GBS WORLD NEWS | WEEK 2 | FEBRUARY 2024

Scottish-based telecommunications network, EE, is set to close its Greenock contact center in Scotland, affecting approximately 450 workers. Impacted employees will have to relocate to the Glasgow center, about 28 miles away. EE cites the need for substantial investment to bring the Greenock building up to standard. BT Group, EE’s parent company, emphasizes ongoing investments in Scotland‘s digital infrastructure, including a multi-million-pound upgrade of the Glasgow office.

Fusion CX has inaugurated a 500-seat facility in Navi Mumbai, India, as part of its expansion plans. The business process management (BPM) company based in Ohio already has over 14,000 employees globally, and it aims to increase its India workforce to over 10,000 in the next quarter. The new facility – covering 20,000 square feet – will provide multi-lingual, omni-channel customer experience (CX) management, technical support, and back-office operations across various sectors.

Acquire BPO ­– based in Melbourne, Australia – has introduced a new consulting service, Acquire.AI. The service is aimed at guiding businesses through the complexities of artificial intelligence (AI) implementation. The approach will tailor solutions to meet distinctive customer needs. This includes supporting the complete AI journey, including diagnosis, solution design, planning, implementation, and ongoing operations. The service aims to empower businesses to deliver transformational value, contributing to enhanced efficiency, growth, and CX.

In South Africa, Sigma Connected, a UK-based BPO provider, is celebrating its partnership with South African organization Shadow Careers, which focuses on impact sourcing. Since 2020, Sigma Connected has worked with Shadow Careers to provide employment for hundreds of unemployed youths from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The recent milestone marks the employment of the 1,000th graduate through this collaboration. Shadow Careers aims to tackle high youth unemployment rates in South Africa by training and upskilling young individuals.

Konecta, a CX-services company based in Madrid, has strengthened its position in the English-speaking market through the integration of Bespoke, a UK-based BPO company with operations in South Africa. Additionally, Konecta has opened its first operations site in San Antonio, Texas. The acquisition of Bespoke brings expertise in the utilities and retail sectors and expands Konecta’s talent base with over 1,100 skilled professionals providing services in English.

The global insurance BPO market is projected to reach US$8.9 billion by 2028. According to a recent report by global market research company Research and Markets, this will see a CAGR of 4.3%. The growth is expected to be largely due to robotic process automation (RPA) and AI with claims management leading market segments.