourcing services and establishing regional headquarters.”

Like Gerti mentions, there’s some very tangible benefits in outsourcing your customer service operations to Albania.
Speaking with some of our clients who currently outsource to BPO’s within Albania, their top reasons for choosing Albania where:

Location

If you board a flight from London Heathrow today, you would be touching down in Tirana within 3 hours (max) – even less if you are based in the likes of France/Germany. This means you can be with your chosen outsourcer the same day if needs be, rather than a 12 hour trip if you chosen partner was based in the likes of South Africa.

Competitive Rates

Competitive agent rates makes Albania stand out versus its nearby competitors. Albania has a young and productive workforce (48% of the population are under 30 years old), which means costs can be kept competitive.

Access to European Languages

As mentioned earlier, Albania has plentiful access to workers who can speak multiple languages at a very high proficiency level. Couple this with the competitive commercials on offer, you can see why business are opting for Albania.

Infrastructure

In the past two decades, Albania has made significant strides in improving its telecommunications infrastructure, expanding internet coverage, and increasing the number of internet users – including a recent project by the Albanian government with the aim to expand its internet coverage in rural areas.

Looking to outsource in Albania? Get in touch, we can help source your next partner.

Turkey, once the mighty Ottoman Empire, is known for many things. From shopping in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul to visiting Cappadocia, known for its cave houses, cobblestones and hot air balloon rides – Turkey has a lot to offer. However, when you think of outsourcing your customer contact requirements, Turkey probably isn’t on the top of your list, right? Well, it may just be worth taking a closer look …

Recently, Turkey has made significant gains in the United Nations Global Innovation Index and became a leading innovation economy in its region, behind only Israel and the United Arab Emirates. By doing so, Turkey leapt ahead 10 rankings to place 41st in the Index, which measures the innovation ecosystem performance of 132 countries. Whilst this may seem impressive from first glance, it’s not really a surprise when you consider Turkey’s many positive attributes.

With the 3rd largest labour-force in Europe, Turkey has delivered on developing its infrastructure to fuel this change. This has seen the rise of a young, highly-educated, multilingual workforce, who are driving the recent boom in outsourced services delivered out of Turkey – with an expected CAGR of 20% between 2020 – 2026.

Still, not everyone will have thought about outsourcing their customer contact requirements in Turkey. So, why else should you consider Turkey as a future destination?

Location:

What makes Turkey different is the mix of cultures that can be found from city to city, mainly due to its location at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Istanbul itself is a bridge between two continents, connecting Europe to Western Asia. This makes it ideal for European businesses to easily commute to Turkey (3hrs 45min from London to Istanbul), whilst being able to rely on the same business infrastructure they have become accustomed to in the West – including a favourable Timezone of UTC+3.

Languages:

Whilst most Turkish citizens speak Turkish and Arabic, they also speak English professionally. Furthermore, there are other European languages that can be accessed in Turkey – such as German. In the 1960’s, many Turkish workers relocated to West Germany to help fill labour shortages (better known as Gastarbeiter). This led to a growth of Turkish people living in Germany, with the children and grandchildren of these workers being born and raised in Germany. As of recent years, many Germans of Turkish descent have chosen to relocate back to Turkey, which has increased the amount of German people speaking in Turkey (including being aware of German cultural nuances). Furthermore, you will find these languages will come at a third of the price vs sourcing European languages in-country.

Infrastructure:

Turkey has made major strides in the last 10 years in developing its infrastructure. Turkey now boasts an excellent communications infrastructure, with the Turkish Government undertaking some major development projects to align itself to its European neighbours. The Turkish government is also a strong supporter of international investments and job creation, which means government loans and grants have been made available to help boost the sector.

With these key attributes in play, Turkey is in a prime position to start attracting more and more Western business into the country. It’s definitely a location to keep on your radar.

Interested in hearing more about Turkey? Get in touch, we’d love to chat with you.