Industry response to C19 (Smart Tech)
By looking at how some of the bigger players (such as Webhelp, Accenture, Capita) have dealt with Coronavirus - we too can learn and improve our standards. Even when the crisis in over and we all return to work, times like this can be used to analyse what makes certain companies great or stand out from the crowd. It was impressive to see how quickly many of these businesses responded and so it made sense to delve a bit deeper. Looking into the future is also worthwhile and I am sure there are many lessons we can all take home with us when this is in the past - especially around health/safety and general conduct.
Webhelp is a French company employing 55,000+ people and operating from over 35 countries (including South Africa, Ivory Coast, Ukraine, Romania, India). CEO is Olivier Duha and the business had revenues of EUR 1.5 billion in 2019. The group has doubled in size since being bought by KKR (American Global Investment firm) and clients include Sky, Vodafone, Shop Direct, Bouygues, KPN, AXA. Webhelp have made acquisitions themselves in previous years - most notably GoExcellent (2015) and Netino (2016). GoExcellent are a leading Scandinavian customer experience business employing 1,700 people in Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. Netino are a Paris-based social content moderation company present in ten countries with 400 staff. More recently, Webhelp opened a contact centre in Tourcoing, France with 300 people and acquired German-based BPO giant SELLBYTEL from Omnicom (American corporate communications holding company). Although Webhelp continue to offer traditional BPO services, they have increased their revenues by focusing on transformational outsourcing, omnichannel engagement and data analysis to create optimal CX. This year Webhelp won a client account with Dixons Carphone to help increase their customer satisfaction (CSAT) score as well as improve cost efficiency. DC have handed over all their contact centre operations with new sites in Sheffield and Preston. Webhelp are known for their impeccable approach to customer care which draws clients to use them.
Webhelp’s response to COVID-19 was fast, efficient and they deployed over 4,500 staff to WAH within days. As with most companies, some employees are still working in an office but either way - health and safety remains a priority. Webhelp have aligned all initiatives around COVID-19 with their core mission, vision, and cultural pillars. Focusing on safety of people includes adhering to guidelines set out by the WHO and applicable Governments regulations for each location they operate. This is updated when the situation changes and will obviously ease once social distancing laws are relaxed. Partnering with clients allows them to tailor solutions around specific challenges or disruptions while remaining fully compliant. Webhelp keep in constant contact with clients to anticipate needs and address constraints - whether it is a work-at-home (WAH) setup or on-site. Changing their game allows Webhelp to take bold moves and make things happen faster. Their ability to identify, solve and view challenges as new opportunities is superb. The company work closely with IT and Facility Management teams enabling them to continue delivering services in a safe manner. Webhelp have developed specific training and continuously review risk control so they can offer optimum protection. Finally, engaging with people every day for feedback unites teams and reinforces values. Under their internal employee wellness program - WebHEALTH, they support staff through tips and guidance on the best health practises.
Accenture is a professional services company providing solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations. In 2019, the business had revenues of $43.2 billion with more than 492,000 employees in 120 countries. Current clients include 91 of the Fortune Global 100 and more than three-quarters of the Fortune Global 500. Julie Sweet is CEO and most of their office space is in America, India and the Philippines. Recent acquisitions include Gekko 9 (French AWS cloud services company), Yesler (b2b marketing), Mudano (data analytics) and VanBerlo (Dutch product design/innovation agency). Accenture have a strong focus on new technologies such as blockchain, AI, IoT and cloud computing. They are in a position to advise clients around the world on how best to successfully implement these technologies and also include a lot of information about it on their platform - www.accenture.com Similarly to Teseteo, Accenture put a great deal of emphasis on innovation and have opened hubs around the world. These employ thousands of people and are mainly geared towards digital transformation and new idea or product generation for customers. Accenture is a great source of fresh thinking and analysis for any outsourcing firm because they are always publishing free whitepapers/reports around different subjects. I highly recommend Accenture to any smaller business out there that requires easy to access advice. They are one of the few companies who have successfully managed to blend traditional BPO with an innovative culture - something Teseteo would also like to emulate.
Accenture have put together extensive material around COVID-19 and of all the companies listed - they are the most informative. Regarding coronavirus, this business has laid out a step by step program called “what to do now and next” covering everything from systems, CX and contact centres to operations, supply chain and leadership. As a business consultancy Accenture work with clients around rapidly adjusting to the changing needs of their employees, customers and suppliers + navigate financial and operational challenges. Once the immediate threat of this virus has passed, what will have changed in the way we think and behave, and how will that affect the way we design, communicate, build and run experiences people need and want? Imagine it is September and things are back to normal - we can meet face to face, travel is possible and toilet roll is easy to buy. How can we prepare for it now? The winners will be those who test and explore all associated possibilities to make their business as streamlined possible. Listening and learning from clients and potential customers is important, as is staying on top of new technological trends (i.e. Automation and AI). Making more transactional/mundane processes digital and focusing live agents towards value-led, proactive operations can reduce stress on a business while cutting costs. The same can be said for harnessing good data/analytics to promote informed decisions addressing customer needs or support. Blending real staff with innovative software solutions such as chatbots, predictive routing and predictive analytics can improve overall CX massively.
In many instances our experiences as customers, employees, citizens and humans may have changed due to COVID-19. Accenture realise that and have pinpointed 3 areas all businesses should look at if they want to improve their overall experience for stakeholders. The cost of confidence looks at how consumers, and staff alike, are becoming more cautious in relation to large decisions (i.e. where to go on holiday, who to work for etc). Trust is more important now than ever before and companies (especially those that are customer-facing) need to be effective at building + rebuilding trust quickly and credibly. Confidence needs to be built through every channel and “justifiable optimism” will sell well. The virtual century is another area Accenture put a lot of emphasis on and they believe that, especially after COVID-19, adoption of digital will be accelerated even further. This will impact everyone, and the winners will be those who test and explore all associated possibilities. Anything that can be done virtually will be. Finally, according to Accenture - every business is now a health business and companies need to take more care when considering the safety of their staff and customers. You can read up on how Teseteo have approached this using expert advice here - www.teseteo.com/staff-safety “Every business needs to understand how it can be part of and contribute to a much better health ecosystem.”
Accenture have also put together some great advice for CX firms and Contact Centres on how best to conduct business moving forward. A recent surge in activity across all channels means companies should leverage the right technology (including AI/Automation) from SaaS providers like Connex One. This frees up resources and allows live agents to focus on supporting customers who really need it. Re-evaluating how employees deliver customer experiences and how digital channels can be used to support an increase in call-volume should be prioritised too. Now is a good time for CX firms and Contact Centres to position their businesses towards renewed growth once the pandemic subsides. Providing compassionate/personable service is more important now than ever and will improve brand perception + customer loyalty. At the same time, inaccessible or uncaring responses are likely to drive an equally pronounced negative reaction. Remote working has been a difficult transition and companies should be praised for implementing it in such a short space of time. Although there will obviously be less people working from home 4 months from now, we can still learn from what has happened. Brands have had to move at unprecedented speed to serve their customers with quality while caring for their employee’s health. In a recent Accenture survey (2020), 57% of customers ranked live call support as their preferred channel of engagement and 58% would always use it to solve more urgent issues. Contact Centres have had to worker harder than ever during this period to offer continued service.
Working with the best SaaS provider is important for any business but even more-so during a crisis like COVID-19 when so many people are being deployed to work from home. Teseteo are waiting until the crisis is over to resume business, but many of those operating in our industry have shifted a huge number of people out of office. Connex One are one good example of an SaaS provider who have done their best to make this process as easy as possible for clients. Through the available technology - managers can now monitor productivity of all employees from home and communicate easily in real-time to everybody on their team. Standout features on the Connex One platform include AI/Automation, Omnichannel Access, Workforce Optimisation, Reporting/Analysis, Integrations and PCI DSS. To learn more about our partnership with Connex One and how you can improve CX, cut costs and increase ROI alongside Teseteo visit - www.teseteo.com/connex-one
As well as standard CX requirements such as IVR - our company are in a position to develop more sophisticated AI based on each client's demand and knowledge base. This means our top agents are put to the best use possible and can offer ????? customer service. Capita have similar solutions in place regarding COVID-19 and a lot of their response has centred around the use of AI to take the pressure off employees. It also gives customers faster, more accurate responses. As an example - Capita’s robotic process automation is giving healthcare professionals more time for patients by taking on repetitive, time-consuming admin tasks. Conversational AI is another form of smart tech that is uniquely suited to act as the first line of urgent enquiry during disruptive or highly busy times. It can deliver critical information to customers and lift the workload. Conversational AI is quick and easy to deploy, simple to scale + has minimal impact on resources. By putting together just a few lines of code, this software is updated rapidly and continuously with relevant content. More than ever, consumers require fast answers and it is human nature to want rapid responses during worrying situations. Teseteo pre-load Chatbots with info to answer people’s questions and support agents. “If conversational AI didn’t exist, this is exactly the situation for which it might have been” says Alan Linter, Director of Innovation at Capita.
Now more than ever, automating various front/back office activities is vital. Like Capita, Teseteo use clever tech to optimise our workforce - this includes Shift Organiser, Gamification and smart QM. During challenging times companies need skilled workers to focus on work that matters rather than lengthy administrative tasks. With the Connex One Quality Management tool, managers are able to harmonise customer satisfaction with BPO and contact centre efficiency. This includes speech/sentiment analysis, customisable dashboards and trend identification. All the smart tech Teseteo use through its partners leverage the power of rapid application development (RAD) + low-code to design which makes it easier and faster to deploy. As one example, Capita can design, develop and release fully functional Chatbots in 36 hours! Gamification is another exciting form of clever technology that creates multi-level environments for staff to earn points, advance levels and collect badges in exchange for hitting KPIs or providing excellent customer service etc. Gamification offers real-time insights into productivity - equipping managers with the right tools and information to accurately incentivise employees. Finally, the Shift Organiser we use at Teseteo improves retention + performance by letting staff view and manage their own shift patterns. This feature allows managers to access real-time attendance statistics, performance metrics, schedule in compulsory training sessions and approve holiday requests. What we have mentioned above are just some of the ways various processes can be automated to streamline a business and increase productivity. We are always looking for new, innovative solutions to minimise any wasted effort on repetitive jobs that can be done by machines.
Those working in outsourcing companies (especially contact centres) are often considered key workers because there has been a surge in demand for important information. Although difficult to manage, this is good news for those operating in certain sectors because business has not dried up. Acquisitions are still taking place amid the crisis - as one example, just a few weeks ago American firm SS&C bought-out Capita’s Irish BPO operation employing over 300 people. Clearly there is a lot of work to be done and we are not yet out of this difficult situation but taking the right steps and advice is a good way to ensure safe practices. The industry has no shortage of readily available advice on this subject and other unrelated topics to C19 such as digital transformation, workforce optimisation and new trends.