PANEL: In Face of Stagnating Favorability Ratings, What’s Next for South African Offshore CX?

PANEL: In Face of Stagnating Favorability Ratings, What’s Next for South African Offshore CX? When Ryan Strategic Advisory published the most favorable offshore location study last May, South Africa had dropped to third position, compared to more recently topping the poll. This survey features feedback from over 800 CX decision-makers and is potentially the largest survey that explores where CX leaders will consider operations. https://ryanadvisory.com/india-is-the-most-favored-offshore-cx-delivery-point-in-2025/ India and the Philippines are now the most popular destinations, but have these giant destinations just reasserted their postiion or is something going wrong in South Africa? South Africa is still in the top three destinations, but is this slip from the top position a significant change or a blip? Peter Ryan called together a group of three experts to talk about the change in favorability and what is next for BPO and CX in South Africa...   Lian Rowlands Owner and Principal Consultant at Tayma Solutions Liverpool, UK https://www.linkedin.com/in/lian-rowlands-a26119/   Steve Weston Founder  of ApexCX Baltimore, MD, USA https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-weston-1843152/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/apexcx-customer-experience-support-services/   Mark Essey CEO Custom Connect South Africa Durban, South Africa https://www.linkedin.com/in/markessey/ https://www.customconnect.com/   Summary: In the CX Files podcast episode from July 3, 2025, hosts Mark Hillary and Peter Ryan discuss the recent Ryan Strategic Advisory survey on CX technology and global services, which ranked offshore destinations for favorability. India ranked first, the Philippines second, and South Africa tied for third with Poland. The conversation features experts Lian Rowlands, Steve Weston, and Mark Essey, who discuss South Africa's decline in favorability rankings despite maintaining a strong delivery system. They highlight the need for South Africa to reinvent its value proposition, focusing on data security, compliance, and advanced technology to regain its top position. The discussion emphasizes the importance of government support, industry cooperation, and forward-thinking strategies to enhance South Africa's BPO sector.