Enea Dervishi is the Operations Director at Simetrix Solutions. He is based in Durres, Albania.

Last month, Enea published an article in Customer Think titled "From Beaches To Business: Is Albania's BPO Wave About To Break?"

The article kicked off a fevered discussion on LinkedIn because it did not focus on the usual BPO regional comparisons - how many airports, graduates etc... it directly compared the BPO possibilities in Albania with much larger and established destinations such as South Africa and India.

Albania is on track to join the EU soon and although it is in Europe, companies there can compete with many regions that are much further away. Is it a hidden gem for European nearshoring?

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss this and then Mark speaks with Enea in the interview.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/edervishi/

https://simetrix-solutions.com/

https://customerthink.com/from-beaches-to-business-why-albanias-bpo-wave-is-about-to-break/

SUMMARY

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the emerging CX delivery destination of Albania, highlighting its potential to compete with established BPO hubs like South Africa and the Philippines. Enea Dervishi, Director of Operations at Simetrix in Albania, notes the country's 20-year experience in BPO, multilingual capabilities, and cultural alignment with Western markets. Albania's proximity to Europe and its agile, personalized service are key attractions. Dervishi emphasizes the need for coordinated promotion and plans to expand Albania's presence in both the US and Europe, targeting American companies unfamiliar with Albania's BPO capabilities.

In this special episode of the CX Files, Peter and Mark join with David Rumble, Rod Jones, and Traci Freeman to remember how the late Gareth Pritchard influenced and helped to shape the BPO/CX/GBS industry in South Africa.

We discussed how Gareth was instrumental in making South Africa a leading location for this industry and what his legacy may be in future.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/garethmpritchard/

https://capebpo.org.za/

https://www.bpesa.org.za/

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https://www.linkedin.com/in/rodjonessouthafrica/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-rumble-4a4a09b/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracifreeman/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-ryan-montreal/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhillary/

SUMMARY:

The CX Files podcast episode paid tribute to Gareth Pritchard, a pioneer in South Africa's outsourcing and customer experience industry. Gareth's vision united regional fragmentation, promoting "Brand South Africa" globally. His efforts, including skills development and investor engagement, significantly advanced the country's BPO sector. His international experience and charisma facilitated high-level connections and constructive dialogues. Gareth's legacy extends beyond South Africa, influencing the African BPO sector's growth. His personal touch and commitment to individual development left a lasting impact on the industry and the community.

David Powers is the VP of CX at Rooter Hero. He is based in Los Angeles, CA.

David is also a published author and the host of the CX Riot Radio podcast.

This conversation between Mark Hillary and David came about because of a recent CX Riot Radio epsisode titled 'The Three-Faced AI God' where David talked about his experience of using AI in the contact center.

David's experience shows that AI has genuine value, but there is a big difference between the genuine application of AI to improve CX and what is promised by many commentators and "AI gurus."

David is both a CX leader and manager, in addition to his role commenting on the industry, therefore his direct experience with AI in the contact center provides a helpful comment on what is working, what is not, and what CX leaders can do to get the most from their AI strategy.

https://linktr.ee/caffcx

https://rooterhero.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjpowers2/

SUMMARY

Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the pragmatic views of David Powers, VP of CX at Rooter Hero, on AI in customer experience (CX). Powers critiques the over-reliance on AI, which often frustrates customers and agents, and emphasizes practical AI use cases like agent assist tools and automated summaries. He highlights the importance of transparency and maintaining human interaction in CX. Despite AI's potential, many projects fail to generate ROI, with research suggesting that 95% are not creating value. Powers advocates for a balanced approach, using AI to enhance agent performance rather than replacing human agents, and stresses the need for common sense in AI implementation.