Support Services Group Panama Celebrates 20 Years of Success

It’s uncommon for a BPO or call center to stay – and thrive – in one place for a long time, let alone for two decades. But that’s what Support Services Group Panama achieved this year, celebrating 20 years of success in Colón.

SSG Panama celebrated this milestone with a fun-filled party that employees enjoyed with food, drinks, local music, and prizes.

Web Designer Joel Caballero and Creative Associate Roger Bucktron – both from SSG’s Global Brand & Marketing Team, who work remotely out of Panama – had the opportunity to attend the 20th anniversary party and experience the energy firsthand.

“It was phenomenal,” said Caballero. “The energy and joy of the people in that party was apparent, and I immediately felt at home. Without a doubt, sharing this milestone with your colleagues is a great feeling, and it reinforces the fact that I am part of a company that cares about its people and the well-being of everyone.”

Humble Start

SSG Panama originally opened as an outbound call center, and on Nov. 1, 2004, made its first outbound call for a US-based company that offers membership discounts for its customers.

In those early days, it had three clients to start off: a used car dealership and a magazine, in addition to the US-based membership company as its first logo. SSG Panama was also the first call center in Colón, while Panama City already had several.

Felipe Osorio, SSG Panama’s Country Manager, certainly remembers when they were just starting out.

“Our first job fair, it was the buzz of the town. Over 500 people showed up for the first day of the event at a neighboring hotel,” said Osorio.

“We were teaching people how to do outbound sales and helping them learn a lot of new skills. We soon were called ‘Colón’s Call Center.’ That slogan still stands today, as we are still the only call center in Colón.”

Subsequent Success and Giving Back

SSG Panama quickly expanded from the initial three logos. In 2007, it partnered with one of the largest banking and financial institutions in the world, and handled three lines of business for the client: credit card acquisition (its core business), identity protection plan, and credit card protection plan. Over 150 agents were hired for this banking client.

More success followed: SSG handled lead generation for a big education company based in the United States and Canada, and content moderation and customer service for an international dating website based in Europe. That was over 200 agents hired in a 5-year period. In 2013, SSG Panama started customer care campaigns for three major clients: a big American department store chain, an industry-leading company offering purchase programs and providing access to top brands, and a North American retailer of energy services.

SSG Panama has always done its share to give back to the community.

“Colón is a lower socioeconomic area. Along with providing thousands of formal employment opportunities to the people of Colón for 20 years now, we at SSG Panama have done all sorts of volunteering and fundraising projects as well,” said Osorio. “Those include visiting hospitals to support new mothers who have just given birth or visiting those who are sick, to organizing game and toy drives with orphanages to cleaning public parks.”

Stepping It Up for Clients

A major factor in SSG Panama’s growth and success is its ability to gain clients’ trust by stepping up when it matters the most. This is a confluence of its excellent leadership and the employees’ hard work, customer care skills, and expertise.

One concrete example of this was when a US-based fabric and craft online store tapped SSG Panama in 2023 to help expand its support capabilities. While the client had already been working with SSG Panama since 2019, there was an increase in the volume of calls and emails in 2023 due to the shift in demand to digital storefronts.

A growing number of customer requests for refunds and appeasements, in particular, was the main pain point for the client. But SSG Panama was ready to step up. To expand the client’s support capabilities, 6 senior agents from Tier 2 Panama were assigned to the client.

The top 6 agents from Panama are well-versed in the client’s program, specifically in refund processing, appeasements, return labels, and invoices. The primary objective was to ensure the client’s complete satisfaction with the enhanced support that SSG Panama could offer.

Impact on the client’s customer satisfaction has been profound. With the new streamlined processes, SSG Panama can now promptly address customer requests for refunds and appeasements – the process was drastically cut from the original 5 business days to a mere 2.

This has led to increased trust from the client. As a result, they entrusted SSG Panama with additional responsibilities, such as managing other lines of businesses, a new addition to the Panama Tier 2 Team’s portfolio.

SSG Panama’s Generational Employees

If it’s uncommon for a BPO or call center to stay in one location for a long time, it’s even rarer to witness two generations of a family working in the call center. But SSG Panama has a number of them under its roof – 15 to be precise, a healthy mix of mothers and fathers, sons and daughters.

Team Lead Xylina Kelly, who has been with SSG Panama since 2006, said it was her mother, CS Agent Elvia Murrell, who convinced her to apply.

“My mother has been working for SSG since 2005,” said Kelly. “She was fundamental in my decision to join the company. She mentioned the good benefits and that it would be a great experience, and at the same time I could also improve my English.”

Nancy McClaren, also a Team Lead, was likewise instrumental in convincing her daughter and son, Yosmery and Eric Garcia – both CS Agents – to apply at SSG. McClaren started working for the company in 2011, left, and then began her second stint in 2021.

“Both of them started working at SSG because I advised them to apply,” McClaren said of her son and daughter. “I really like the work environment at our company.”

Both Kelly and McClaren haven’t encountered any problems being generational employees, and instead view the situation in a positive light.

“Having a familiar face, especially my mother who cares about me on a personal level, can be a huge comfort zone,” said Kelly. “She also pushes me to be better every day. We were on the same campaign when I initially started, and she showed me tips on how to perform better and to be a top seller. Since I’m a supervisor now, I don’t get involved in any situation that she has in her own campaign. We both try to be professional in every way.”

“Working at the same company as my daughter and son has not been an issue so far,” said McClaren. “It feels like I have people that I trust and care about and are going through the same things that I am, so we can rely on each other to understand our positions.”

Another thing McClaren and Kelly agree on is that the company has given both of them opportunities to grow in their careers.

“I love working with SSG so far,” said McClaren. “I love the work environment and I like that I've been given the opportunity to work with multiple people in different positions and projects, as QA, Floor Support, and Seasonal Team Lead.”

Kelly agrees.

“My experience working at SSG has been extremely helpful since I have improved a lot in the English language, while at the same time I have learned to have more empathy, and I have learned to sell, provide excellent customer service, and learned how to handle a personal situation professionally,” Kelly said. “Now as a supervisor and with all the help that managers and senior supervisors have given me, I have learned to mentor agents, be more consistent in what I do day-to-day, and at the same time go the extra mile to achieve what needs to be done.”

As for the reasons why SSG Panama has thrived all these years – 20 successful years, to be exact?

“I think that SSG has lasted this long in Panama because they know how to handle and overcome every challenge that has come their way,” said McClaren. “They also have a way to make everyone feel welcome.”

“SSG has lasted so long in the same place because of its good administration, the people who are committed to moving the company in the right way, and following the metrics and doing a good job day-by-day,” said Kelly. “It’s incredible to think that we still have several agents happily working in the company who have been with us since day one.”