Aegis Insight Newsletter Vol. 5 - Excellence in contact center operations

1. Case in Point Global Footprint
G lobal Headquarters C ountry Headquarters C enters
Enriching Customer Experience Through
"Service Excellence"
THE CLIENT The client engagement began in October 2009, with Aegis
With revenues of more than $600 million, 1-800-FLOWERS is providing the following services:
one of the world’s leading floral and gift retail and distribution ◆ Aegis assumed a central role in managing sales, customer
Excellence in Contact
companies. This family-run business has been providing service and back office functions. Aegis’ teams, working
customers with fresh flowers and a broad range of gift choices from the delivery center in the Philippines, effectively
for more than 30 years. Its international delivery network covers handled customer queries. Most of the interactions were
48 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, from U.S.-based customers, with a small percentage
and South Africa.
CUSTOMER CHALLENGES
coming from international customers.
◆ Aegis adopted flexible work force planning and recruitment
to manage the seasonal demand cycle. Aegis constituted a
Center Operations
The large seasonal spikes in the Company’s business posed a core team of able agents and support staff which provided
significant challenge to staffing its service center function while services during all seasons. During peak seasons
maintaining key performance indicators (KPIs). Maintaining (Christmas, Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day), the headcount
KPIs like CSAT for customer service and sales, conversion was expanded to more than 500 FTEs with the ramp up
rates, and average order value was of immense importance normally lasting two weeks.
especially during the impending holiday rush. The client
therefore decided that they needed an expert partner with When it first ramped in December 2009, Aegis exceeded client
quick scalability to enable them deliver high quality, expectations in terms of conversion and quality. Aegis delivered
cost-effective customer service. To help handle the critical stellar performance across KPIs considering that it was just over a
service center function, the client sought the help outside of its month since it stepped in. CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS Contact Information
US-based home-agent network and turned to Aegis for a
Aegis Limited India and Sri Lanka : +91 40 6616 6220
scalable and yet a cost effective solution. RESULTS Essar House Philippines : +63 2885 8000
Aegis was able to successfully reduce costs, while significantly 11 K.K. Marg, Mahalaxmi
Aegis was selected due to its superlative performance exceeding expectations by improving customer satisfaction. With North America : +1 877 892 3447
Mumbai – 400 034
management techniques and unrelenting commitment to quality. service levels back under control, and significant reduction in hold South America : +54 115 080 0000
INDIA
With an established reputation, proven track record and vast times, sales conversion rates showed a dramatic improvement Europe : + 44 207 096 5097
Copyright 2011, Aegis Limited. All rights reserved
experience in supporting some of the world’s best companies, over previous levels. Phone: +91-22-6660 1100 Africas : +27 11 461 9154
Aegis was an ideal partner for 1-800-FLOWERS. Aegis’ challenge Fax: +91 22 2354 4490 Australia and New Zealand : +61 3 9256 5000
was to provide comprehensive customer care, reservation sales 1-800-FLOWERS derived many benefits from this exercise: info@aegisglobal.com
and services, and support within crunched time lines. ◆ Improved quality scores
◆ Significant increase in customer satisfaction index
AEGIS SOLUTION ◆ Increased sales cycle and enhanced revenue cycle
The Aegis team studied the existing process in great detail to management
identify areas of improvement and eliminate steps that provided ◆ Significant cost savings
little business value to the client. After an exhaustive situation Do write in with your feedback on Insight to info@aegisglobal.com
analysis Aegis proposed an apt range of services to the client.
The Average Handle Time, or AHT, remained consistent leading
to the adoption of strategies for offering additional support such
as cross sell and up sell. This efficiency improvement as a result
of the improved workflow meant that Aegis had created extra
capacity which could thus take on additional processes.
“I am grateful for the team’s overall performance during the Mother’s Day ramp. The
leadership demonstrated by Aegis in this project run was undoubtedly outstanding! Vol. 5 June 2011
Congratulations to all the supervisors, trainers, peer trainers, assistant team leads,
quality analysts, and support group who helped!” www.aegisglobal.com
– Director of Outsourcing, Customer Experience
5

2. Aegis Speak Buzz Factor Think Tank
Increasing Emphasis on Excellence
Location Decisions for Outsourcers
in Contact Center Operations
Industry Buzz Aegis Buzz
Bruce Belfiore is the CEO of BenchmarkPortal, which provides best practices information to the customer contact
Dear Customer, Outsourcing Market Growth: Aegis and Saudi Telecom come industry. He is a consultant to call centers in a wide variety of industries seeking to improve their results, and is
Everest together to transform Customer noted for helping to calculate the financial impact of proposed changes. Bruce is the author of the books
According to research firm Everest Group, the care in the Region "Benchmarking for Profits!" a manual for best practices benchmarking, as well as its sequel, "Benchmarking at
I am delighted to present to you, the fifth issue of Insight. its Best for Contact Centers." Bruce holds an A.B. degree from Harvard College, a J.D degree from Harvard Law
global outsourcing market grew at a rate of 6% Aegis and Saudi Telecom Company (STC),
in 2010, when compared to 2008. While the Saudi Arabia’s largest telecom operator School, and an MBA degree from Harvard Business School. He is the holder of a registered patent for a
Excellence in Contact Center Operations, the theme for this issue, is an area of focus for Aegis right from the beginning. ITO transaction volumes increased at 5%, the entered into a landmark strategic symbolic language system known as Simbly™, with important call center applications.
We believe that it permeates all aspects - from the time we identify the right people, till we train them with the requisite BPO transactions increased by 12%. partnership, which would see Aegis
Geographies such as North America, and managing STC’s entire customer care How do you define excellence in Contact Center What trends do you foresee this year in Contact
skills.
Verticals such as BFSI were instrumental in operations including billing, directory enquiry,
Operations? What do organizations look for in Center Operations?
leading the market recovery. collection, verification. As part of the deal, Aegis and STC would form a near equal
service providers with respect to this aspect? I see a spirit of constructive competition. People are asking "how
In fact, in this issue's Think Tank, Bruce Belfiore, CEO, BenchmarkPortal echoes the importance of people, as he explains stake joint venture company— Contact Center Company (CCC) — which would am I doing compared with my peers", which is leading to an
As analysts, we determine excellence scientifically and objectively
The year also saw the revival of high value deals, provide customer care service to STC’s over 28 million customers in the Kingdom increase in benchmarking and to an increase in improvement
how, in addition to operational metrics, morale of the staff in the contact center operation is vital for its success. – we look at key performance metrics that correlate statistically to
growth of captive models, spreading of offshore of Saudi Arabia (KSA). initiatives based on the results of benchmarking. I am also seeing
cost structure and to quality. We examine these in comparison to
locations beyond Asia, and reclassification of industry benchmarks. a greater emphasis on training this year. There is a new
Speaking of metrics, though the operational metrics that we use may differ depending on the various verticals and China as a mature location. Significantly, in spite Aegis positioned in Magic Quadrant for Customer appreciation for the role of the supervisor as the agent leader in
industries that we operate in, we are at all times conscious of the fact that the aim is to improve Customer Life Time Value of the economic slowdown, leading service Management Contact Center BPO Worldwide by Leading When I define excellence personally, I add another factor - the call center. IVR optimization, work force management, multi
providers have experienced increase in Industry Analyst Firm employee morale. I call it M&M- metrics and morale. Morale can channel integration and social media are all exciting areas I see
for our client and to increase customer loyalty by enhancing customer experience. We are constantly examining the revenues, head count and operating margins. Aegis has been positioned in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Customer focus on this year.
be measured through agent satisfaction surveys and can be
backend data that accumulates and looking at identifying ways to innovate and enrich the overall experience. Management Contact Center BPO Worldwide 2010 report as a niche player. The gauged through focus groups.
Source: Everest research evaluates service providers on their capabilities across the Americas, What do you think are the various trends adapted
EMEA and Asia / Pacific. The companies considered for the Magic Quadrant Excellence in M&M is a hallmark of truly great contact centers in by various service providers to excel in Contact
The Case in Point section illustrates how Aegis partnered with 1-800-FLOWERS to address the demand spikes during TPI suggests healthy contracting showcase a blend of business, organizational, vendor / product, industry, customer my experience.
Center Operations to optimize the end user
peak seasons, and also achieved excellent customer satisfaction levels, and reduced operational costs. activity for rest of 2011 management (CM) BPO program and project management expertise. They
With regard to what organizations look for in service providers, experience?
In its recent report, TPI, the sourcing data and showcase the ability for innovation with capabilities to deliver CM contact center
they look for organizations which will partner with them to deliver a An important trend is to really understand the client objective and
advisory firm, suggests that during the first BPO services through an onshore, nearshore or offshore (global) service delivery the customer needs and service them to increase customer
This case study is an excellent example of how understanding the salient aspects of the industry that the company is in, service that balances cost with high quality in terms of processes,
quarter of 2011, the restructuring activity model. In 2009, Aegis was positioned in the Gartner Magic Quadrant CRM Contact satisfaction and loyalty. This is an area that service providers are
helps a service provider deliver superior results. At Aegis, we continue to focus on how we can implement best practices people and technology. They look for professionalism and in-depth
returned to historical norms, after 2010’s record Center BPOs for North America for its strong CRM contact center BPO capabilities concentrating on. They are also using training in an important way
knowledge of how to deliver a great customer experience at an
within a vertical without impinging on client confidentiality and any proprietary processes. increase, but the value of new scope awarded in North America. to explain to agents how to contain talk time and average handle
acceptable price.
in the market remained steady. time, while not impairing customer satisfaction.
IDC Marketscape identifies Aegis as a ‘Major Player’ in the While organizations do not expect perfection from service
Irrespective of the geographies that end customers may belong to, they primarily look One of the highlights of the Global TPI Index comprehensive customer care BPO Marketplace providers, they do expect true partnership in this sense. Can you also share your thoughts on the various
for three things, namely, Resolution of their concerns, in a Timely and Respectful was Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Aegis has been identified as a Major Player in the IDC MarketScape report on the vertical centric approaches followed in Contact
manner. Excellence in contact center operations hinges on getting these three which had its second best quarterly comprehensive customer care business process outsourcing (BPO) market 2010. What are the value propositions that would Center Operations?
performance in the last two years. The total IDC analysts report cites Aegis' high value services, strong funding model and
basics right. separate the best from the rest? I am very sensitive to vertical-centric approaches. It is important
value of BPO contracts awarded by clients was aggressive acquisition strategy as key areas of strength. The company’s promising in benchmarking to compare apples to apples within industry
For outsourcing operations, the value proposition starts with the
$6.6 billion, an increase of 66% from the same growth strategy and execution, its effective cost management, and focus on vertical sectors to get valid information leading to proper decisions
real partnership between the parties, where the outsourcer
We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we did putting it together for quarter the previous year, and a two time services such as analytics, are also highlighted as key indicators of Aegis' future understands and embraces the objectives and the mission of the and superior results.
increase over the same quarter in 2009. In growth. The IDC vendor assessment for the comprehensive customer care BPO client company. The partnership promise is fulfilled through
you. Do please write in with suggestions of what you would like to see in the future
terms of number of contracts awarded, this is market represents IDC's opinion on which vendors are well positioned today excellent people, who are well recruited, well trained and well Similarly, contact center operations that specialize by industry
issues of Insight! the second highest value after 2009. through current capabilities and which are best positioned to gain market share motivated. Also, through processes that run well and are vertical tend to be more expert and more successful. It is helpful
over the next few years. comprehensible to the client. The third value proposition is to know, in the case of outsourcers, that they have had deep
Source: TPI technology. Superior operations are those that work in an experience with your type of call and your industry sector.
Regards,
optimized and harmonious mode with three elements in
Awards synchronization - people, processes and technology. Add to this Naturally, there is a tension between vertical specialization and
continual and effective communications between client and cost containment, especially within medium and smaller
outsourcer and you have the elements of the best outsourcing operations. Load balancing (which reduces costs) is easier to do
Aegis was awarded with the MVP quality
Aegis ranked 15th and recognized in relationships. when there are cross-trained agents who can handle more than
award 2010 by Technology Marketing
Corporation (TMC)’s Customer Interaction Leader’s category by International one queue in more than one vertical. If agents are properly
Solutions Magazine for demonstrating the Association of Outsourcing Professionals What kind of influence does innovation and cross-trained and tested, the center can offer added flexibility and
utmost commitment to quality, excellence (IAOP®)Global Outsourcing 100 list cost containment while still providing vertical expertise.
Rajiv Ahuja and customer service.
cutting edge technology have in achieving
President - ANZ and ASEAN
operational excellence?
It has a great and still untapped influence - there is so much more
Aegis was recognized as the BPO top job Aegis was recognized by Aon Hewitt as to do for so many centers. A proper combination of technology
creator at the annual Business Process one of the 25 Best Employers in India components such as IVR, CRM, KM, Work Force Management,
enabling South Africa (BPeSA) awards 2011 for alignment of people practices
with growth objectives.
etc. drive customer satisfaction and loyalty by helping deliver
recently.
superior customer experience. Bruce Belfiore can be contacted on info@aegisglobal.com
2 3 4

3. Aegis Speak Buzz Factor Think Tank
Increasing Emphasis on Excellence
Location Decisions for Outsourcers
in Contact Center Operations
Industry Buzz Aegis Buzz
Bruce Belfiore is the CEO of BenchmarkPortal, which provides best practices information to the customer contact
Dear Customer, Outsourcing Market Growth: Aegis and Saudi Telecom come industry. He is a consultant to call centers in a wide variety of industries seeking to improve their results, and is
Everest together to transform Customer noted for helping to calculate the financial impact of proposed changes. Bruce is the author of the books
According to research firm Everest Group, the care in the Region "Benchmarking for Profits!" a manual for best practices benchmarking, as well as its sequel, "Benchmarking at
I am delighted to present to you, the fifth issue of Insight. its Best for Contact Centers." Bruce holds an A.B. degree from Harvard College, a J.D degree from Harvard Law
global outsourcing market grew at a rate of 6% Aegis and Saudi Telecom Company (STC),
in 2010, when compared to 2008. While the Saudi Arabia’s largest telecom operator School, and an MBA degree from Harvard Business School. He is the holder of a registered patent for a
Excellence in Contact Center Operations, the theme for this issue, is an area of focus for Aegis right from the beginning. ITO transaction volumes increased at 5%, the entered into a landmark strategic symbolic language system known as Simbly™, with important call center applications.
We believe that it permeates all aspects - from the time we identify the right people, till we train them with the requisite BPO transactions increased by 12%. partnership, which would see Aegis
Geographies such as North America, and managing STC’s entire customer care How do you define excellence in Contact Center What trends do you foresee this year in Contact
skills.
Verticals such as BFSI were instrumental in operations including billing, directory enquiry,
Operations? What do organizations look for in Center Operations?
leading the market recovery. collection, verification. As part of the deal, Aegis and STC would form a near equal
service providers with respect to this aspect? I see a spirit of constructive competition. People are asking "how
In fact, in this issue's Think Tank, Bruce Belfiore, CEO, BenchmarkPortal echoes the importance of people, as he explains stake joint venture company— Contact Center Company (CCC) — which would am I doing compared with my peers", which is leading to an
As analysts, we determine excellence scientifically and objectively
The year also saw the revival of high value deals, provide customer care service to STC’s over 28 million customers in the Kingdom increase in benchmarking and to an increase in improvement
how, in addition to operational metrics, morale of the staff in the contact center operation is vital for its success. – we look at key performance metrics that correlate statistically to
growth of captive models, spreading of offshore of Saudi Arabia (KSA). initiatives based on the results of benchmarking. I am also seeing
cost structure and to quality. We examine these in comparison to
locations beyond Asia, and reclassification of industry benchmarks. a greater emphasis on training this year. There is a new
Speaking of metrics, though the operational metrics that we use may differ depending on the various verticals and China as a mature location. Significantly, in spite Aegis positioned in Magic Quadrant for Customer appreciation for the role of the supervisor as the agent leader in
industries that we operate in, we are at all times conscious of the fact that the aim is to improve Customer Life Time Value of the economic slowdown, leading service Management Contact Center BPO Worldwide by Leading When I define excellence personally, I add another factor - the call center. IVR optimization, work force management, multi
providers have experienced increase in Industry Analyst Firm employee morale. I call it M&M- metrics and morale. Morale can channel integration and social media are all exciting areas I see
for our client and to increase customer loyalty by enhancing customer experience. We are constantly examining the revenues, head count and operating margins. Aegis has been positioned in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Customer focus on this year.
be measured through agent satisfaction surveys and can be
backend data that accumulates and looking at identifying ways to innovate and enrich the overall experience. Management Contact Center BPO Worldwide 2010 report as a niche player. The gauged through focus groups.
Source: Everest research evaluates service providers on their capabilities across the Americas, What do you think are the various trends adapted
EMEA and Asia / Pacific. The companies considered for the Magic Quadrant Excellence in M&M is a hallmark of truly great contact centers in by various service providers to excel in Contact
The Case in Point section illustrates how Aegis partnered with 1-800-FLOWERS to address the demand spikes during TPI suggests healthy contracting showcase a blend of business, organizational, vendor / product, industry, customer my experience.
Center Operations to optimize the end user
peak seasons, and also achieved excellent customer satisfaction levels, and reduced operational costs. activity for rest of 2011 management (CM) BPO program and project management expertise. They
With regard to what organizations look for in service providers, experience?
In its recent report, TPI, the sourcing data and showcase the ability for innovation with capabilities to deliver CM contact center
they look for organizations which will partner with them to deliver a An important trend is to really understand the client objective and
advisory firm, suggests that during the first BPO services through an onshore, nearshore or offshore (global) service delivery the customer needs and service them to increase customer
This case study is an excellent example of how understanding the salient aspects of the industry that the company is in, service that balances cost with high quality in terms of processes,
quarter of 2011, the restructuring activity model. In 2009, Aegis was positioned in the Gartner Magic Quadrant CRM Contact satisfaction and loyalty. This is an area that service providers are
helps a service provider deliver superior results. At Aegis, we continue to focus on how we can implement best practices people and technology. They look for professionalism and in-depth
returned to historical norms, after 2010’s record Center BPOs for North America for its strong CRM contact center BPO capabilities concentrating on. They are also using training in an important way
knowledge of how to deliver a great customer experience at an
within a vertical without impinging on client confidentiality and any proprietary processes. increase, but the value of new scope awarded in North America. to explain to agents how to contain talk time and average handle
acceptable price.
in the market remained steady. time, while not impairing customer satisfaction.
IDC Marketscape identifies Aegis as a ‘Major Player’ in the While organizations do not expect perfection from service
Irrespective of the geographies that end customers may belong to, they primarily look One of the highlights of the Global TPI Index comprehensive customer care BPO Marketplace providers, they do expect true partnership in this sense. Can you also share your thoughts on the various
for three things, namely, Resolution of their concerns, in a Timely and Respectful was Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Aegis has been identified as a Major Player in the IDC MarketScape report on the vertical centric approaches followed in Contact
manner. Excellence in contact center operations hinges on getting these three which had its second best quarterly comprehensive customer care business process outsourcing (BPO) market 2010. What are the value propositions that would Center Operations?
performance in the last two years. The total IDC analysts report cites Aegis' high value services, strong funding model and
basics right. separate the best from the rest? I am very sensitive to vertical-centric approaches. It is important
value of BPO contracts awarded by clients was aggressive acquisition strategy as key areas of strength. The company’s promising in benchmarking to compare apples to apples within industry
For outsourcing operations, the value proposition starts with the
$6.6 billion, an increase of 66% from the same growth strategy and execution, its effective cost management, and focus on vertical sectors to get valid information leading to proper decisions
real partnership between the parties, where the outsourcer
We hope you enjoy reading this issue as much as we did putting it together for quarter the previous year, and a two time services such as analytics, are also highlighted as key indicators of Aegis' future understands and embraces the objectives and the mission of the and superior results.
increase over the same quarter in 2009. In growth. The IDC vendor assessment for the comprehensive customer care BPO client company. The partnership promise is fulfilled through
you. Do please write in with suggestions of what you would like to see in the future
terms of number of contracts awarded, this is market represents IDC's opinion on which vendors are well positioned today excellent people, who are well recruited, well trained and well Similarly, contact center operations that specialize by industry
issues of Insight! the second highest value after 2009. through current capabilities and which are best positioned to gain market share motivated. Also, through processes that run well and are vertical tend to be more expert and more successful. It is helpful
over the next few years. comprehensible to the client. The third value proposition is to know, in the case of outsourcers, that they have had deep
Source: TPI technology. Superior operations are those that work in an experience with your type of call and your industry sector.
Regards,
optimized and harmonious mode with three elements in
Awards synchronization - people, processes and technology. Add to this Naturally, there is a tension between vertical specialization and
continual and effective communications between client and cost containment, especially within medium and smaller
outsourcer and you have the elements of the best outsourcing operations. Load balancing (which reduces costs) is easier to do
Aegis was awarded with the MVP quality
Aegis ranked 15th and recognized in relationships. when there are cross-trained agents who can handle more than
award 2010 by Technology Marketing
Corporation (TMC)’s Customer Interaction Leader’s category by International one queue in more than one vertical. If agents are properly
Solutions Magazine for demonstrating the Association of Outsourcing Professionals What kind of influence does innovation and cross-trained and tested, the center can offer added flexibility and
utmost commitment to quality, excellence (IAOP®)Global Outsourcing 100 list cost containment while still providing vertical expertise.
Rajiv Ahuja and customer service.
cutting edge technology have in achieving
President - ANZ and ASEAN
operational excellence?
It has a great and still untapped influence - there is so much more
Aegis was recognized as the BPO top job Aegis was recognized by Aon Hewitt as to do for so many centers. A proper combination of technology
creator at the annual Business Process one of the 25 Best Employers in India components such as IVR, CRM, KM, Work Force Management,
enabling South Africa (BPeSA) awards 2011 for alignment of people practices
with growth objectives.
etc. drive customer satisfaction and loyalty by helping deliver
recently.
superior customer experience. Bruce Belfiore can be contacted on info@aegisglobal.com
2 3 4