1. Could you begin by introducing Mindpearl and its operations in Fiji?
Mindpearl started in 1999 as a captive call center for 11 different airlines. At the time, we had multiple offices across Europe and operated in many languages. The objective was to consolidate these operations and establish larger centers where different languages could be combined.
We remained part of the airline industry until 2006, when a management buyout transformed Mindpearl into an independent company. This allowed us to expand into other sectors beyond aviation.
In 2006, we began looking at new locations for contact centers and identified Fiji as an attractive destination. The main reason for being in Fiji is the people. The country's education system is completely in English, giving people a natural English accent that is easily accepted in markets such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the Nordic countries.
Fiji also offers strong internet connectivity through the Southern Cross cable, while a large number of people enter the workforce each year. These factors make it an excellent location for our operations.
Today, we have approximately 1,000 people in our Fiji contact center. Airlines remain a major part of our business, representing around 70% of our Fiji operation, with large European, Australian and other international airlines supported on a 24/7 basis. We furthermore serve companies in e-commerce, telecommunications, financial services, education and insurance.
2. As an international contact center and business process outsourcing provider, what services do you deliver from Fiji?
We mainly provide English-language services from Fiji, although we have also supported multiple languages over the years, including French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, German and Greek.
Today, some of those language capabilities are supported from other Mindpearl locations, including Namibia for German, Suriname for Dutch, and Peru for Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. We can still recruit French speakers in Fiji, including people from Vanuatu, who work with us on permits.
Our clients include global airlines, e-commerce companies, mobile phone providers, financial institutions, educational platforms and an insurance company in the United States.
3. Fiji has emerged as an attractive base for outsourcing and customer experience services. What makes the country well suited for this industry and why did Mindpearl choose to establish and grow a site here?
Beyond the factors I mentioned, there is an important cultural element.. Fiji has a strong connection with countries such as the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand, as many Fijians have family members living in the countries. As a result, people in Fiji often have a degree of familiarity with, and affinity for these countries and their cultures.
That international exposure can make communication easier. People from different markets can relate naturally to Fijian customer service representatives because they understand different cultures and ways of communicating.
But again, it comes down to the people. The people are the main reason to be in Fiji.
4. The BPO and customer experience sector is a growing pillar of Fiji's economic diversification beyond tourism. What are the biggest opportunities and challenges in building this industry, and how significant could it become to the country?
One of the challenges is exposure and perception. When you mention Fiji, some people imagine that we are answering calls from the beach, with a coconut in our hands. In reality, it is a fully productive industrial operation.
People are often surprised when visiting our site and see the scale of the operation. Fiji is not necessarily suited for enormous accounts requiring 10,000 people, but accounts of 400, 200, 50 or even 10 people works very well here.
I think BPO is a great opportunity for Fiji's economic diversification. We saw that during COVID-19, when many hotels could not provide employment due to the borders being closed. Some of our airline-related activities were reduced, but other areas, particularly e-commerce, were growing.
Diversification is a major benefit for the economy.
The sector also provides valuable career experience. Many people start their careers with us, with our average age currently around 24 or 25. Working in a contact center teaches discipline, punctuality and professional skills that can prepare one for successful careers.
I am particularly passionate about developing careers within the BPO industry itself. I started as an agent on the floor and, through internal courses and opportunities, progressed to become Site Director. That same career progression applies to many of our employees.
We are also proud of our level of staff retention. Next year, around 200 people in our office will reach five years of seniority. Having that level of seniority in a BPO operation is a great accomplishment.
5. Delivering world-class service for international clients from Fiji requires exceptional people and standards. How does Mindpearl recruit, train and develop its Fijian workforce?
Our biggest recruitment tool is our internal “Refer a Friend” program. Existing employees recommend friends and family, which makes our own people our most active recruiters.
The process includes a telephone interview with HR, an aptitude test covering areas such as grammar, vocabulary and mathematics, followed by an interview with the relevant account managers.
Training usually lasts around five weeks before employees start on the floor. They learn the systems, products and the specific requirements of the account. We include cultural and geographical information too.
For example, someone handling an American airline needs to understand the different cities and airport codes across the United States. That additional knowledge assists employees become more familiar with the markets they are serving.
6. Fiji's people are often described as among the warmest and most service-oriented in the world. How does that cultural strength translate into a competitive advantage in customer experience and contact center work?
It is the willingness and effort to assist people. On occasion we have to teach employees how to say no, because sometimes no is the right answer, but that natural willingness to help is already there.
We pride ourselves on empathy. Depending on the client, employees may have some flexibility to provide goodwill to customers, within clearly defined limits.
Another important quality is adaptability. Fijians respond very well to change. If we need to move people between accounts because one is busier than another, they are flexible.
Furthermore, there is a strong culture of sharing in Fiji. Food is always shared, and people make sure everyone around the table eats. That culture of sharing also translates into the workplace, where people pass on knowledge to colleagues and try their best to assist customers.
7. Technology is rapidly transforming the contact center and BPO industry. How is Mindpearl using technology and digital tools to enhance service delivery and the employee experience at its Fiji site?
AI is becoming an increasingly important topic. We have developed resources that help agents navigate training materials and websites so they can find the information they need more easily.
As we deal with customer information, we need to make sure that information is from trusted sources rather than simply relying on, for example, social media. We therefore develop many of these tools inhouse.
We use AI for call sentiment and quality management. Traditionally, quality analysts might listen to one or two calls per agent each week. AI can listen to every call and identify issues or highlight the calls that would be most useful for a quality analyst to review.
We are trying to use technology as a tool to make people's work easier, leaving more room for the conversation and the customer contact itself.
The objective is not to replace empathy, but to give employees better tools so they can focus on the human side of customer service.
8. What kinds of opportunities and career pathways does Mindpearl offer, particularly for young Fijians?
A typical career can begin as a basic agent and progress to senior agent, where employees handle more complex calls, emails or customer complaints.
Thereafter, people can move into a help desk role, quality analysis or team leadership. Quality analysts can progress into training, while team leaders can become account managers.
There are also opportunities in global quality and training, operations, workforce management and business analysis. People can eventually become involved in forecasting, looking at future customer volumes and planning the workforce accordingly.
Opportunities to move into HR and IT is also possible. Certain IT employees started as agents while studying IT, and some of our HR employees began on the floor, before moving into recruitment.
Starting on the floor gives people valuable experience because they understand what employees actually need and what to look for when recruiting new people.
9. Time zones, connectivity and infrastructure all shape an outsourcing destination's competitiveness. What advantages does Fiji offer for serving markets such as Australia, New Zealand and beyond?
We operate 24/7 in Fiji, including significant night-shift operations serving European, U.S., Australian and New Zealand clients.
One practical consideration is transportation. We operate our own fleet of buses that run every two or three hours, collecting employees from bus stops close to their homes and transporting them to the office. This is particularly important for people working at 1 a.m. or other difficult hours.
Providing secure transportation makes the operation more flexible and gives employees confidence that they can get home safely.
We provide food 24/7 in our own cafeterias, as employees working overnight need access to fresh food.
These are viable considerations that companies need to consider when establishing a 24/7 operation in Fiji.
10. North America is a major market for outsourced services. What opportunities do you see for Fiji and Mindpearl in serving clients from the United States, particularly on the West Coast and California?
We have already handled several U.S. clients from our Fiji operation, including major airlines.
A major advantage is connectivity. The direct flight between Los Angeles and Fiji, and sometimes between San Francisco and Fiji, makes it relatively easy for people from the U.S. West Coast to visit.
They do not need to take multiple flights to reach Fiji. Someone can travel here, spend a week visiting the operation and combine that trip with a weekend or vacation.
The time difference is also manageable. For our current U.S. insurance client, for example, the operation runs from Tuesday to Saturday in Fiji, corresponding to Monday to Friday in the United States.
There is also a strong cultural connection. Many Fijians have relatives living in the United States, so there is already a significant exchange between the two countries.
There are great benefits to be had in serving the U.S. market from Fiji.
11. Looking ahead, what is your vision for Mindpearl in Fiji over the next five to 10 years?
I expect technology to become an even greater factor in the industry. However, our approach is to use technology to assist agents rather than replace them.
The human should be handling the customer contact, while technology handles the rest.
The easiest transactions will increasingly be handled by technology, while the more complex cases will require human intervention. That creates an opportunity for us to provide highly skilled customer service.
We have our own AI developers in Fiji, currently working directly from our operation and developing our own AI tools.
I also hope we see less location-specific work in the future. While Australia and New Zealand remain important markets for us, our larger clients already give us exposure to a much wider global customer base. We handle calls and emails from virtually every continent from Fiji, with Antarctica being the exception.
12. Finally, what message would you like to share with Los Angeles Times readers about Fiji as a destination for outsourcing, investment and business partnerships?
I hope people will come and see it for themselves. Combine a business visit with a vacation and visit one or two business sites to see how the operation works.
Meet the people of Fiji. If you've met the people of Fiji, you know why you want your customer service to be handled in Fiji.
