Contact centre investment in South Africa boosted by UK’s BGL Group

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – 12 June 2007

The group first invested in South Africa in 2003, choosing Cape Town for its high-calibre English-speaking workforce, with excellent communication and soft skills and the ability to interact easily with UK customers.

The new Century City offices, spanning 7 200m², are a key part of an aggressive, but carefully crafted expansion, says Group CEO Peter Winslow. “Having achieved over 50 per cent compound year-on-year organic growth for the last five years, we are now approaching two million customers. As a result the new offices are a major strategic investment for Fusion and the BGL Group.  We are committed to local industry and commerce and pride ourselves in the calibre of training and management prospects that we offer.  Fusion House is equipped with leading-edge technology to enhance the experience for both the employee and the customer.”

While SA’s telecoms costs are still high, Winslow is impressed with the robustness of local infrastructure. In tandem with the group’s plans for South Africa, Fusion has invested hugely in its people, to produce, attract and retain the best. Director Johann Kunz says: “Lasting success in business process outsourcing requires constant reinvestment in people.”

Fusion’s HR investments total multiple millions to date. Its new offices devote 300m² to training requirements, and the company has allocated dedicated resources to learnerships and training programmes for new and existing staff. Learnerships alone attracted a R5 million investment this year. In partnership with CallingTheCape, Fusion will provide a total of 12 weeks’ training per candidate to 61 intakes this year.

Contact centre learnership programme

“Ours is easily the most supportive and comprehensive learnership programme in the Western Cape contact centre industry,” says Kunz.  But learnerships are only a part of the company’s ongoing efforts in an industry fraught with staffing challenges.

Constantly seeking suitable agents, Fusion is ideally looking for individuals with previous experience in contact centres or the service industry, or matriculants with contact centre aptitude. “Seventy per cent of team leaders are promoted internally. Finding good leaders is our biggest challenge, but if they come from our own ranks, we know their quality. We are creating our own labour market by providing good opportunities for promotion and better remuneration,” adds Kunz.

As a result of all these interventions, staff attrition (a perennial contact centre issue) is constantly decreasing. Says Kunz, in conclusion: “The BGL Group’s decision to invest in South Africa has paid off, with our agents exceeding most targets set for them. As a leading Cape-based contact centre service provider, Fusion will support the BPO sector with ongoing reinvestment in its staff and infrastructure, to help achieve our government’s goal of being a tier-two player by 2010.”