GBS WORLD NEWS | WEEK 3 | OCTOBER 2023

In an effort to manage the surge in contact-center demand from its customers due to increased waiting times, Air New Zealand has implemented a short-term outsourcing solution. Over 500 contact center workers have been outsourced from the Philippines to expand the New Zealand airline’s call center support workforce, with the hopes to improve customer experience (CX) since its decline post-Covid-19.

Further security issues are being tackled in India, with Amazon and Microsoft announcing that they will be teaming up in an effort to protect consumers from impersonation scams. In response to the recent surge in consumer scams originating from illegal call centers in India, the tech giants have been collaborating with the Central Bureau of Investigation in India to combat tech-support fraud and identify solutions. Such actions include enhanced authentication measures and taking legal action against those involved in impersonation scams. Over 2,000 Amazon and Microsoft customers across the globe have been impacted by these scams.

Also in the region, the first-ever Women in Tech event in Fiji has been launched by Outsource Fiji (also known as the Fiji BPO Council), which guides the development of the outsourcing industry in the country. Women in Tech is an organization driving a global movement that seeks to foster gender inclusion in the tech sector. The event is expected to empower women in the region and celebrate their talents and contributions to the sector.

In Eastern Europe, Lenovo has opened a new innovation center in Budapest. The new location for the technology-product manufacturer is designed to enhance CX, with customers having access to the latest technology for proof-of-concept (POC) manufacturing, reduced lead time, and the ability to see live testing of POCs on-site. The center will also host Lenovo’s first liquid-cooling testing and demonstration facility in Europe, which will enable high-performance computing solutions to be tested on-site.

On the other side of Europe, a cybersecurity startup based in Paris, Zygon, has announced that US$3 million in seed funding has been raised to support the company in developing security solutions to keep up with the spread of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). The funding will enable the company to offer its product – a SaaS Security Posture Management Solution supporting teams to automate security rules for SaaS apps – to a wider audience to enhance their security models.

Also in security news, China has announced proposed security requirements for companies that offer services fueled by generative AI. The proposal, published by the National Information Security Standardization Committee, includes a blacklist of sources that cannot be used to train AI models. The proposed security assessments will analyze public-facing generative AI models to identify issues of information that advocates for violence and terrorism or would “undermine national unity and social security”.

Tyl by NatWest – a payment-processing service offered by UK-based bank, NatWest – has revealed results from its recent shopper survey. The survey gathered insights from 1,500 shoppers to unpack the dynamics of shopper loyalty for small businesses during the global cost-of-living crisis. The study found that, although customers do drift to larger retail stores and online stores due to cost efficiencies and ease of experience, they are generally unsatisfied with their CX. The survey results outline key stats related to shopper experiences, and it provides tips for small businesses wanting to grow and improve their CX.