Yemisi Izuora
Based on its recent analysis of the African business process outsourcing (BPO) market, Frost & Sullivan recognises iSON Xperiences with the 2019 African Company of the Year Award for its focus on developing the domestic African BPO markets.
It has grown to be almost five times the size of its nearest competitor in Africa in terms of revenue and head count. The company believes that Africa can match India’s competency in BPO, IT, and ITES through high employment generation, greater focus on skills training and development, aggressive capacity building, and direct government intervention.
“iSON is bolstering its high-tech capabilities in digital areas such as analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) as well as fostering human talent that can implement the latest tech solutions,” said Frost & Sullivan analyst Stephen Loynd. “The company is extremely knowledgeable about its clients and the specific objectives they have in terms of operations and in achieving the best possible CX. And it appears that iSON is well-poised to replicate its telecom industry success in other industry verticals.”
iSON grew from a single-country, single-sector provider into a multi-sector company with core expertise and capabilities in telecom, banking & financial services, government, retail, education, manufacturing, and oil & gas. It evolved very early from a call center services provider to an end-to-end customer experience partner that aims to offers a seamless experience to end customers. Headquartered in Dubai, it has regional headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya; Lagos, Nigeria, Cairo, Egypt, Durban, South Africa; and New Delhi, India, with support from 18,000 employees in 30-plus centers across 16 countries.
iSON’s platform is enabled for advanced digital capabilities such as AI-based chatbots with multi-channel integrations, and robotic process automation (RPA). It also features Big Data and social media analytics services as well as voice biometrics and speech analytics capabilities. The efficiency of its operations allow it to deliver a high level of omni-channel customer experience management (CEM). Meanwhile, it provides manual, assisted, and automated customer experience through voice and non-voice formats. Significantly, it offers services in locations that have not been tapped by other providers. For example, the company offers French clients services in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Chad, and Madagascar. These countries can generate as much as 30 percent cost savings and service levels comparable with centres in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia.
“iSON’s brand continues to grow in prominence. No other provider in this space is as closely associated with the ‘Africa Rising’ story as iSON Xperiences is,” added Stephen Loynd. “The company is uniquely present all across the African continent—in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Sudan, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. And it obviously takes pride in promoting local talent. This company’s strategy, along with its technology-based growth, has positioned it for further success.”
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents a Company of the Year award to the organization that demonstrates excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation in its field. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies, and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognise companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.