FNU Contact Centre Course Graduation – Statement by Executive Director, Ms Sagufta Janif
13.10.22 – 10.30am – Valelevu, Nasinu
The Dean for the College of Businesses, Hospitality and Tourism Studies, Professor Arun Elias
Associate Deans
Lecturers
Invited guests
And most importantly, our graduating students
Ladies and gentlemen
Bula Vinaka and a very good morning to you all.
It is customary on occasions like this for speakers to say they are honored to have been invited. In my case, it is no mere platitude.
Ladies and gentlemen – and dear graduates – when we launched the contact centre course with the FNU, we had a vision for Fiji’s outsourcing industry, especially for the BPO sector, and that vision was, and is – to make Fiji a PREMIUM and a UNIQUE outsourcing destination of choice. So what makes us unique? What distinguishes us from other outsourcing countries? You might be thinking about tax incentives right now; or our infrastructure; or low cost of operations – which are all very true and are in fact some
of the factors that investors look at, however, there is another very important aspect international businesses look at when outsourcing to Fiji – and that is YOU – our people.
Fiji is known for its friendly customer service and our Bula smiles. From the time we are born until we’re all grown up, there is a certain ‘in built’ feature I would say – an inherent service culture that we Fijians posses, which is not found anywhere else in the world – which is why Outsource Fiji’s branding is all about our people.
If you see the logo on my screen – our brand – it is a helping hand gesture that represents our people, our excellent service culture and our ability to deliver excellent customer experience. We always say this to our investors and clients – our people are truly our greatest asset. The helping hand gesture is incorporated with the “Davui” which is a conch shell. The idea of the ‘Davui’ in Outsource Fiji encompasses the message of; To call, To summon to action – Community and Harmony. The Davui is our history and our future combined. It’s a natural part of who we are as a people with hospitality and communication in our DNA.
Ladies and gentlemen, our people, with this inherent service culture, are well-placed to serve the growing demand for global outsourcing services as a new, safe, and reliable outsourcing destination. As graduates of the contact centre course, you will be working with some of the best BPO’s in the country, which will allow you to get exposure to international standards, systems and practices, and have an avenue to further develop your skills, and build capacity.
Ladies and gentlemen – and dear graduates – with the Fijian Government’s support, Fiji’s BPO industry has tripled its size over the past two years and is moving into the direction of becoming a sustainable pillar for Fiji’s economy – therefore, you choosing this career path will give you stability as well as opportunities to grow within the industry.
Fiji’s outsourcing industry currently accommodates over 30? businesses and global brands some of which include:
· Mindpearl, Packleader, TKW, Greymouse, Our Pacific Office which are BPOs AND your potential employers;
· KPOs or rather Knowledge Process Outsourcing businesses like Acton;
· Other BPOs who provide HR and financial service providers like KMPG, PWC, EY, ANZ and very recently, in fact just a few days ago you might have heard over the news that a UK based financial intelligence service provider called Pepper Advantage will be launching its business in Fiji this year.
Pepper Advantage is Fiji’s first UK based company who will be creating over 800-1000 jobs within the next two years. Dean, at this juncture I must point out, and this is something that the Attorney General had mentioned, is that Fiji is lucky to have a lot of interest in accounting and produce graduates in accounting field as well. Now, with Pepper coming into Fiji, along with the customer service agents like our graduates here today, there will be more job opportunities for those who are in the finance field, in data processing and data mining, and other support services field. Pepper Advantage has a turnover of over $750million GBP, and having them setup a hub in Fiji shows the need for talent and well places Fiji as an outsourcing destination.
Ladies and gentlemen – and dear graduates – it is now (look at the time) 12am here in London and I think I will end my address here – I wish I could be there with you – but before signing off, I wish to congratulate all the graduates today for successfully completing the contact centre course, and officially welcome you to the industry.
This industry has a lot to offer so I encourage you to learn as much as you can as you begin your journey with an outsourcing company in Fiji. Remember, you are the face of our country and that is something you should always take pride in when working with your clients.
Thank you, Vinaka and all the very best.