hello transcom 2016

STEPPING UP YOUR CAREERChallenge yourself at Transcom. P.14

SERVING PEOPLE IN ALL CHANNELS

THE ART OF DELIVERING OPTIMAL CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE P.18

THE WORLD IS CALLINGlastminute.com serves customers worldwide. P.6

WHY TECHNOLOGY

REQUIRES EMPATHY

P.22

C U S T O M E R C A R E I N S I G H T S / 2 0 1 6

Hello TRAN

SCO

M

I and many of my colleagues get asked this question a lot. Of course, we think we have a pretty good idea. The funny thing is, though, that we rarely ask our clients, employees or

competitors the same question. But recently we did just that. Or, to be more precise, we asked an external party to do it for us.

I’m happy to say that the results indicate that Transcom’s position is very strong in terms of the most fundamental thing we need to do, i.e. to consistently deliver high-quality services to our clients and their customers. In fact, this was exactly the characteristic that respondents highlighted the most. Among buyers as well as competitors, Transcom was widely perceived as a high-quality vendor, rated above peer average. In addition to this, our flexibility in terms of meeting ever-changing client requirements and our strong local market knowledge were cited as key diffe-rentiators for Transcom in the marketplace.

If you asked me, I would probably tell you about all these things as being important differenti-ating factors. But if I had to mention only one thing that makes us different, it would have to be our people. They are truly at the core of our strengths, and I am reminded of this fact every single day. I also get confirmation by the great feedback we receive through our annual

employee survey, both in terms of praise and suggestions for making Transcom an even better place to work.

I realize that you might now accuse me of throwing clichés around, since many CEOs routinely boast about their people making all the difference. But I honestly don’t think I’m making an overstatement. Every year, we hire thousands of new people on whom our business results depend. During a typical month, our customer ex-perience specialists handle approximately thirty million interactions with our clients’ customers in over thirty languages. Every hour of every day, we rely on knowledgeable, motivated people to deliver great customer expe-riences, in any customer situation and via any channel.

So if Transcom is better that the competition, it is thanks to our outstanding people. In this magazine, you will meet some of them.

Johan Eriksson, President and CEO of Transcom

What sets Transcom apart from its competition? What is different about your company?

HELLO!

Hello Transcom is a magazine published by Transcom. Here, we share stories from around Transcom, and also exemplify how we work together with our clients to enhance their business performance by improving the experience of their customers.

Editor: Stefan Petterson, [email protected]: +46 8 120 800 80Production: Intellecta Corporate, www.intellectacorporate.sePrint: TMG Repro: Turbin Cover photo: Martin Dimitrov www.transcom.com

2 Hello Transcom 2016

mailto:stefan.pettersson%40transcom.com?subject=

http://www.intellectacorporate.se

http://www.transcom.com

CONTENT4SMALL TALK

With 10 million customers per year, lastminute.com has a huge need for customer assistance.

FROM AGENT TO PRODUCT SPECIALIST

THE WORLD IS CALLING

Morten Halkjaer started a new career in Riga.

A CHANGING MARKETCustomer care is becoming more digital.

KEEPING CUSTOMERS CLOSESamsung New Zeeland uses empathy and great listening skills.

OPTIMIZING SERVICESThree questions to Johan Eriksson, Transcom’s President & CEO.

SHARING BEST PRACTICESCustomer experience is a top priority for Cheryll Aganda.

20 YEARS IN BUSINESSTranscom’s journey from local company to a global organization.

12-13

17

22-23

10-11

14-16

18-21

24-25

26-27

5

6-9

EVERYDAY CARE Read more about Transcom Cares.

STEPPING UPYOUR CAREERThe career paths at Transcom are plentiful.

MULTICHANNEL INNOVATIONHow can companies provide optimal customer care given the rapid digital transformation?

3Hello Transcom 2016

SMALL TALK

30MILLIONTHE NUMBER OF

INTERACTIONS MANAGED BY TRANSCOM´S AGENTS DURING

A TYPICAL MONTH.

VIDEO TUTORIALS IMPROVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCESometimes a film says more than a thousand words.

Over the last five years, Transcom Germany has been working with a leading satelli-te navigation brand, offering technical assistance to drivers who buy a GPS unit.

One of the most highly appreciated features of the service is the production of video tutorials, or short films that guide users through all stages of using the software and hardware.

The operator sends the user an email with a link to the video and provides assistance while the video tutorial on the problem in question is playing. So far around thirty video tutorials have been made.

WORKING WITH GREAT COLLEAGUESWhat is the best thing about working at Transcom, Bashir Isaak, team leader in Borås, Sweden?”The best thing is working with such great colleagues every day. Having the opportunity to coach my team members to a better performance and following their development, and being a part of a big company that supports and pushes you to perform your best month after month.“

Read more personal stories at blog.transcom.com

• Specialized competence Boosting customer satisfaction and reducing churn.

• Optimizing resources Ability to focus on the

company’s core activities.• Reducing cost and risk Handling volatile demand more efficiently.

REASONS TO OUTSOURCE CUSTOMER CARE SERVICES

Voice services represent around 65 percent of the market volume today and are expected to shrink to around 50 percent by 2020. Non voice channels are expected to grow from 35 to 50 percent.

Source: AT Kearney

Bashir Isaak.

MULTICHANNEL SOLUTION FOR WHIRLPOOLWhirlpool Corporation, the largest major appliance manufacturer in the world, is going to implement a call center integration pro-gram across Europe and provide seamless and consistent service

for customers in 19 countries. Transcom will provide customer care, sales and technical assistance for Whirlpool’s full range of marke-ted brands, with services delivered through multiple contact channels.

2015 2020

NON VOICE40%

50%

60%

VOICE

CHANNEL MIX IN CUSTOMER CARE


http://blog.transcom.com

Moving from the warm tropical Philippines to the freezing temperatures in Sweden may seem like an odd choice for some. But for Cheryll Aganda, it was an inspiring opportunity.

In November 2015, Cheryll Aganda moved to Stockholm and started her job as global operational development director at the Stockholm head office. Her main focus is process standardization and optimization, while still sup-porting efforts to strengthen Transcom’s value proposition within Customer Experience.

“I am both happy and challenged in my new role, because I see this as a fundamental platform for bringing the regions together – not only to share best practices, but also to collaborate and influence positive changes on the customer and employee experience.”

In the Philippines, Cheryll Aganda worked as senior director for Customer Experience Management. She feels that the years she spent with the Asia Leadership team allowed her to grow both personally and professionally.

“The topic of Customer Experience is often considered as one of the primary selling points of our business. But I believe that at Transcom, we have taken significant steps to ensure that we fully execute on this value proposition.”

So, what are the biggest differences between the Philippines and Sweden?

“The weather and the darkness. I arrived in November and the sun sets already in the early afternoon! But I am beginning to adapt to these changes.”

Ensuring that Transcom is bolstering its customer experience is a top priority for Cheryll Aganda.

Having customer focus

FACTS/CHERYLL AGANDAAge: 37.Works as: Global head of operational development.Education: Industrial Economics.Lives in: Stockholm, Sweden.Best thing about Transcom: It’s an organization that promotes a very healthy balance between being customer-centric and employee-centric.

TEXT: MALIN LARSHAMMAR PHOTO: JENNIFER GLANS

Hello Transcom 2016 5

LondonTHE WORLD IS CALLING

6

THE WORLD IS CALLING

Every day, thousands upon thousands of enquiries and requests pour into the client assistance centers of lastminute.com group, a European leader in the online travel and leisure industry. As lastminute.com group’s strategic partner for bookings and customer care, Transcom has perfected the art of dealing with anything from15 bicycles to zebras. TEXT: LOUISE NORDSTRÖM

7

As a customer care agent, you need a lot of finesse and quick thinking, not to mention diplomatic and lan-guage skills. Big time,” says Giorgio Bonafini, Operations Director of lastminute.com group and speaking from the company’s headquarters in

Chiasso, Switzerland.The lastminute.com group offers a range of prod-

ucts including flights, hotels, holidays, city breaks, cruises, car hire as well as other travel and leisure related products. With services in 17 languages and handling approximately 10 million customers per year, the amount of client assistance services delivered is huge.

Transcom has been acting as lastminute.com group’s strategic partner, providing bookings and customer

service activities across Europe and North Africa through voice, email and chat functions. Giorgio Bonafini estimates that between 60 and 70 percent of the company’s customer management is handled by Transcom via these traditional channels. Phoning in is especially popular with, for example, the Russians, he says.

“When it comes to our Russian customers for example, my observation is that they want to be sure and secure about what they have reserved, and the procedures that are in place in the case of a ‘what if’. There are a great deal of cultural

CAN I BRING A LIVE ZEBRA WITH ME? Customer: Hello? Can I bring a zebra with me on the plane?Transcom agent: Hello Sir, thank you for calling. I will check this out right away, let me get back to you.Transcom agent calls airline, airline checks the size-limit for animals to bring along. Airline staff calls Transcom and delivers the news that it’s not possible. Transcom agent calls customer back.- Hello again Sir, I am so sorry but a zebra exceeds the size-limit for pets to be brought on board. But you may bring your cat. Have a good day Sir!

You have to be ready for virtually any situation and so it is fundamental for us to have a solid supplier like Transcom who can guarantee us a high- quality service all the time. Giorgio Bonafini, Operations Director of lastminute.com group

>>


differences in the way our clients contact us, and why,” he explains.

And the nature of the questions and require-ments that come through can almost be as varied as there are destinations and activities to choose from.

“We had this one customer who wanted to know whether he could bring a live zebra with him on board his flight,” Giorgio Bonafini recalls, noting that the agent processing the enquiry then had to contact the airline in question to check whether it was actually possible.

“It’s important for us that agents go that extra mile to ensure that we can offer our customers the best travel and leisure experiences out there, but no, in this case it just wasn’t possible. Animals of a certain size couldn’t be brought along.”

There was also the case when a customer wished to bring 15 bicycles with him in his luggage, or the time when an airplane passenger wasn’t familiar with having to adjust the time on her watch when flying westwards.

“The client couldn’t understand how she could possibly arrive at her destination before the time of her departure. That took a bit of gentle explaining about time zones,” he says.

Compared with just a decade ago, the evolution of new technology and the increasing use of social media have also added a whole new dimension

“It’s important for us that agents go that extra

mile to ensure that we can offer our customers

the best travel and leisure experiences out there”,

says Giorgio Bonafini, Operations Director

of lastminute.com group.

FACTS/LASTMINUTE.COM GROUP• lastminute.com group is a European leader in the online

travel and leisure industry.• It offers flights, hotels, holidays, city breaks, cruises, car

hire as well as other travel and leisure related products. • More than 10 million customers book their travel and

leisure experiences every year.• Its biggest markets are UK, Italy, France, Spain and

Germany, and its services are offered in 17 languages, including Arabic.

when it comes to the courtesy, product know-how and diplomacy skills required by customer care agents – even for those who handle the conven-tional channels like telephone and email services.

“Although we’re seeing an increased migration towards social media, most people are still using the traditional channels as a point of first contact. But if they’re not happy, they may take to social media which obviously can be very impactful,” Bonafini explains, adding that his company remains directly in charge of the group’s customer care on the social media channels.

“You have to be ready for virtually any situation and so it is fundamen-tal for us to have a solid supplier like Transcom who can guarantee us a high-quality service all the time.”


As the distinction between products and services is increasingly diminished, a smooth and professional customer service can make all the difference in making a company stand out in a

fast-paced market. A friendly approach, coupled with presenting solutions swiftly, can be vital in retaining a customer.

In line with an increasingly digital world it is important that the customer service sector develops as well. Virtually all customers are online today and they are used to getting instant responses to their demands. What used to be a call center market, where the focus was to provide fast support, has evolved into a multifaceted opera-tion consisting of general customer services, new

selling opportunities and keeping track of invoices.

“In the past few years, the services have changed and evolved. End custom-ers are increasingly demanding that solutions are immediately presented to them via the channel that suits them,” says Täpp Jonatan Matsson, partner at consulting firm A.T. Kearney.

Täpp Jonatan Matsson has researched the customer services market

MARKET IN CHANGEThe global customer care outsourcing market is forecast to grow more than four percent annually up to 2020. Although digital services are becoming increasingly important for the customer care industry, telephone services are still expected to remain key. TEXT: JOHAN WICKSTRÖM

for several years and in the fall of 2015, he presented a study on the market development of the sector.

“Services and support remain the most important tasks, where the customer will call the company. But more and more companies want help in finding new ways to both retain and develop their customer relation-ships. This might be done, for example, by phoning a customer after a few months to follow up on something, and to offer new services, but also meet-ing customer demands by serving them through digital channels.”

A.T. Kearney estimates the global annual turnover for outsourced customer care services at around €48 billion. But the potential is, in fact, much greater considering that around 80 percent of all customer service is handled in-house by companies themselves. But an increasing number of companies are now beginning to outsource it. There are several reasons for this: To cut costs, to be able to focus on their core operations and to benefit from the exper-tise that specialized suppliers can provide.

“The global market for customer care out sourcing

CUSTOMER CARE MARKET Telecom and financial services account for more than half of the market for out-sourced customer care services.

Telecom 32 %

Technology 10 %

Other 21 %

Travel 4 %

Retail 7 %

Healthcare 6 %

Financial 20 %

Täpp Jonatan Matsson.


is expected to grow by more than 4 percent per year up to 2020. Although the telecom and banking sectors still represent the largest volumes, the retail- and travel industries are now growing the fastest,” Täpp Jonatan Matsson says.

The nature of customer service is gradually changing. Interaction will increasingly be done via digital channels, through for example phone apps, chats or self-service functions.

A.T. Kearney’s studies show that while voice services represent around 65 percent of the market volume today, this number will shrink to around 50 percent by 2020.

“There is a clear shift toward the digital channels. But I thought it would happen faster. This might

have to do with the fact that people still prefer to call when dealing with more complicated issues, like with invoices for example. And many of the larger customers are still working in outdated IT-environments which make such shifts a bit more complicated.”

However, the market volume of emails is expected to drop.

“Email will become less important. There are too many interactions, going back and forth and so on, and on top of that it’s a pretty expensive alternative. It’s difficult to follow up on how a customer has experienced an email exchange, and so the overall customer experience suffers.”

The global market is dominated by about a dozen large players where Transcom comes in just after those who dominate the field. Among the biggest companies there is quite an entrenched standardiza-tion culture.

“But our studies show that Transcom is getting incredibly good feedback when it comes to quality, flexibility and the ability to find adaptable solu-tions. I believe that partnerships and a proactive approach will be the key to success for customer services groups in the future,” says Täpp Jonatan Matsson.

End customers are increa-singly demanding that solutions are immediately presented to them via the channel that suits them.

Täpp Jonatan Matsson, A.T. Kearney

>>48

billion euro

The global annual turnover for

outsourced customer care

services.

More and more companies want help in finding new ways to develop their customer relationships.


”At first I was a bit hesitant to leave my beloved Matteo with strangers. However, as a single mother, I needed the help and I have never regretted taking this opportunity. Matteo has developed and learned a lot, he is happy to mingle with the other children and is becoming more and more responsible”, says Marjorie Furo.

Marjorie Furo is one of many employees in the Philippines that recognizes the value of the child care center. The Pasig site in Manila, where Mar-jorie works, was the first BPO in the Philippines to establish a 24/7 childcare center, where the em-ployees can drop off their children while working. The center is managed by registered nurses and child psychologists.

The center was built in 2011 and to this day, the

facility is the only ones of its kind in the Philippines. The center was originally planned to be open for six months only, but the opera-tions were eventually made permanent due to outstanding support from both the Transcom management and the employees. Due to its success, Transcom now has child care facilities in all of its sites in the Philippines.

“For employees to be able to give their best at work, their worries should be minimized. For parents, especially single mothers, child care is among the highest priorities, and this is the driving force behind the establishment of the Transcom child care program”, says Siva Subramaniam, Regional General Manager for English-speaking markets and Asia-Pacific.

CARE EVERYDAY


Marjorie Furo playing with her son Matteo at the Pasig site in Manila, Philippines.

TRANSCOM CARESThe Transcom Cares program was initially started as a concept for Transcom´s community engagement activities in the Philippines. In 2013, Transcom broadened the program’s scope and it now has three prioritized focus areas.

People developmentThe ability to attract and develop top talents is business critical for the company. To be recognized as a responsible employer, attracting peo-ple and strengthening the brand in all local markets, is key for Transcom.

Equality & diversity Being an employer that provides equal opportunities to all is part of the company DNA. Transcom strives for gender equality, and diversity in terms of culture and language – which is fundamental for the service delivery capability.

Community engagementTranscom believes that getting involved in the communities in which it operates strengthens the employer brand as well as maintains the com-pany’s license to operate.

In addition to the focus areas described above, Transcom is a signatory of the UN Global Compact, and fully supports its ten principles with respect to human rights, labor rights, environmental care and an-ti-corruption work.

For more Transcom Cares stories, visit

blog.transcom.com



There are a multitude of ways to challenge yourself as a Transcom employee, and the career paths are plentiful. But one of Transcom’s real success factors is the fun it offers its staff in the workplace.

CAREERStepping up your

team leader, a business manager or contact center manager,” Rosana Garcia, global HR director at Transcom WorldWide, explains.

Rosana Garcia started her own Transcom career as an HR-manager for the contact center in Barcelo-na. Today she is global HR director.

As Transcom focuses on weekly and monthly goals for the majority of its employees, one of the most important tasks for team-leaders is to coach agents on how to improve their performance on a weekly basis. Explicit goals are a part of Transcom’s strat-egy since it makes it easier to link everyday work with goals such as customer satisfaction and other key performance indicators.

To motivate staff even more, every Transcom office also offers motivational activities, such as competitions and games.

Every job at Transcom is important. But there is one person that gets closer to the customer than anyone else – the agent.

“Ninety percent of our staff are agents and Transcom would be nothing without them,” says Cecilia Forzelius, HR direc-

tor for Transcom Northern Europe.“Not only does a Transcom agent work with

customer service, he or she also works in a team and deals with different kinds of customer support, services and sales.”

Every new agent receives training according to the services that he or she will carry out, including product knowledge, system training, communica-tion, and how to handle various customer contact channels such as social media. Depending on how difficult the job is, the training period can last from anything from one to five weeks.

The next step on the Transcom career ladder is to become a product specialist, and after that to work either as a quality and time management specialist, or a team leader. There is also the possibility to coach new staff. Transcom recruits 90 percent of its team leaders internally.

“If you are dedicated, committed and pro-vide good quality services, you will always have promotion opportunities. An agent can become a

TEXT: LINDA NYSTRÖM PHOTO: PETTER COHEN

>>14 Hello Transcom 2016

Stepping up your

“If you are dedica-ted, committed and provide good quality services, you will always have promo-tion opportunities”, says Rosana Garcia, global HR Director at Transcom.>>


“Transcom believes that motivational activities are key to the work environment. You should take your work seriously, but it is just as important that you have fun at your workplace,” says Rosana Garcia.

To be considered for a promotion, Rosana Garcia suggests embracing Transcom’s core values: pas-sion, excellence and innovation.

“Be customer experience-oriented and always strive to be excellent in what you are doing,” she says.

“It is important to remember that competencies and capabilities are just as important as experi-ence.”

Cecilia Forzelius has additional advice. “Work hard and deliver from where you are at.

With our weekly coaching sessions, it is easy to

discover talent and high performers,” she says.“Attitude, ambition and a willingness to learn are

equally important. Be clear about your goals, both personally and professionally. Let your leader and coworkers know that you want to take on larger responsibilities, and that you want to advance professionally.”

There are many ways to develop as a Transcom em-ployee, whether you want to advance professionally and/or personally. One option, for example, could be to go and work in one of the other Transcom offices in Europe.

“If you are a Swedish-speaking agent, for exam-ple, you can work in the Transcom office in Riga since they are in need of employees who speak Scandinavian languages,” Cecilia Forzelius says.

Main learnings from working at Transcom

1. People2. Skills

3. Experience4. Customers

5.Communication

Unique and/or most attractive with the job

at Transcom1. People

2. Experience3. Colleagues4. Customers

5. Opportunities

Description of Transcom and the people working

in the company1. Friendly2. Good3. Young4. Nice

5. Different

Survey among 102 Transcom agents across North Europe

during 2015.

“IT IS AMAZING TO SEE HOW THE COMPANY HAS THE SAME SPIRIT EVERYWHERE”Silvia Fernandez González start-ed at Transcom after finishing university in 2001. “Many of us are still colleagues

today. To gether, we have developed both professionally and personally, which makes us a great team,” says Silvia Fer-nandez González, 37, contact center manager for Transcom in Léon, in Spain.

She embarked on her Transcom career in Jan-uary 2001, starting out as a customer service representative. A year later, she was promoted to team leader

and in 2003 she became business manager.“It is very important to be persistent. I applied

for the business manager position three times before the opportunity arose,” she recalls, adding she got married and had a child during this time. When she returned to work five months later,

she was promoted to contact center manager. Silvia Fernandez González has travelled

the world with Transcom and has visited the company’s offices in Sweden, Lithuania, Spain and Portugal. “It’s amazing to see how the company has the

same spirit everywhere. We work together, in the same functional way to achieve the same goals, but we are in different countries. This, and meeting all the fantastic people in the offices out there, is something I’m really grateful for.”

>>

Cecilia Forzelius.

Rosana Garcia started her own Transcom career as an HR-manager for the contact center in Barcelona.

Silvia Fernandez González.


At the beginning of 2014, Morten Halkjaer hit a crossroads in his life. He was living in Denmark and was working as a manager in a retail store. But he was dreaming of more: He wanted to work abroad and take

the next step in his career. In February the same year, he saw that Transcom

was looking for a customer service agent in Riga. He applied and was called for an interview.

“I had the telephone interview on a Wednesday. I started the following Monday and moved to Riga,” Morten Halkjaer recalls.

It has only been two years since Morten Halkjaer made the big move, but it’s been a period that has been shaped by new experiences and thrilling chal-lenges. Already in April 2014, Morten Halkjaer was promoted to team leader. And in October 2015, he was promoted again, to product specialist.

“Today my job is to ensure that our projects reach specific results and targets. The job is very dynamic. Among other things I coach team leaders, organize competitions and hold classes.”

This week, Morten Kjærgaard Halkjaer has been holding an introduction course for new colleagues. During the course, he teaches them how to use the company’s internal tools, goes through different scenarios they might face in their job and arranges role-plays. By the end of the week, the agents are ready to take their first call.

“Everyone is so excited when they get to answer a real call,” he says.

Morten Halkjaer is convinced that his experience as a service agent and team leader has given him lots of valuable skills that he can bring to his new role as a product specialist.

“My background makes me understand the prob-lems and questions my colleagues might have.”

In two years, Morten Halkjaer has been promoted twice and now works as a product specialist in Riga.

From agent to product specialist

FACTS/MORTEN HALKJÆRAge: 25.Works as: Product specialist.Lives in: Riga, LatviaComes from: Resen, DenmarkBest thing about Transcom: The colleagues and the great atmosphere.

TEXT: MALIN LARSHAMMAR PHOTO: ANDRIS SPROGIS


How can companies provide optimal customer care during the rapid digital transformation, when the customer experience is becoming increasingly important? Transcom is continually developing new solutions together with its clients – and has even started an innovation lab.

The rapid digital transformation affects all industries to some extent. With more products and more complex services, the demands are increasing for a flexible customer service that can serve all channels on the customer’s terms. At the same time, the customer experience itself has become an increasing-

ly important way for companies to set their prod-ucts and services apart from their competitors.

More and more customer contacts are moving from traditional voice conversations to digital chan-nels. And those companies who can’t handle the customers’ demands risk facing a stream of irritated feedback on Twitter or Facebook.

“Digitalization and customer experience are the

two buzzwords in our industry. Digitalization is leading us into a new phase where customer service and the customer experience become even more important. And the development is happening quickly now”, says Philip Sköld, Chief Commercial Officer at Transcom.

Today almost one fourth of Transcom’s turnover is related to non-voice activities, and that number will only increase.

“We serve our customers regardless of channel. And the customer has to have the same experience regardless of whether it is over the phone, chat or mail.”

Customer experience is clearly a key concept for Transcom. In order to continually improve the customer experience, Transcom is working actively together with its clients to come up with new inno-

INNOVATIONIN ALL CHANNELS

>>

TEXT: JOHAN WICKSTRÖM ILLUSTRATION: ROBERT HILMERSSON


vative solutions, like implementing smart technical solutions or simplifying (and speeding up) process-es while also educating and developing staff.

One example is when Transcom worked together with a global electronics company to develop a web based knowledge base to show customer service staff how to solve all kinds of questions related to the client’s products. The system led to more satis-fied customers and a much quicker and smoother work flow for customer support.

“Outsourcing customer service used to be largely about cutting costs, but now quality is becoming

more important. That is why we are always working with our clients to develop new services and deliver more value”, says Philip Sköld and gives the follow-ing example:

“If we notice, for instance, that a lot of com-plaints are coming in about the same thing then we can notify our client about that, analyse the reasons and come up with suggested solutions. That way we are creating a more satisfied end user at the same time as we cut costs for our client. “

One key area, also as a direct result of digitalization, is business analytics. Transcom handles about thirty million customer interactions each month. That pro-duces big data that is collected and can be analysed in various ways.

“For instance, we can use this to analyse the en-tire customer journey and see if there are any areas where the client risks losing customers or where there are unnecessary contacts”, says Philip Sköld.

The rapid digitalization is also the reason be-hind the research project LeonarDo2.0.14, where

We serve our customers regardless of channel. And the customer has to have the same experience regardless of whether it is over the phone, chat or mail.

Philip Sköld, Chief Commercial Officer, Transcom

>>

CONTACT CE NTER

Hello Transcom 201620

Transcom and the University of L’Aquila have worked together to create a kind of open innovation lab to develop new tools and solutions that are easy to use.

“It’s about finding new and efficient ways of integrating digital applications, to gauge customer attitudes by analysing texts and conversations and following the customer journey through to the decision-making stage”, says Emanuele Vitale, who heads up LeonarDo2.0.14.

“We will use the digital system to improve and strengthen customer experiences. We are moving toward an increasingly digital world that will require new tools. Customers have much higher demands for service today. And whoever is dissatisfied can immedi-ately spread that message via a tweet or on Facebook.”

One of Transcom’s collaborators in the project is one of its clients, a large public sector organization in Italy. The agency deals with more than 23 million customer contacts per year, which are handled by more than 2,000 people.

Transcom has about 1.5 million customer interactions each day. That produces big data that is col-lected and analysed in various ways. And the outcome of this analytics can be new forms of value added services to the clients.

Some of the lab tools are being tested here, in-cluding a solution that integrates phone contacts with natural language self service, chats, Skype, webcall, mail, branch offices contacts and faxes in one interface with single view of the customer and with his analytics profile.

That shows which questions have been asked and in which channels. And the system seems to work well: customer satisfaction is high.

But of course future customer service is not only about analysis and data. In the end it’s about people meeting people – and that is more complex than one may think.

“An important part of our project is about developing new ways to support our staff, so they can handle questions in the right way regardless of the channel, the customer profile, the customer behaviour, the customer sentiment and his jour-ney with us: we are engaged in their experience. The digital channels require different approaches for each type of communication”, says Emanuele Vitale.

Philip Sköld, Transcom.

CONTACT CE NTER

DATA/ ANALYTICS


Around 15 000 people call Samsung New Zealand’s customer service center each month. Whether they need to understand how to work a washing machine or plug in a TV, the Transcom agents need to be able to answer it all. And the job isn’t made easier by the fact that technology has a tendency to push many a customer over the edge…

Ninety percent of our calls come from customers who are trying to resolve an issue or log service jobs. This means that they might have tried troubleshooting on their own first, then asked a colleague or a friend, and when that didn’t work they called us. So by the time they call in, they might be

pretty frustrated already,” Naveen Dowlath, head of Services at Samsung New Zealand, explains.

“So as an agent you need to be very empathetic and have great listening skills. You need to quickly understand the customer and where he or she might be coming from.”

Transcom has been in charge of Samsung New Zealand’s customer service center since November, 2014. The agents, who are based in Transcom’s center in Manila in the Philippines, are responsible for taking all in-coming calls, operating the live chat function and answering any query that has been logged via Samsung New Zealand’s website. They also handle remote management of some Wi-Fi-based products, such as TVs.

“Our customer expectations are extremely high. If something goes wrong many of them expect you

WHY TECHNOLOGY REQUIRES EMPATHY

TEXT: LOUISE NORDSTRÖM PHOTO: ALEX WALLACE

to get them a replacement or carry out services for them within an hour, this is the standard we aspire to achieve” Naveen Dowlath says.

And while an empathetic ear is key in dealing with Samsung New Zealand’s customers, so is the ability to swiftly and intelligently help customers solve their problems.

Before a Transcom agent is even allowed to go on cue, they undergo a minimum of four weeks of training where they perfect their inter-personal communication skills and learn the ins-and-outs of all Samsung products. They are also regularly required to participate in refresher courses based on their product line of responsibility.

Transcom’s agents also have access to a Samsung product laboratory located within meters from their workstations where they, at any time, can go and test, troubleshoot or simply familiarise themselves with products.

“They need to know it all. The lab contains everything from refrigerators and TVs to washing machines and mobile phones. If they need to, they can go there and troubleshoot while still having the customer on the phone.”

Transcom also has team leaders present among its agents at all times, ready to assist and support their agents in the case that a particularly tricky query or situation should come up.


WHY TECHNOLOGY REQUIRES EMPATHY

“As an agent you need to be very empathetic and have great listening skills. You need to quickly understand the customer”, says Naveen Dowlath, head of Services at Samsung New Zealand.

Our customer expectations are extremely high. If something goes wrong many of them expect you to get them a replacement or carry out services for them within an hour, this is the standard we aspire to achieve. Naveen Dowlath, Head of Services, Samsung New Zealand

>>

over the services for Samsung New Zealand two years ago, the customer satisfaction scores have increased “from the 70s to the high 80s”.

“We’re very pleased. They are very profession-al and very keen to build relationships. They’ve become somewhat of a family and are really easy to communicate with. No request is too difficult for them to handle.”

Every day, a third Samsung-contracted party evaluates the services Transcom has carried out by interviewing customers who have had a service job completed after being in touch with an agent.

Naveen Dowlath says that since Transcom – which also is in charge of Samsung’s customer care busi-ness in Australia, Philippines, and the US – took

FACTS/SAMSUNG• Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd is

present in 84 countries and employs 307,000 people worldwide.

• Its products range from TVs, smart-phones, tablets, cameras, digital appliances, printers, as well as semiconductor and LED solutions.

• In New Zealand alone, an average of 15,000 contacts are made with the company’s customer service center each month. Transcom agents handle all in-coming phone calls, the live chat function as well as any query that has been logged via Samsung New Zealand’s website.


”An amazing journey”Ulrika Björn is one of the few who has been working at Transcom since start. Why have you stayed at Transcom for so long?“It has been an amazing journey for me personally. I loved my job back then and I love it now. The develop-ment possibilities are infinite and I have probably worked at every single Transcom department except IT.”

What is your best memory from the last 20 years?“One of many highlights during the years was when I was awarded the prize for being Transcom’s most loyal employee.”

How has the job changed from 1995-2015?“In 1995, we drew a line on a piece of paper for every customer that called in and wrote a manual note about the case. Today, all kinds of customer data is available at the press of a button.”

20CELEBRATINGYEARS IN BUSINESS

EXPANDING WORLDWIDETranscom acquires a majority share in Spanish customer management business, Gestel. This acquisition was followed by several others around Europe, North America and Asia between 2002-2008. 2002Ulrika Björn.

< 500 employeesCustomer service for Comviq’s mobile telephone customers in Sweden1 client, 1 contact center in Karlskoga, Sweden

199530,000 employees, 100 nationalities, 33 languages Global customer experience specialist52 contact centers, onshore, offshore and near shore in 21 countries

2016>24 Hello Transcom 2016

From its beginning in 1995, Transcom has evolved from a single-country operation into a global organization spanning 21 countries, leading the way in customer experience management.

THE BEGINNING IN KARLSKOGATranscom AB was established by the Swedish invest-ment company Kinnevik, to provide customer service for Comviq’s cell phone customers in Sweden. The first office was opened in Karlskoga.

NEW OFFICES IN EUROPETranscom Europe SA was founded with offices in Sweden, Luxembourg and Norway.

STOCK EXCHANGE LISTINGAfter a rapid geographical expansion, Transcom was operating in 15 Euro-pean countries by the end of 2001. In the same year, Transcom’s shares were listed on the stock exchange.

TRANSCOM CARES Transcom Cares was established as the overarching governance program for Transcom’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities. Focus areas include people development, equality & diversity, and community engagement.

LEADERSHIP IN CUSTOMER EXPERIENCEStrategic priorities going forward are informed by our vision of being recognized as a global leader in customer experience. Strategic focus on Europe and English-speaking markets & Asia-Pacific.

201995

1997

2013

2001

2015


2015 was another strong year for Transcom. Johan Eriksson, President and CEO, explains why and what the company will focus on in 2016 and beyond.

How would you summarize 2015?”It’s not easy to sum up such an eventful year in a few short words, but let me highlight our strong focus on quality, which has allowed us to expand our relationships with many of our clients during the year, and win new ones. We signed a number of new agreements in 2015, e.g. with lastminute.com and Whirlpool.

During the year, we also focused on strengthen-ing our organizational capabilities further in order to support growth, continued operational perfor-mance improvements and innovation.”

The market is changing quickly now – how does Transcom manage the growing demands from the clients? ”We are operating in a sector which is growing at an attractive rate, approximately 4-5 percent per year. At the same time, our industry is going through massive change with the move to non-voice and automated services. Transcom’s current market position is solid, with a growing share of digital and multichannel services. Change means opportunity, but it is important that we continue to be adaptive and proactive in response to changing conditions.

At the end of the day, success will depend on the strength of our client partnerships. This is why one of our key priorities is to continue to strengthen Transcom’s position as a strategic partner for our clients.”

Any change in strategy for 2016?”We have chosen to focus on growing our presence further in English-language markets. It will be a particular focus on the United States, the largest customer care outsourcing market in the world by far, the United Kingdom, which is the biggest market in Europe, and Australia.

In addition to this, we are targeting growth in selected markets in Europe, where Transcom has a very strong position to build on. We can offer clients an industry-leading multilingual delivery capability, based on a mix of onshore, near shore and offshore contact centers.”

INSIDE TRANSCOM

DRIVING OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE”We are continuously investing in improving processes, methods and tools that help our people deliver better services with lower risk, better quality and higher efficiency,” says Pär Christiansen, Transcom’s Chief Operating Officer.

Watch the video clip here: 2015.transcom.com

”OUR INDUSTRY IS GOING THROUGH MASSIVE CHANGE”

“At the end of the day, success will depend on the strength of our client part-nerships”, says Johan Eriksson, President and CEO.

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http://2015.transcom.com

In order to be successful and create real value, our aim is to truly partner with our clients, leveraging best practices that are tailored to the specific needs of each situation.

Philip Sköld,Transcom’s Chief Commercial Officer

Customer service and support• Delivering service experiences

and technical support for our clients’ customers.

Customer retention• Preventing defection and maximi-

zing the lifetime of a customer.Customer acquisition• Acquiring new customers cost- efficiently and building strong

customer relationships.Cross- and upselling• Identifying customer needs and

taking appropriate action.Collection services• Payment reminder calls

TRANSCOM’S SERVICE PORTFOLIO:

>>

TRANSCOM WINS SEVERAL AWARDSTranscom has won several customer care out-sourcing awards in the last year. Here are a few examples:

• Award for Best Outsourcer in Spain, in October 2015. In addition, Transcom also won the Gold

Award for Best Quality Management in the same competition.

• Award for Best Supervisor (Team Leader) in the contact center industry in Spain. The award was

handed out at the Fortius Awards Gala in Madrid in February 2016.

• CRC Gold Award for Best Customer Care Outsourcer – for the service we provide to one of the largest Spanish banks.

• Frost & Sullivan 2015 Visionary Innovation Leadership Award in Europe.

• Winner of Outsourcing stars 2015 competition as best Contact Center in Poland. The ceremony took place in Warsaw in January 2015.

blog.transcom.comOn Transcom’s corporate blog, we share stories from around the company. We also try to exemplify how we work together with our clients to enhance their business performance by improving the experience of their customers.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT TRANSCOM

2015.transcom.comThis special website replaces the traditio-nal front section of Transcom’s annual report, giving you key highlights from 2015. You will also find Transcom’s people & sustainability report here.



http://2015.transcom.com

A global customer experience specialist…

...in 21 countries...

...operating 52 contact centers, onshore, off-shore and near shore...

..representing more than 100 nationalities...

...employing 30,000 people...

…DELIVERING SERVICES IN 33 LANGUAGES…

...generating €626.5 million revenue in 2015...

...listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (Mid Cap segment) under ticker TWW...

transcom.com

http://transcom.com

hello transcom 2016

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