Every business interaction is important – interview with Mariusz Odkała, Business Tiger 2017
He has 25 years of experience in the management, sales and marketing of services. He has performed management functions in companies from the e-commerce, telecommunications and maritime sectors. He was responsible for managing and developing multinational enterprise structures in Poland and Europe. – Mariusz Odkała, President of the Board, Teleperformance Polska, Business Tiger 2017
Kamila Czyżyk, Pro Progressio: Mr Mariusz, we would like to congratulate you for the distinction of the Tiger of Business 2017. Which of them were the most significant and what does the current client expect from the Contact Center industry?
Mariusz Odkała, CEO of Teleperformance Polska: Thank you very much for the award. As a matter of fact, we could talk about innovations which the media inform us with enthusiasm from time to time. However, I like to rely on certain data that factually show the expectations of current clients and consumers in relation to the Contact Center industry. Such tests are regularly carried out by our so-called "Customer experience labs". Hence, I am aware that the optimization of projects is still the most important, nevertheless at a much wider angle than before. Certainly, reasonable costs are still important, yet changes in the labour market, the growing number of communication channels and competitiveness caused by, inter alia, dynamically growing e-commerce market, have made quality and consistency in customer service more important than ever before. This is evident both during meetings with international brands, as well as regional leaders. Please note that nowadays a dialogue with our consultants, whether by social media, instant messaging, e-mails, forms or traditional phone calls, is very often the first and only factual contact with the brand, because more and more purchases are done on-line now. And the impression a consumer has from such interaction actually influences the perception of the brand.
Speaking of which – the economy is doing well, Poles earn more and buy more, whereas the labour market has reached the lowest unemployment level ever.
This situation may denote complications for customers at many stages of implementation. Without a permanent and qualified team that is able to continuously and efficiently manage such a project, problems start to pile up at the level of selecting the proper staff. The traditional model of recruitment, upon the unemployment at so low a level, does not work. Completely different proactive forms of recruitment have to be employed, especially if a foreign language is required. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Therefore, currently the customers are looking for a comprehensive approach, since they know that in the end it will be beneficial in every aspect – financial, logistic or systemic, not to mention saving time. And for us, the management of such projects is our daily bread, whereas the employment of several dozen people for a multilingual project does not terrify anyone in the Teleperformance Polska team.
Mr Mariusz, in that case, what could Teleperformance offer to the customer and the increasingly demanding employee?
Our solutions always combine the needs of our customers with our employees. Therefore, on one hand, we conduct professional, efficient and multi-level recruitment processes, product and development trainings, incentive and integration programs for employees, as well as guarantee comfortable working conditions, including: high class office spaces, employment contracts, competitive remuneration or a wide non-payroll benefits package. On the other hand, we adapt to the needs of our clients who are more and more often interested in the consolidation of individual markets, multilingual teams and multi-channel communications. Yet, it is not all, since customers, obviously, desire the implementation of demanding targets, detailed analytics and very reliable measurements of consumer satisfaction which help them stay ahead of their competitors. It is a must-have now. We are prepared – we have analytical teams which verify indicators, traffic and quality in real time. As a result, the customer is calmer, since he has access to a lot of useful information, and it helps us build long-term trust. The key topic is also data security which is a priority in Teleperformance Poland. I am strongly convinced that no entity has such strict safety standards, which we are very proud of.
At the beginning of this year Teleperformance received the Certificate of Binding Corporate Rules (BCR). What does this documentation involve and what does it mean for your company?
It is yet another reason to work with us. What is more, we are the first company in the industry. By gaining such consent, we have joined an excellent group of the largest and most prestigious companies for whom the security of customer data is crucial. The entities cooperating with us receive a guarantee that the personal data of all clients are protected during international transfers. Our processes are compliant with international requirements in terms of data transfer, and thus ensure the confidence of both regulators and all companies cooperating with us. The program is compliant with European and international data protection requirements, including security and the rights of individuals. Customers using the Teleperformance service will be protected against image and financial damage resulting from the misuse of data and breaches of the privacy law.
Are there any grounds to fear that such rapid a development of process automation will negatively affect the Call Contact Center industry and change the way we communicate with the customer?
Our research shows that voice, email, web forms and live chats are still the most dominant and the most popular forms of contact. Social media are growing, yet it still depends on the country. As can be seen, the number of channels is growing, but our biggest customers still prefer to serve their consumers by people. Frequently, many people forget about the most important matter — most of the interaction with the customers with whom we meet during our work and who we manage, is not purely rational, most often, for various reasons, tit has an emotional dimension. Of course, artificial intelligence can provide answers to well-balanced, rational and clearly formulated questions, but as our everyday experience of more than a thousand one hundred consultants in Poland itself shows, people still expect support and a human approach that only another person can provide.
Interestingly, some of your clients are technology companies.
I look at the future with optimism, because on one hand, people surround themselves with widely understood technology and related services which by definition make our lives easier. On the other hand, sometimes there are defects, problems with installation, blocking of passwords or simply people do not know how something works. In such cases, automation or chat bots usually fail. Therefore, people need professional, quick and easy help that we are able to provide them quickly. Our consultants, their knowledge and empathy are our advantage that cannot be overestimated. Customers know that we have many years of experience and we are doing great in the area of technical support, which is why the number of customers is still growing and are acquiring new ones, as well.
What are the further plans for the development of the company in Poland?
We have had the best year in the history for Teleperformance Polska, both in terms of financial results and development, but we now know the current year will be as fruitful as the previous one. Our portfolio of customers is growing rapidly – we are just opening yet another large and modern office in Katowice, we are also expanding our operations in Warsaw. Overall, in the next 1.5 years, we want to employ another 300–350 new employees, mainly in the technology and retail industries.
What is the definition of Customer Experience according to Teleperformance?
Customer Experience is the sum of all customer experiences, emotions and impressions during the multi-level interaction with the brand. We help brands to make these experiences, rational and irrational, as good as possible, because every interaction matters.
We ask each distinguished person about the most interesting challenge in their professional career which had a significant impact on the career path. From the perspective of time, do you recall such a situation?
The first huge challenge was in 1994, when I became a Sales Manager of the newly established ferry operator Unity Line. It was just after two tragic events. First of all, “Heweliusz” ferry sank, and successively the largest accident of a passenger ferry in the history of the Baltic Sea occurred – “Estonia” ferry accident killed more than 850, with only 120 people saved. Such unfavourable business circumstances and we are just introducing our first and the most modern ferry in the world “Polonia” to the Scandinavian market. On one hand, a great challenge, even a mission impossible, especially since are starting as a young management team, literally four people are engaged. On the other hand, a huge adventure, since we have a real impact on everything, including building the entire branding, new service strategy, new products, as well as employing a professional crew of both the passenger and cargo components. The second challenge is when I became the CEO of Teleperformance Poland. I had to implement an ambitious vision and the necessary, yet often unpopular, changes that were to redefine our company’s operations in Poland. From the point of view of time, this mission also seemed difficult, yet consistent implementation of the functional strategy step by step, building and strengthening the team, implementing of new processes, all allowed to create an effective and stable business model, gain new customers, and thus dynamically increase the financial results.
Thank you very much for the conversation.
The Business Tigers List is a subjective rating of Pro Progressio Foundation. Each of the listed Business Tigers is recommended as an expert in business relation building. The complete list of Pro Progressio Business Tigers is available in the Pro Progressio 2017 Annual Report: https://goo.gl/Vm1E3g
