Australian Outsourcing Built on Referrals & Network – with Dale Pearce of Platinum Outsourcing

In this episode of the Outsource Accelerator Podcast, Derek speaks with Dale Pearce, Co-owner, Executive Director, and Chief Operating Officer of Platinum Outsourcing. 

The discussion explores Platinum’s referral-driven growth model, its expansion plans, and the realities of operating in a dynamic outsourcing environment.

Building and scaling Platinum Outsourcing

Platinum Outsourcing has achieved what many emerging BPOs struggle with—scaling beyond the early adopter phase. Dale shares that the company has now surpassed 200 full-time employees, with ambitions to more than double that.

“[I was] making cold contact with people [to] try and build the business, and part of that  discussion was talking to them about how ‘We’re brand new, we’ve only got a few staff, and we plan to grow the business to 200 employees,” Dale reflects. 

“We’ve gotten to 200 now, and getting it to 200 is kind of an afterthought now. The next step is going to 500.”

While most of its clients are Australian, Platinum is now looking further afield. “We serve essentially the Australian market exclusively. But we’ve started taking baby steps into the US market.”

This expansion strategy is key to hitting their goal of 500 seats within three years. Dale acknowledges that their current referral-based approach may not scale fast enough to reach this target in the Australian market alone.

Strategic operations and business philosophy

What sets Platinum Outsourcing apart is that it has grown largely without a traditional sales team. The company relies on word-of-mouth, client referrals, and a light touch in digital marketing.

“We don’t have a sales team. We’ve never had a sales team. We don’t have any business development managers,” Dale says. “We spend a tiny, tiny amount on Google AdWords. Outside of that, we don’t actually do any active marketing.”

This grassroots model has worked well—so far. Dale admits, though, that the next phase of growth will require some changes. “For us to go to that next step up… there’s going to need to be a strategy change in how we’re doing things.”

His sales approach has matured along with the business. While many founders become more confident (and sometimes overly prescriptive), Dale maintains a consultative stance. 

“We’re just as upfront as we can be on how the process works … and give them real-world examples of what we’ve been able to do for businesses of their size.”

On the work-from-home debate, Dale is honest about his preference: “I’ve worked from home for five or six years, and I don’t like it. If I could get back into an office, I would.” 

But his decisions are guided by the realities of the labor market. “If someone was coming to us and saying they wanted to build a team of customer support agents… that would need to be an office-based role. If they want a developer, 99% of the time that person needs to work from home.”

He adds, “You’re not going to get the top-tier talent telling a developer they’ve got to be in the office full-time. That’s just not the way that market works.”

Resilience, disruption, and the role of technology

Platinum Outsourcing’s team continues to deliver—despite external disruptions. The episode was recorded during heavy flooding in Metro Manila, and Dale emphasizes the importance of business continuity planning.

“We’ve taken the position that people are better off coming into the office. If we can get them there, get them there safely,” Dale says. “We know they’re going to have power, they’re going to be dry, and we’ve got the facilities for them to work safely.”

He also applauds his team’s resilience. 

“The Filipino staff that go through this every year, they’re so resilient. The fact that they turn up every day when these things are going on [is] a testament to their work ethic.” 

The conversation turns to AI in outsourcing, a topic that’s top of mind for many providers. Dale explains that Platinum is already integrating AI to augment customer support roles, and plans to expand those efforts into other functions.

“In the next three years, I think AI will actually, in all likelihood, create more jobs than it takes,” he says. “After that, we probably see a return to equilibrium, and then after that it’s anyone’s guess.”

To prepare, Dale says Platinum is leaning on external consultants to map out a strategy that anticipates future client expectations. “We want to package AI into our service offering before people come banging on our door asking to reduce headcount by 50% and use a chatbot.”

While AI is evolving rapidly, Dale remains measured: “There’s a lot of [gimmicky] stuff out there, but some things will break through and do big things for us.”

You can learn more at Platinum Outsourcing’s website or email them at [email protected]. Dale Pearce is also available via his LinkedIn profile. 

There’s a lot of good that outsourcing can do, and we highlight those in the Outsourcing Impact Review! Know of any humanitarian initiatives that BPOs do? Nominate them now.