With its Q2 results yesterday, SYNNEX, the parent company of Concentrix, announced its intention to acquire Convergys, the second largest CX services provider and a public company with ~$2.8bn annual revenues. SYNNEX will pay ~ $2.43bn (includes $26.50 per share and repayment of $315m net debt). The transaction is expected to close by the end of 2018. The largest CX Services provider in Nor[...]

  After several months of media speculation, Teleperformance officially announced yesterday an agreement to acquire Intelenet Global Services from the private equity Blackstone for a total consideration of $1bn. Boost for Indian market The deal will expand Teleperformance’s topline growth and have a positive impact of around +10% on the company’s earnings per share in[...]

  For many years, the telecoms sector has been the dominant market for customer experience (CX) services providers. However, over the last few years, consolidation, flat performance, decreasing margins caused by market saturation, new digital models and competitors, and unfavorable regulations (e.g. Eurotariff) have eroded the significance of the telecoms sector for CX services provide[...]

  Last week Aegis Global and StarTek announced the creation of a combined company. The merger will see Aegis majority owner PE Capital Square Partners swap shares with the NYSE listed StarTek, to reach a ~55% stake in the merged company. The deal is expected to close by Q3 2018. Here I look at the implications of the merger. Return to the U.S. for Aegis For Aegis, the merger fol[...]

  NelsonHall recently visited WNS’ Analytics CoE in Bangalore. Research & analytics (R&A) services are key activities for WNS, as a first point of entry into new clients, and also as a higher margin activity in existing accounts. Readers of NelsonHall’s Quarterly Updates on WNS will be aware that WNS is looking to increase the level of annuity revenues from analytic[...]

In our latest CX services research in collaboration with NASSCOM, we have mapped how Indian CX services channel mix will change by 2020, as shown in the following infographic.  NelsonHall’s Customer Experience Services program delivers the most comprehensive insight for buyers and providers of CX services. For more information, contact Guy Saunders.[...]

In our latest CX services research in collaboration with NASSCOM, we identified the top 3 mechanisms for improving key CX metrics: Net Promoter Score, First Call Resolution, Conversion, and Turn-Around Time & Average Handling Time, as shown in the following infographic.  NelsonHall’s Customer Experience Services program delivers the most comprehensive insight f[...]

In our latest CX services research in collaboration with NASSCOM, we identified the 9 key stages of adoption for next generation customer service, as shown in the following infographic.  Insights into the differences across client industries and the best practices applied by vendors are available in NelsonHall’s Customer Experience Services program. For more information, contact [...]

  In my predictions for the customer experience services industry a year ago, I noted that political risks will replace security concerns as the biggest external threat to the industry. Looking ahead to 2018, regulatory changes and government policies will have a lasting impact on the selection of delivery locations, country investment plans, and market presence. Here I take a closer l[...]

  I recently attended HGS’ forum on the trends and challenges in CX for the European Consumer Packaged Goods (FMCG) market. In the company’s West London center, clients and prospects including Colgate, Danone, L’Oréal, Nespresso, Nomad Foods, and Mars discussed the ways customer service can drive ecommerce and augment sales. Digital as a force for disruption[...]

  Recently, I had a chance to visit Arvato’s U.K. and Ireland HQ in Slough, ~20 miles (30km) west of London, to witness its customer experience operations and how the company is applying digital channels and automation. A mix of public and private sector clients Arvato U.K. & Ireland provides customer experience services, finance and accounting (record to report, order [...]

This month, Capgemini is launching a new version of its omnichannel cloud platform, Odigo™. I interviewed Erwan Le Duff, Head of Prosodie-Capgemini, about the new platform features, the evolution of self-service, and the future of customer experience. Below is a video of highlights from the interview, followed by a brief introduction to Odigo and a full transcript of the interview.  [...]

  Post-sales support functions are typically cost centers: large, labor-intensive operations with significant overheads and no financially attributable benefit to the bottom line. This environment is changing, with  organizations gradually understanding the revenue generation opportunities in support services such as technical support and afterlife maintenance. I recently had a co[...]

The traditional (and now universally accepted as outdated) model for multi-channel support looked something like this, with differences primarily between the types or number of channels: However, as customers became digital and mobile, the model has shifted to something like this: This model originated with marketers and retailers, where omnichannel means the ability to purchase in t[...]

  NelsonHall recently attended Teleperformance’s annual analyst event in Xi’an, China. The location was selected to highlight the strong growth of Teleperformance in China, and to showcase latest initiatives to extend its influence in this very distinctive customer experience market. Early entrant in China’s BPO market Teleperformance entered Beijing in 2007 wit[...]

On June 8th, Italian BPS provider Comdata announced the acquisition of the French group Izium, which includes the CMS provider B2S, for ~€200m. The acquisition will be the first entry for Comdata in France and will lift the company to a top 5 CMS provider in Europe with estimated proforma revenues of ~€750m for 2017. Entry into a mature and healthy French CX market Under the de[...]

  In April 2017, TeleTech acquired healthcare BPS provider Connextions for $80m. The acquisition makes healthcare the second largest vertical for TeleTech, expected to reach ~21% of their annual revenue at ~$300m. I spoke with TeleTech recently to discuss the acquisition and their focus on the healthcare space. TeleTech’s Healthcare Business at a Glance TeleTech’s hea[...]

The idea that the future model of customer experience includes a high level of automation is already widespread. A whole ecosystem of developers and vendors is catering to an emerging mass market of bots and virtual assistants. And users and brands are discovering more applications of automated support over text and voice as bot libraries grow rapidly. While the learning curve for users is [...]

NelsonHall recently attended the HGS Analyst and Advisory Summit in NYC. The event combined client perspectives with an update on the company’s healthcare business, a review of the latest offerings within its DigiCX suite of digital services, and discussion of the changing nature of customer experience (CX). Optimizing the healthcare payer member experience In 2015, HGS acquired a [...]

  Last week, NelsonHall attended the Sitel Summit in Miami. Titled ‘Expanding the Digital CX Frontier’, the event was an opportunity for Sitel to update the analyst community on their new structure, introduce new senior executives, show its new global HQ, and share first-hand experiences of successful CX digital journeys. From contact center company to a group of global[...]