GBS WORLD NEWS | WEEK 1 | FEBRUARY 2022

The week started with an industry acquisition when it was announced from India that business process management firm, Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS), will be acquiring Brisbane firm Diversify Offshore Staffing Solutions, a provider of outsourcing and offshoring services in the Philippines. Valued at US$27,9 million, the acquisition will see HGS absorbing Diversify’s 50 clients, most of which are located in Australia, as well as 1,000 employees and four delivery centers in the Philippines.

In North Africa, Egyptian IT industry body, Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), launched its Egyptian IT Outsourcing SMEs to the European Market program. The program is offered by the Centre for the Promotion of Imports from developing countries (CBI) of The Netherlands’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The three-year initiative aims to support Egyptian ITO SMEs in exporting their services to the European Union (EU) market by providing technical support, as well as skills and knowledge required to enter the EU market.

Staying on the theme of technology, defi Solutions, a US loan origination software platform near Dallas, is implementing both Amazon Lex and Genesys Cloud CX™ in its business process outsourcing (BPO) division. Amazon Lex is a fully managed artificial intelligence (AI) service that designs, builds, tests and deploys conversational interfaces. Genesys Cloud CX™ is a CCaaS and employee experience solution. Both cloud platforms will offer defi Solutions’ team members a more modern customer experience (CX) offering with digital interactions and intelligent virtual assistants.

Although it seems that Canadian digital investment firm, Questrade, has already found a way to excel in the digital space. Questrade was recognised for providing the best CX among Canadian online brokerage firms for the second consecutive year by the 2021 Surviscor Online Brokerage Service Level Experience review. Thrilled with its recognition, Questrade heralded its customer-obsessed culture as one of the key drivers for its top ranking.

A new multi-year IT services contract was signed between Swedish power tool maker, Husqvarna, headquartered in Stockholm, and HCL, a global leader in information technology services. The deal has strengthened the 10-year relationship between the two companies and HCL’s success in the Nordic region of Europe. Automation deployment is the key deliverable in the extended contract, enabling 10,000 of Husqvarna’s staff to focus on customer support.

Wrapping up this week’s evident focus on technology, the implementation of digital self-service tools to mitigate high call volumes is one of three ways in how the global banking industry can reinvent its digital customer service in 2022, according to PaymentsJournal. Meeting rising consumer expectations amid digital transformation will be this year’s challenge for banks, who are recommended to also simplify agent workflows and regularly draw CX insights to understand consumer behavior across all digital channels.