BCSP Holds Digital Leadership Conference to Promote Service Sector Digitization

The Belize Coalition of Service Providers (BCSP) held a conference in Belize City today, focusing on digitizing the services sector. The Digital Leadership Conference 2024 was organized as part of the annual Services Week celebration. The conference highlighted the importance of adopting digital technologies in the sector and the benefits they offer. Representatives from companies, government departments, and statutory bodies gathered for sessions on technologies available in their respective fields that can enhance customer experience. Dr. Dionne Miranda, Chairperson of the BCSP, noted that the conference is part of the coalition’s mandate to promote digitization across key service industries.

Dr. Dionne Chamberlain, Chairperson, Belize Coalition of Service Providers: “Belize Coalition of Service Providers is a service arm for the country and we are now negotiating, the country is negotiating under the EPA specialized agreements for Croatia and Belize and the UK as well. And the mandate that we’ve been given by the Directorate for Foreign Trade is that we have to push digitalization and digital technology within the Belize, in Belize IT, the spa and wellness area, music and entertainment and the contracting services like architects and engineers. And so this is services week that we’re celebrating. And so we decided to come up together in having a first digital environment. And then tomorrow we’re doing human resources, which is a part of where the engagement needs to start and the preparation for the skillset and the people needed to be able to lead the digital industry at the end of the day. Today, we’ve learned about the different capabilities that we have at, apps, direction, ways of thinking of doing business, the reality is that you have to find out what the customer journey is first and then prescribe the answer. The first presenter spoke about the different apps and all of that and the second one spoke about the fact that many times we approach by looking at we define the journey and then we go back and find a solution. He says why don’t we find out what the issue is first and then we can prescribe a solution because there are many solutions that are out there. The second one spoke about using agile technology, not as a methodology for how we do our business, and that’s identifying step by step what needs to be done and keeping people on track. Because right now we keep saying that employees don’t deliver, but do we have systems that make them deliver, that keep them accountable? Do we have the follow-ups that are required to get things done? So although we’re talking digital, there’s a lot in the background that needs to be done with the human potential that will get us there. And that is exciting where we’ve gone so far.”

Chamberlain remarked that the wide range of organizations present underscored the opportunities digitization presents in Belize.

Dr. Dionne Chamberlain, Chairperson, Belize Coalition of Service Providers: “In the house we have, it’s interesting, we have tourism entities like the Hidden Valley Lodge, we have Fultec, we have BEL, BWS, we have Digi, we have Smart, DSC, the Belize Tax Service has a full contingent and they’re the ones supporting this and I can tell you that they’ve gone digital, Development Finance Corporation, Madisco. It’s interesting to see the crossover but what is interesting to see is that… every one of our products and services can be digitized. We have Neo People who is presenting an HR platform where you can streamline your whole HR processes. You see everybody at a glance, the vacation time, all of that, and then you produce that properly for yourself, nobody’s missing any days. And you know, digitizing all of this stuff really does make a difference. So we’ve got all kinds of companies here. We even have BPO’s online. By the way, this is an online and. in-person sessions. So we have people from the Caribbean, from the UK, from the US, they’re all connected and trying to learn but the best part of today is the collaboration, the discussion, the networking because none of us have all the answers.”

Cybersecurity was also a major topic of discussion at the conference, held at the Biltmore Plaza.