“I don’t believe more than 1% of CEO-level execs in the industry have taken calls,” Jim Ryan, founder of OutPLEX told us recently. Starting from the proverbial ‘bottom’, Ryan has served in a wide variety of CX roles since getting in the business 30 years ago. Through it all, he believes “the mantra remains: adapt or die.”
Back in the 1990s, Jim Ryan started at the lowest level of Sprint’s customer service call center. By the turn of the century, he had climbed the ranks to become AT&T’s Leader of Sales and Call Center Operations. More than twenty years later, he’s not just an entrepreneur but also the CEO and founder of OutPLEX (formerly Talk2Rep) and TechNearshore. Beyond that, he’s a venture capitalist, an investor mentor, and a board member for multiple organizations shaping business landscapes in Florida, the Dominican Republic, and Colombia.
Discussing his vision for the future, Jim Ryan used a “metaphoric crystal ball” to offer his industry insights. But the real magic he uncovered wasn’t just about predictions—it was his belief that customer service holds something deeper than money, something more intricate than what any large language model could ever measure.
Transient not transactional
At call centers today, recruiters witness a wide range of candidate efforts to demonstrate long-term commitment—ranging from rare honesty to exaggerated enthusiasm. The reality is that most applicants don’t see a midterm future in the industry, let alone a career. To them, it’s just a low-paying job until something bigger comes along.
“What I don’t like about the industry is how many people perceive it as just a transactional job—a paycheck until they move on to something else.”
There was a time when Jim Ryan consistently went the extra mile as a call center agent. He vividly remembers a call where he read and explained a document word for word to assist a blind woman. In terms of call center metrics, a half-hour call like that might have seemed excessive. Yet, for him, his supervisors, and the client, it proved that effectiveness and compassion matter more than sheer efficiency.
Ryan also recalls the moment his boss encouraged him to explore management opportunities. The quality of his work had made a strong impression, convincing him to pursue what he had once seen as just a temporary job—one that was never part of his original plans. Yet, over time, it felt less like a detour and more like a calling. “The fact that I was a call center agent gives me the experience of having walked on somebody else’s shoes, knowing how eight- or nine-hour shifts taking calls feel.”
BPO as a viewpoint, not an office
His education as trainer and manager gave him deep understanding of the BPO world and its evolution. “I love learning and understanding clients: what they’re doing, how they interact with customers, and how do we increase and build on their performance expectations. That way you get to know the core of many industries.”
That has allowed him to stay ahead of the curve. After AT&T decided to split its business operations in 2000, Jim Ryan became an entrepreneur by founding Talk2Rep, a call center that began with 10 agents operating in Florida. The company started to grow and by 2018 it had expanded its operation to the Dominican Republic and Colombia.
It also changed its name to OutPLEX for the sake of clarity regarding its offer of digital omnichannel services: the bet was on overcoming the limits of call center services and diversifying into email, chatbots, and other IT services for clients like Comcast, American Express, Lowe’s, and AT&T. When the pandemic arrived, they were one of the few companies in the industry that felt little to no friction when forced to go remote, since they already operated that way.
Nearshore paradigm shift
When asked how to replicate what happened to him, he emphasized identifying and nurturing personnel with such passion and conviction. He said: “We should move rapidly and work in partnership with academia. Universities, high schools, and business leaders need to partner up to design the educational curriculum for the next five to 15 years. No different than understanding Math, English or Spanish, the youth should be prepared to have AI application to different tasks on their skill set.”
Through Jim Ryan’s “crystal ball,” the rise of AI suggests that building a full career within call center agencies will become even rarer. The rapid evolution of Generative AI is reshaping industries across the board. In nearshoring services, the shift is steering away from entry-level roles and moving toward specialized IT work.
“I worry about where the next Jim Ryan is going to find his first job.”
Jim Ryan looks at AI adoption in terms of its impact on the community at large. “Most of the tasks I did when I was a call center agent are probably now done by AI or bound to be replaced. This impact on communities means we must focus on creating new opportunities worldwide.”.
“If we want to build a sustainable future for our industry, we must invest in our people today,” he says. This means not only preparing employees for new roles but also ensuring they have access to meaningful work that aligns with their skills and aspirations.
Ryan envisions a future where the BPO sector is no longer just a gateway for entry-level jobs but a dynamic industry brimming with diverse career paths. A space where passion and human connection merge with cutting-edge technology to create outstanding customer experiences.