Posts Tagged ‘Call Center’

RBS Insurance set to create 160 call centre jobs in Glasgow

October 31st, 2010

The news will come as a surprise to observers, since it flies in the face of the announcement in August that RBS Insurance is to close two Glasgow offices with the cost of 440 jobs as part of a wider consolidation ahead of a probable flotation.

It has nevertheless been confirmed by two separate sources that the banking giant has been in negotiations for most of the year with Vertex, the company that was unveiled several weeks ago as the recipient of an IT outsourcing deal for Tesco Bank’s mortgage operations in Glasgow that will bring 200 jobs.

This was followed by an announcement by the Scottish Government last week that Vertex was to receive £1.7 million in regional selective assistance funding to create 368 jobs in the city – even though the group denied that such an announcement was imminent when it was contacted two weeks ago by the Sunday Herald. According to one well-placed source, negotiations would be “well down the line”.

The deals involve 4 Atlantic Quay, a 10-storey office block that overlooks the north side of the Clyde in the city centre. Vertex was last week close to signing a 10-year leasing deal for the seventh floor to house Tesco. It also has an option to lease the eighth floor, also for Tesco, and has earmarked the ground and upper ground floors for a deal with RBS. It expects to reach an agreement – which would also be for 10 years – with the bank by early next year at the earliest.

A further intriguing note is added by the fact that RBS is in the throes of vacating 6 Atlantic Quay, from where it has run its Direct Line operation for many years. Together with the closure of another office in St Vincent Street, it is retrenching the insurance operation to Cadogan Street, adding 200 to the existing staff to take the Glasgow total in the division to 1300.

The moves are part of the wider closure of 14 offices around the UK, reducing the insurance portfolio to 13 offices after the European Union ordered the company to offload the division by 2013 as part of its investigation into state aid to the banks. RBS announced at the time that the decision would lead to the loss of 2000 jobs UK-wide.

While Tesco is contracting Vertex because it does not have the IT infrastructure required to get permission from the Financial Services Authority to offer mortgages, it is not clear why RBS would be looking to outsource part of its operation. Other brands in the portfolio include Churchill, Privilege and Green Flag.

A spokesman for RBS Insurance said: “Pitched against an ever-competitive market, we are constantly exploring options that will help us achieve greater cost efficiencies. However, we do not comment on speculation and have a commitment to our staff that we will always tell them first if we are announcing any changes that affect them.”

A spokesman for Vertex said: “We don’t comment on speculation or rumour.”

Source:http://www.heraldscotland.com/business/corporate-sme/rbs-insurance-set-to-create-160-call-centre-jobs-in-glasgow-1.1064872

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World class call centres for Kampala, Nairobi

October 31st, 2010

The aim of the deal is to set up world-class call-centres in East Africa in Kampala and Nairobi.

Over 700 jobs will be created in the first phase of the project and will lead to further employment. The call centre is aimed at providing vital support services to the telecommunications, financial services and government sector. The new company will operate under the name Spanco Raps.

“After seeing the success of call centres in India which employ millions, educate the youth and provide a base for them to kick-start their careers, we wanted to replicate this model within the ICT sector in East Africa,” said Mara’s Managing Director, Ashish Thakkar.

Raps Uganda has been providing superior IT services for 15 years in Sub Saharan Africa and incorporating world-class HR practices enabling them to attract, train, and retain among the best talent in the industry.

The knowledge and expertise of a highly skilled and trained workforce is the bedrock for delivering superior service quality to their clients.

Spanco employs over 10,000 people in call-centres in India and Mara has an in-depth knowledge of the local market conditions and how to train staff in Africa.

The combination of these talents will drive the growth of the business in the region. Spanco Chairman, Kapil Puri firmly believes that the strength and know-how of Spanco in the sector will send a signal that East Africa is ready to do business.

“Building a world-class call centre business here will allow us and our partners at Mara to lay the groundwork for opportunities in the private and public sectors,” he said.

The Mara Group sees the partnership attracting international clients to the region and by so doing create more and more local jobs and lead to investment in the ICT sector throughout Africa.

The Mara Group is a young and dynamic brand synonymous with professionalism, integrity, innovation & entrepreneurial flair.

They have a 15-year track record and has grown from a small IT shop to an international multi sector business to include Information technology, real estate, financial services, hospitality, energy, packaging, retail and media, spanning four continents.

The Mara Group has been selected by the World Economic Forum¹s Community of Global Growth Companies (GGC), as a dynamic high-growth company in 2010.

Spanco on the other hand was established in 1995. Spanco Limited is a public limited company on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

An ISO 9001:2008 certified and CMMI level 3 Company; Spanco is an active player in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with dedicated System Integration and BPO arms besides strategic investments in the related field of ICT.

The various business activities/divisions under the single corporate entity of Spanco actually complement each other, thereby resulting in provisioning best of the breed solutions and services to the end customer to enhance their business competencies.

Source:http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/Kenyabusiness/World-class-call-centres-for-Kampala,-Nairobi-4926.html

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Outsourcing, off-shoring, call center revenue to increase

October 26th, 2010

According to the research, ‘Call Centers: A Global Strategic Business Report,’ conducted by Global Industry Analysts (GIA), global call center service revenue is bound to reach $189.3 billion by 2015. The comprehensive report provides insights into market trends, issues, drivers, company profiles, mergers, acquisitions and other strategic industry activities.

Call center revenue in developing nations reached a low-point because of reduced demand of products and services in major markets along with cancellation of key sales contracts in 2009.

Other factors governing the fall included bleeding corporate balance sheets, tight liquidity and customer budgets, fall in service tariffs, skepticism over infrastructure investment and many others.

The most discouraging was the recession induced contract renegotiations, as a result of large contracts bifurcated into smaller contracts at lower values, as well as shorter turnaround time. Consequently, several small call center agencies in developing Asian countries were shut down.

Another reason for the downfall was the U.S. government’s protectionist stand on outsourcing that resulted in stringent business environment for offshore, overseas players.

However, economic viability and business imperatives being the most governing factor in the call center industry, outsourcing call center services will continue to grow despite the U.S. government’s attempts at incentivizing MNCs to employ within the domestic shores.

Given the cost advantages and efficiency benefits offered by outsourcing, recession is unlikely to exert a medium to long-term impact on outsourcing.

As a strategy move to attain stability during deepening economic woes, companies have temporarily cutback on customer service; however, prolonged cuts may result in poor customer retention since customer may chose to migrate towards other competitive services.

With the possibility of economic recovery on the tables, call center industry is bound to experience optimistic escalation.

As per the research report, U.S. and Europe are following a ‘U’ Shaped recovery pattern while developing countries like Brazil, Russia, India and China are following a faster ‘V’ shaped recovery pattern.

Post recession, companies are planning to re-focus their attention towards improved customer retention along with customer acquisition to ensure faster recovery and growth.

The post recession period will bring out the importance of customer service and contact centers as the last means to retain customers and consequently outsourcing, off shoring, and in-house call center revenues are forecast to increase.

Source:http://outbound-call-center.tmcnet.com/topics/outbound-call-center/articles/111551-outsourcing-off-shoring-call-center-revenue-increase.htm

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Sitel adds advanced analytics capabilities to enhance call center experience with real-time personality matching technology

October 25th, 2010

Sitel,a leading global business process outsourcing (BPO) provider, and SATMAP, a world leader in technology for matching customers to call center agents based on real-time analysis of diverse personality attributes, today announced a partnership to offer clients optimal call center routing solutions based on customer and agent characteristics. This collaboration is a part of Sitel’s continuous investment in new call center technologies, building on the company’s innovative call center solutions to drive a better customer experience at a lower cost.

Working with neural networks and artificial intelligence technology used by the CIA and NSA, SATMAP pairs call center agents with customers through an extensive list of more than 100 demographic, psychographic and geographic variables. Everything from gender and age to location and education are analyzed in billions of combinations to optimally connect calls with specific agents who are most likely to succeed with a specific customer.

“At the end of the day, Sitel is driving a higher return on our client’s customer investment needs by aligning our customer service strategy through partnerships with leading technology and process companies,” said Amit Shankardass, chief global marketing officer of Sitel. “Our partnership with SATMAP ensures that we are getting the right call to the right agent at the right time and building personal relationships for some of the world’s most renowned brands.”

SATMAP gains intelligence by continually analyzing outcomes and updating agent information and performance after each unique customer interaction. The technology is used in millions of interactions every day by Global 500 companies to increase sales, decrease costs and enhance customer satisfaction.

“Leading call center providers such as Sitel know that a customer or an agent should never be randomly selected as the ‘next one in the queue,’ but handpicked and aligned to the best agent to effectively address the customer’s unique needs,” said Bruce Wolff, EVP of Business Development at SATMAP. “Sitel and SATMAP are teaming up to demonstrate how technology continues to evolve the call center and enhance the customer conversation and experience.”

Source:http://www.outsourcingage.com/?p=874

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Call center workers going back to school

October 6th, 2010

SOCIOECONOMIC status should not hinder an individual’s goal to finish college, according to a contact center and business process outsourcing (BPO) company which has opened a program for employees to finish tertiary education while working the graveyard shift.

Javier Infante, president and chief executive officer of Telus International Philippines, Inc., told reporters in a press briefing yesterday helping his employees finish college education was not just a clear investment for the company but also on an individual’s future.

The program called “Telus International University” is a partnership with five universities.

“The company will subsidize the tuition of the beneficiary. The classes will be held in the two centers of Telus located in Cubao in Quezon City and Taguig. The professors of the universities will teach the standard curriculum but during schedules most suited for our employees who are working at night,” he said.

Mr. Infante said there would be 50 employees in the initial wave of the program, which aims to reach 1,000 workers in the next three years.

The employees can choose from courses including economics, entrepreneurship, management, information technology, and humanities.

“Like a usual applicant, the employee still has to pass an entrance examination. We will help to prepare for that by conducting review sessions,” he said.

The company has 8,500 employees located in three sites — Ortigas Center in Pasig, Cubao in Quezon City, and the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.

“Sixty percent of our employees are college degree holders while there are 40% who are not,” Mr. Infante said.

Mr. Infante said the company would not require employees to sign a bond or contract as a condition before joining the program.

The employee also has the liberty to resign shortly after enrolment, the Telus chief executive said.

“We are not doing this to force them to stay with us. But we would be happier if they decided to grow with the company. Through this program, we are encouraging them to be at their best,” Mr. Infante told reporters.

Mr. Infante also said employees who finish the Telus International University program would be encouraged to apply for a higher position.

Source:http://www.bworldonline.com/main/content.php?id=19034

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Finding the best service investment through call center outsourcing

September 11th, 2010

n this time and age of globalization, there is a high demand for quality services that are targeted to address the needs of the company no matter how small or big the business is. You need to find the right services for your company.

It is very important to find the best services that exude the strongest payoffs for the company.

Outsourced customer support is extremely beneficial for the company.

Any business is in need of a high quality service for the customer. You should take advantage of the services that are offered for the business.

You need to take advantage of a 24 7 call center service.

Why call center?

A 24 7 call center is a high quality service that is offered by many third party call center servicing centers.

You need to take advantage of the services since we are all at that point where the needs of the business are meant to address the customers more than ever.

The customer is a very vital force for the success of the business and with communication lines becoming more open, businesses are finding ways of determining the best services for their own needs.

Outsourced customer support is very popular right now.

This is because if you make a separate call center for your company you will be spending way too much for your business.

If you commission a call center service center, you are saving more on the services and getting more bangs from your buck.

Outsourcing

Many businesses go for call center outsourcing since we are at that point where we need to find more cost effective ways more than ever.

With the bad economic conditions, a business tip toes to getting more services.

You need to get the best service for the best value and there are many 24 7 call center providers offering impressive services.

It is important for the company to find the best value for their money. There is a high demand for call centers up to this moment and it is your task to find the best services for your business.

Getting the right outsourced customer support is needed.

You can go for overseas services or you can also go for a local service depending on your preferences.

Some go for the overseas 24 7 call center since many of them are capable of handling a huge volume of calls while still retaining the desired quota and results.

That is a feature that you want for call center outsourcing. Just because they work as an independent body doesn’t mean that will not work coherently with your needs.

You need to find the right services that will match your needs and your company’s mission.

You have to take advantage of the needs of your business and the needs of your customers.

In this day and age where communication has become the language of success, a business needs to be in the cutting edge of the business so call center outsourcing is the way to go for a successful business.

Source:http://www.24×7-livesupport.com/news/finding-the-best-service-investment-through-call-center-outsourcing.html

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Call center outsourcing for small To medium scale fast food business

September 9th, 2010

If your fast food business is starting to be flooded with huge volumes of calls from customers and suppliers alike, maybe it is time for you to consider outsourcing your call requirements to a professional call center company. Basically, call center outsourcing is a less complicated and affordable way to create an efficient customer service to your loyal and or prospective clients even if your business is on a shoestring budget and you have a shortage of manpower to handle all the calls that come in on a daily basis. For small to medium fast food business, outsourcing provides a lot of benefits because not only will you be able to provide an efficient round the clock customer service, you can also make your small scale fast food business appear large.

A lot of fast food businesses who are experiencing expansion and sudden increase in pool of clientele often experience a major shortage in manpower and in order for them to establish their own customer service, they need to have their employees multitask jobs in order to cater to the growing demand of customers. With this drawback in the business operation, a lot of business owners often do not realize how important call center outsourcing will be for them as an effective solution for the growing market demand and efficient customer service. A call center also makes your business appear more professional because call center agents are trained on entertaining customer calls professionally.

There are different levels of outsourcing services that are offered by call center companies. The pricing structure usually depends on the volumes of services that need to be accommodated by the outsourcing company. But regardless of the variety of services you may want to include in your outsourcing requirements, the fact remains that call center outsourcing can significantly help your company improve your public relations and establish a more reputable and highly regarded customer service. And since you know you have a professional company handling all your calls, you can now concentrate your manpower in doing more specified types of work that can be converted into profits.

A good call center outsourcing solution can provide you with a team of professional agents that will handle all your calls around the clock making it an inexpensive approach in keeping your business doing what it is really designed to do and leave all your calls to a professional staff that are trained to do this particular type of work. Not only will you be able to improve your customer service but you can also make your small scale fast food business look more like a large corporate business entity in the fast food industry.

Source:http://www.lonad.com/2010/09/09/call-center-outsourcing-for-small-to-medium-scale-fast-food-business/

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