Guyana: Itel to shut doors for final time with phased approach

Guyana: The global smart life brand, Itel, located at 81-82 Camp and Rob Streets is about to follow a phased approach for its operational shutdown in Guyana. The operations will come to a halt on November 30, with the company ceasing to exist in the island on December 31.

The company is all set to shut down its operations as it no longer remains sustainable within its business model. This shutting down of operations is expected to result hundreds of workers without job.

Itel, a business process outsourcing provider, stated that after deep analysis and discussions amongst their leadership team, Board members, and stakeholders, and despite the investments made, they have left with no choice but to accept that their Georgetown site is no longer sustainable.

While sharing the information about closure of the company with the staff members, Itel stated that Guyana is a gem within the Caribbean and holds great potential. They noted that when they chose to invest in the country, they did it with an intention of making it a destination of choice for contact centers.

They further noted that though the country’s economic conditions are improving positively, they have still faced several ongoing challenges. They added that as its economy expands, its cost of doing business is rising, and it’s getting harder to find and retain qualified candidates, which is critical to maintaining a steady flow of business into the center.

The company asserted that they have made several possible efforts in order to enhance the ongoing developments but still, they are facing difficulties to resolve the issue.

In accordance with the news of the Itel’s closure, Dr Peter Ramsaroop, the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) and Head of the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-INVEST), has stated that measures are in place to make the concerned industrial sector robust, with the working expected to nourish.

The government has even taken steps for a noticeable shift of the traditional call centres to a better and much sophisticated framework for operations regarding back-office processes.

Dr Ramsaroop noted that this transition aligns with the government’s strategy to move towards higher-value services that demand more specialized skills. He added that Guyana’s leading BPO operator, Teleperformance, has expanded its operations and is currently on a hiring drive.

He stated that Teleperformance has just expanded in Guyana and they are looking at higher end operators. He mentioned that new call centre has commenced in Tuschen on the East Bank Essequibo, while another operation in Enmore on the East Coast Demerara is set to be opened shortly.

He, therefore, encouraged Itel employees to seek work at one of the other BPO operators. He also stated that government is also making significant investments in new call centres in Regions Two, Five and Six, and has even already begun engaging with investors who are interested in running these upcoming operations.