When I wrote this Customer Think article about BPO in Albania last month, I was thinking about the best way to introduce Albania to corporate leaders in Europe and the US – especially those who may not be aware of the opportunity for BPO in Albania.
The article sparked some great conversations on my LinkedIn page. One recurring theme I noticed was that many of the BPO commentators and analysts are becoming more accepting of the idea of smaller nations or regions being a more attractive destination for BPO in general.
We all know about the giants in this industry. India and the Philippines alone employ thousands of people in contact centers. Other regions, such as South Africa, are following in their wake.
But the reaction to my article noted that most people now seem to be interested in innovation and the ability to blend AI with BPO services – not just volume and scale. In 2005 BPO was all about finding the largest labor pool and housing them in vast contact centers with thousands of desks. In 2025, it is more complex to deliver a customer service solution and this has created opportunities for smaller regions to compete with the giants.
This is because the strategic value in customer experience is becoming more evident. What used to be a business strategy focused on serving customers at the lowest possible cost is now becoming a revenue-generating activity that creates lifelong relationships with customers.
So this means that locations with technology expertise and infrastructure that supports innovation are now far more attractive for BPO than just the lowest cost location.
Albania has several examples of big picture innovation that have been hitting the international headlines recently.
First is the intention to eliminate the use of cash by 2030. Cash is still popular in Albania, but across most of Europe the use of cash is in sharp decline. Online payments and the use of digital payment services means that cash use is declining, but most countries are trying to manage a traditional cash economy alongside a modern digital payments system.
Many banking experts are saying that five years is not enough time to stop using cash, but there are some examples from around the world of digital payment systems that are replacing cash use. The PIX system in Brazil was only launched at the end of 2020 and is now used by 93% of Brazilian people – for two thirds of people it is their preferred payment method. Around half of all financial transactions in Brazil now use the PIX system.
Albania is also the first country on earth that has created a government minister completely powered by AI. The AI minister, named Diella, has been asked to oversee public procurement. The idea is that if an AI minister is making decisions on procurement by strictly following procurement rules and procedures, then all corruption connected to government contracts can be eliminated.
Diella helps companies to apply for government contracts by guiding them through the application process and then the AI minister decides which company wins a contract without intervention from other politicians.
This may sound like a publicity stunt, but look around at all the major nations where government procurement has been filled with scandal and corruption in recent years – especially during the crisis caused by the Covid pandemic.
Albania is engaging is a wave of innovation that embraces government, companies, and citizens – just regular people who are seeing new ideas become reality.
The future of BPO will be in regions that are exploring how banking, payments, business, and government can all function in future because BPO needs to serve every other industry. Take a look at what is happening in Albania and see what you think about the future for BPO in Europe.
CC Photo by Riccardo Annandale