Outsourcing Journal Editors 
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Wiktor Doctór, CEO at Pro Progressio Foundation, Poland
Poland – a country located in the centre of the CEE region, which has been home to many BPO and SSC companies for 25 years already. It was here, a quarter of a century ago, that the expansion of the modern business services sector began, and continues to this day.
Cities and office spaces
Initially, the BPO and SSC industry developed its presence in three main cities – Warsaw, Krakow and Wroclaw. Three cities that have been on the TOP 100 Outsourcing Destinations list prepared by Tholons for years.
As time was passing by, BSS-type operating centres were established in subsequent cities in Poland. Currently, the list of cities in which the number of operational centres is constantly growing is much longer, and the first three agglomerations mentioned above have been joined by: Gdańsk, Poznań, Łódź, Katowice, Lublin, Szczecin, Opole, Białystok, Rzeszów, Gdynia, Częstochowa, Kielce and Opole. This list is not closed and soon we will be able to talk about other cities that will join the locations chosen by BPO and SSC companies.
The development of the BSS sector has significantly influenced the development of modern office spaces in all of the cities mentioned above. Currently, class A offices are the standard, very often meeting the highest quality standards guaranteed by LEEDS and BREEAM certificates.
Office tenants have the choice of using many options, matching them to their own needs. The spectrum of the office offers begins with the possibility of building own buildings, renting them, using the services offices and coworking spaces. In the last years, especially the last options, i.e. serviced and coworking offices, increased the interest of their tenants from such outsourcing sectors as e.g. IT or consulting companies.
Human resources and services
The BSS industry would not grow in Poland without human resources. Even in the age of the employee market and constant demand for specialized staff, employment in outsourcing and modern business services is steadily growing. This growth is slightly slower than in previous years, but compared to other countries from the CEE and SEE regions, Poland can boast the largest employment in the area of business services.
Some studies estimate the total employee volume to exceed 350,000 already. These data, due to different research methodology, are difficult to verify, but it can be safely assumed that the number of 300,000 employees in the BSS industry has already been exceeded. Slower employment dynamics in the BSS industry is also associated with the development of the RPA (Robotic Process Automation) sector. All three of RPA’s largest global companies, i.e. Automation Anywhere, UiPath and Blueprism, have their offices in Poland, and apart from them in the country on the Vistula River there is a wide network of dealers and companies that provide their services based on RPA solutions. The development of RPA allows, in many cases, reduces the need for a certain proportion of jobs occupied by human.
Analyzing the scope of services provided in the outsourcing model from Poland, it can be said that it is very broad. This list begins with simple Call Contact Center services, through accounting, financial, purchasing, analytical and other specialized services, rendered for such industries as e.g. chemical, medical, financial, banking, technology and many others. These services are used by clients from all over the world, from North America and Europe to Asia.
Read this and other insights on the conditions and opportunities of co-operating with Poland based technology and business process partners and see who to contact locally with questions and support at the Outsourcing Destination Guide Poland 2020: https://www.outsourcing-destinations.org/poland-outsourcing-guide/ (available as free download).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/4″][vc_single_image image=”6234″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”3/4″][vc_column_text]About the author: Wiktor Doktór is an Outsourcing, BPO and Shared Services industry expert. Over 20 years’ experience in start-up’s and managing large operation centres. Experienced speaker, author of various publications, innovator and industry networker and influencer. Editor and administrator of OutsourcingPortal.eu and Outsourcing&More Magazine – the only Polish-English outsourcing industry media edited regularly in Poland. CEO of Pro Progressio – BSS organization supporting growth and development of the outsourcing industry and outsourcing education in Poland.
Wiktor was twice nominated to the title of the Best Manager in Lodz Region and has been named many times as one of the most influential outsourcing person in Poland. Since 2019 he is also a podcaster recording to podcasts: “BSS bez tajemnic” in Polish, but also “Good Morning BSS World” in English. Wiktor also represents the German Outsourcing Association as General Council Chair Poland.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]