Friday, October 3, 2025
Telemarketing Reinvented: Richard Blank’s Journey to Building Costa Rica...
In this episode, we sit down with Richard Blank, founder and CEO of Costa Rica’s Call Center.
From Northeast Philly to San JosΓ©, Richard shares his journey of betting on himself, moving abroad, and building a thriving nearshore BPO from a one-seat operation to a company that now powers:
✅ Inbound customer support
✅ Lead generation
✅ Appointment setting
✅ Sales training & coaching
He’s trained over 10,000 bilingual telemarketers, launched a telemarketing school, and even infused gamification into company culture with retro arcade pinball, jukeboxes, and air hockey. His story is one of grit, creativity, and a relentless belief in the art of communication.
If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to scale a business without outside investment, how to build culture in unexpected industries, or how traditional call centers adapt in the era of AI — this episode is for you.
π‘ What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
Why Richard left Philadelphia at age 27 to pursue a short-term gig that turned into a 19-year business journey.
How he grew Costa Rica’s Call Center without outside investors, staying lean and resourceful.
The unique coaching and training methods he’s developed after analyzing 10,000+ calls.
Why empathy, soft skills, and gamification are still critical in the call center industry.
How human connection outperforms AI when it comes to building trust and saving clients.
π Connect with Richard Blank
π LinkedIn: / costaricascallcenter
π YouTube Channel: / @richardblank
π Costa Rica’s Call Center Videos: https://costaricascallcenter.com/en/v...
π Connect with MarketSurge
π Website: https://marketsurge.io
π Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...
πΌ LinkedIn: / marketsurgeio
π¦ X / Twitter: https://x.com/marketsurging
π️ Podcast: https://marketsurge.transistor.fm/
π₯ If you’re ready to scale smarter, faster, and louder, don’t guess. Surge.